Booking Glory-Chapter 97: Once In A Lifetime Opportunity

"Rob! Rob! Rob! You are a hard man to catch," Rob’s stockbroker smiled brightly and moved into embrace him.

"Graham," Rob searched a bit and remembered the man’s name.

"Rob, you wouldn’t believe what day I have been going through. This day is the stuff of nightmares. I have been inundated with calls from morning till now. That’s why I wasn’t able to meet with you earlier," Graham Carter said in an overly familiar tone that made Rob frown inwardly.

Graham Carter was the kind of man who grew up on the streets and became a successful stockbroker. He was slick with people and had good conversational skills. However, that side of him was only shown to people who had money.

If you didn’t have enough value, Graham Carter wouldn’t even give you a second glance. Rob had experienced this prior. When Rob wanted to invest in IndiSoft, Mr. Walker had recommended Graham Carter as he was good with stocks.

Initially, Graham had been enthusiastic about acquiring Rob as a new client. He extolled his achievements and talked Rob’s ear off for more than an hour. However, when he learned that Rob was only investing a measly sum of $30000, his attitude began to cool off.

When he learned that Rob was planning to hold the stock for the long term, Graham finally had enough and started showing the cold shoulder to Rob. Since Rob didn’t know any other stockbroker and was in a hurry, he hadn’t minded his attitude at that moment.

Even Mr. Walker wasn’t completely satisfied with Graham. He only recommended him as the timeframe Rob gave him was really small for him to find another stockbroker.

To see such a person talking to him so familiarly, almost made Rob roll his eyes. But, he controlled his emotions and gave him a small smile. Rob had also noticed that Graham’s eyes would occasionally rove over Dacey’s figure causing her to feel a little uneasy.

"So, Graham, what did you want to talk about so urgently? As I said, I have something important to do," Rob said getting straight to the point.

He didn’t want to spend too much time in this man’s vicinity.

"Something more important than becoming a millionaire?" Graham chuckled as if he had heard a big joke and almost smacked Dacey’s thigh in the process, only for Rob’s hand to intercept his smack.

Rob looked at him angrily causing his laughter to stop.

"Sorry, I got a little worked up," he said apologetically and tried to pass off his misstep as an accident. "I think I have seen this miss somewhere. I just don’t remember where it is exactly though," he trailed off looking at Dacey.

"She is an actress," Rob said smiling brightly. "Now, if you can get to the point?"

"An actress huh, no wonder miss is so beautiful," Graham said smoothly and nodded at Dacey. "Well, Rob. I bring good news. A really good news. I can make you a millionaire by this time tomorrow. All you had to do is just sign here."

Graham smiled broadly; retrieved a printed paper and a pen; and placed it on the table between them with a grand flourish. He looked at Rob as if waiting for Rob to applaud him or ask him how.

Rob knew how this game was played. If he got caught up in this man’s rhythm or got distracted by his antics, he would lose this game. This man was a pure and pure salesman. The more Rob got distracted, the more this man would rip him off.

Rob smiled at Graham and turned to nod at Dacey.

"I think we can leave. Thank you for the performance Graham, but I have other work to do," Rob said and acted as if he was going to leave.

Dacey was smart enough to follow his lead. As they both prepared to leave, Graham’s face froze and he said hurriedly.

"Come on Rob, be a little sportive. I was just beginning. You don’t need to take it seriously. I have been telling you this for some time. You need to loosen up a bit," Graham changed his tone and came to his overly familiar manner of addressing Rob.

"Graham, we have met once. Apart from that, we have no contact. Like I said, I have important matters to attend to. If you are done clowning around, you can tell me what you wanted to tell me and I can leave," Rob said ruthlessly not buying Graham’s bullshit.

Graham’s face stiffened and he exchanged a small glance with the man beside him. The man nodded imperceptibly causing Graham to converge a bit and lean back a little.

"Mr. Williams, I am Henry. Henry Goldbloom. I am the representative stockbroker for the Greyson Group of Companies. It was me who requested this meeting with you," the man in glasses interrupted disrupting the rhythm and shifting attention to him entirely.

"Nice to meet you, Mr. Goldbloom. May I ask what is the purpose of this meeting?" Rob turned to look at him.

"Like I was saying Rob," Graham said shifting the attention back to him. "I can make you a millionaire by tomorrow evening. And this is the man who I have found to make it happen."

