Jamal took out a pen and crossed out the clause related to his receipt of the shares. "Please remove this clause, or I won't accept your terms, " he declared earnestly.
"Safeguarding Divine Corporation is no easy feat, " Zayn responded seriously. "The company's operating steadily with me around now, so it'd be easy for you to take my place. But this will only come into effect when I'm gone, and that's also when Giblo Group will be thrown into unrest. You'll face great challenges ahead, and your life might even be in danger. That's why giving you ten percent of the shares really isn't that big of a deal."
"But does giving me these shares mean I won't have to deal with all the challenges coming my way?" Jamal asked in return. "Whatever happens will eventually happen, and no amount of shares you give me is going to change that. My two daughters have gotten married and are currently living abroad. They're doing well and don't need my money anymore, so I wouldn't know what to do with the shares anyway. In fact, more people might have their eyes on me because of these shares, which would only put my life in greater danger. Let an old man like me live for a few years longer, will you?"
Zayn wavered slightly upon hearing that. He could not really find a way to insist, given the way Jamal was rejecting the shares.
Divine Corporation had powered through trials and tribulations of all sorts for the past years. While some people had grown to be part of the company, others had left—all except for Jamal. Even though the two men were constantly getting into squabbles with each other, Jamal was always around when it came to the crunch.
"Thank you."
That was the only way Zayn could express his gratitude.
"No, I should thank you for contributing so much to modern technology, " Jamal remarked. "Ordinary people like me have no way of popularizing tech products through commerce, but you used your own abilities and market power to allow an old man like me to do my part."
"It's all thanks to our combined effort." Zayn smiled. "If you don't want the shares, tell me what you want. I'll do whatever I can to fulfill your request."
"There's nothing I want at the moment, but I won't hold back when I've thought of something." Jamal stood up. "Well, if that's all, I'll be leaving now. We have a new product to test, and I have to be there."
"Go ahead." Zayn nodded and turned to Benard. "See Mr. Domitos off."
"Yes, Sir. This way, Mr. Domitos."
As Jamal got up and walked toward the door, he suddenly remembered something and turned to Zayn. "By the way, Mr. Giblo, I'd like to meet Randy in private if that's okay with you. I think he's very gifted, and I'd love to discuss some tech-related matters with him."
"Actually, he's home right now. I'll leave it to you, Benard."
Zayn was more than happy to let Jamal meet Randy. After all, having him guide the boy personally was nothing but good news.
"Yes, Sir." Benard immediately led Jamal to Randy.
Meanwhile, the lawyer, Rodney Williams, showed Zayn an updated electronic version of the will. "Have a look at it, Mr. Giblo. Is there anything else that requires amending?"
Zayn glanced at the screen. "Leave it as it is for now. Also, I want you to draw up a supplementary agreement that no one else apart from you and me should know about."
"Understood."
"This will be the contents of the agreement: In the event of my death, all of my properties shall be divided equally between Carla Lierger and my three children."
Rodney jotted down everything Zayn had described.
Meanwhile, Randy was in the midst of working on his latest invention when Jamal showed up. The boy immediately stood up to greet the man, and the two began to converse.
With Vela watching over the child, Benard headed downstairs to return to Zayn.
Suddenly, a subordinate came rushing up to him. "Benard, someone named Ms. Gold is here, and she's requesting to meet Mr. Giblo."
Share