"Graham, you have been giving promises since this meeting began, but you are yet to get to the point. I will save all of us some time. I think Mr. Goldbloom here has come to obtain the stocks of IndiSoft in my hands. After all, you and I don’t have any other dealings apart from IndiSoft stocks, right?" Rob said directly completely disrupting the rhythm of their charade.

Graham’s face stiffened a bit and he chuckled to hide that. Mr. Goldbloom shifted a little in his seat uncomfortably. Apart from that, there were no other indications from the duo. Dacey hid a smile behind her hands seeing Rob’s manner of handling things.

"I always knew you were a smart one, Rob," Graham once more complemented Rob and spoke up. "You are right. It is the reason for our visit. You must have seen the stock price of IndiSoft rise rapidly yesterday, right? That’s the reason we are here for."

"I saw it, but I have also told you that I intend to hold the stock for a long while, Graham. I don’t know why we are having this discussion," Rob said casually causing Graham’s face to flicker with worry and Mr. Goldbloom to frown.

"Rob," Graham began and stopped shooting an anxious look at Mr. Goldbloom.

His eyes flickered a little and he looked torn for a moment. However, the next moment he steadied himself and looked over at Mr. Goldbloom.

"Henry, can I talk privately to my client for a bit? It seems that we have a little misunderstanding. Let us clear that out first. I will call you once we are done discussing," Graham said a little apologetically causing Mr. Goldbloom to frown even harder.

"Alright, I will wait outside," Mr. Goldbloom nodded and rose up. However, before he left, he looked at Rob and said sincerely, "Mr. Williams, our Greyson Group of Companies is willing to buy all the IndiSoft stock in your hands. Kindly, discuss this with your broker and give us a good answer."

"I will discuss it and let you guys know," Rob said amicably.

Mr. Goldbloom nodded and walked out of the café to wait in the car.

"Rob," Graham hissed the moment Mr. Goldbloom left. "You can’t be that direct while meeting buyers. You are still young and don’t know what you are doing. I will need to do a lot of damage control for your actions later. Just listen to me first and then you will know what I am doing is good for you."

Rob looked at Graham unfazed and waited for him to continue. However, Graham turned towards Dacey after that and spoke to her.

"Miss, can you give us some privacy? I need to talk with my client regarding some sensitive matters," Graham was all polite and even had an apologetic smile on his face.

Dacey immediately tried to get up and leave, only for Rob to stop her with a hand on her thigh.

"It is alright to discuss with her present. I have already told you, I can only spare one hour. It is almost twenty minutes now, get to the point," Rob said unceremoniously.

"Rob, these are sensitive information. Are you sure?" Graham asked once more with a big frown.

"Rob, I can wait over there," Dacey tried to excuse herself.

"No, you can stay here. You already know most stuff. What is there to hide from you?" Rob shook his head and looked at Graham’s frowning visage. "Graham, just tell. It is like pulling teeth with you. You haven’t said anything worthwhile all this time."

"Ok, if you are fine with it, then who am I to argue," Graham grumbled and looked around as if he was going to tell some really confidential information. "I think you have already seen the newspaper and know what’s happening with the stock price, right? I don’t need to go over that, right?"

"Yes, I do."

"Good, it saves time. The bill that the government passed has caused the stock market to be in turmoil. A lot of waste stocks have also gotten a huge boost due to these policies. But, it is only for a few days. These stocks will fall hard once the situation becomes clear. Your IndiSoft stock is one of these stocks."

"The moment I saw it rise I know that this is your chance. There won’t be another chance like this. Computer stocks are waste stocks. I tried to tell you that at that time, but you didn’t listen. However, your luck is good."

"There is a misconception now that the new bill will benefit the computer industry. But, it will not be so. I have been talking with some insiders nonstop all morning to get clear details. Apart from rising a small amount next morning, these stocks will start to fall hard one by one. We need to capitalize on this window."

"I know you said you wanted to hold these stocks, but you need to face reality. The computer industry will take a long time to rise. It won’t happen in the next ten years. Holding this stock will not benefit you at all. This is your golden chance." 𝗳𝐫𝚎𝗲𝚠𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝘃𝚎𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝗺

"Right now, some of the capital groups are consolidating stocks that look promising. If we can sell your stocks to them while this misconception exists, we can profit a lot. I have talked a lot and brainwashed that guy from the Greyson Group of Companies. We can sell our stock wholesale to them in one go."

"With this, you can become a millionaire in one shot. Right now, your stock’s total worth is around $870,000. I have talked to them and they have agreed to buy the whole lot for $900,000. That’s almost a million dollars. This is your chance, Rob. You need to grasp it."

Rob felt Dacey’s hand tighten on his thigh. He can tell that she was moved from the speech. What Graham said was really logical and it was also plausible. He weaved a great picture about how this was a one-time opportunity that can’t be missed. Even Rob was moved a little hearing this.

However, Rob was very clear about the future of the computer industry. If it were anyone else in his spot, they would have been moved by Graham’s speech. Unfortunately for Graham, it was Rob he was talking to.

"If what you say is true and the computer industry has no future, why are they buying such large amounts of stock?" Rob asked calmly.

Rob felt Dacey’s hand twitch a bit.

"That’s the beauty of it. These guys don’t know the inside details. They are like countless others who think that this new bill will benefit the computer industry. But the reality is different. It will become clear in a few days that it is not going to happen, by then the stock prices of IndiSoft will start to fall hard."

"We need to capitalize on this window. While we can maybe earn a little more if we kept till tomorrow afternoon, the problem is we can’t predict when the fall will start. If we miscalculate, we will lose a lot. So, I am playing it safe here, we need to get rid of this stock by tomorrow morning. That way, when it falls, we won’t be under the wall," Graham said excitedly.

"You need to understand. The news might spread anytime that the computer industry won’t benefit. When it does, all the interest in IndiSoft stocks will vanish. Even that old fox Walker had already sold his stock and reinvested in traditional stocks. You can learn from him and be smart," Graham said causing Rob’s heart to skip a beat.

He didn’t know if the information regarding Mr. Walker was true. If it was true, then there might be some truth to Graham’s words. But, Rob had an unshakeable belief that the computer industry will become huge in the future. However, the kernel of doubt spread from the fact that he doesn’t know how long it will take accurately.

If the situation was indeed like Graham said, then the smart thing to do was to sell these stocks, cash out the money, and reinvest in computer stocks when they become cheap. This way, he would have already earned a lot. Rob’s heart couldn’t help but beat a little faster as he realized this.

However, Brent’s words came to his mind when he was on the verge of nodding. Brent has asked him to wait till he came by with his uncle. Even if he wanted to decide, Rob can take a little more time before doing that.

"I understand. However, give me half a day to think and let you know. I never planned on cashing out this stock. I was planning to hold this for a long time. I need to think about this," Rob said barely managing to hold on to his decision.

"Rob, even if you want to hold these stocks, you can sell them now and buy back when the price falls. You would only get more profit by doing that. Trust me, this is the right time to sell. Even a half a day’s difference would be enough for the situation to change," Graham said a little worriedly.

"I understand," Rob said keeping his face stoic. "I will let you know by the end of the day. I have some work. I need to get going."

"Rob, I can tell you this now. If you miss this opportunity, you will regret it for a lifetime. You are someone who grew up in the streets just like me. Let me tell you from experience, this kind of opportunity is one of a kind. There will only be a small window for you to grab this. If you miss, it will become a regret of a lifetime," Graham said seriously causing even Rob to be a bit wavered.

"I know," Rob said nodding in acceptance. "Give me until evening, I will give you an answer."

"Alright, I don’t want to pressure you too much. It will make it look like I am doing something despicable. I will leave this contract and this pen with you. Call me before this evening. I will talk to them and keep them interested as well. Just know, yours isn’t the only stock that’s out there. If not you, someone else will sell."

Rob nodded solemnly as Graham nodded once to both Dacey and him and walked away calmly. Seeing Graham’s posture, Rob was a little bit moved. There weren’t any exaggerated actions like the one he had when he came in. It almost made him believe that Graham was really looking out for him,

Only Brent’s words kept him from agreeing to this deal.

Letting out a deep sigh, Rob watched Graham meet up with Mr. Goldbloom in the parking lot. They both chatted for a while and it looked to Rob as if Graham was assuring Mr. Goldbloom out there. Rob watched them board the car and leave the café.

Silence reigned as Rob fell into deep thought.

*****

A/N: Hey folks!

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