Right of First Refusal

Chapter 1 - Elle

The smooth taste of the latte lingered on my lips as I put down the cup. I sighed and took a bit of the canele and nibbled mindlessly as I turned my eyes back to my laptop screen.

Breathe. Professional, polite responses. Breathe.

I took another sip of my latte before I re-read the infuriating email, letting the taste linger; it was really quite fantastic, I would have to compliment Sunny later. I took a deep breath and read again.

Ms. D'Astley,

Thank you for reaching out with the proposed acquisition agreement. As mentioned by Director Kang, I'm in agreement as it relates to the initial growth assumptions, but once again I would like to point out that the chosen multiples you've landed on are quite low. I have also observed that the debt repayment schedule assumed is over 3 years and that the earnout is now a large component of the purchase price. Please fix and get back to me as soon as possible.

Regards,

Jumin Han

I felt my eyebrow twitch - I was not his minion, or even on his team, I was negotiating on behalf of our own buyout fund - a partner to C&Rs team at best, and certainly not one he had the authority to order around. I wasn't sure if he was completely unaware of how he came across or if he got some sick enjoyment of how it jarred me to read his emails treating me like I was just out of college and not like I had busted my ass for 5 years to become a top ranked associate in the team. Did he do it because I was a woman? I wouldn't be the first or the last time that it happened. Or maybe he had done his research. I took a deep breath, I was a hairs breath away from leaving Brad's hellhole of a team in PE and finally being promoted to VP into Arj's emerging late stage venture fund within GCC, I could do this.

Breathe. Polite, professional, composed. Breathe.

I typed back a comprehensive and polite response explaining the integrity of the model and numbers, and explained how the last 5 transactions in the space has closed, and texted Camille, one of my three lifelines about the incident. She was an ex-banker who had moved on to greener pastures and now functioned as Chief of Staff for one of the hottest skincare startups in the UK, and one of the only two people whose advice I'd take on the subject. She would definitely understand. She'd be sleeping but I would wake up to a text that would definitely lift my spirits tomorrow.

I looked around again the restaurant, thanking G-d I had keep Angelique as a private oasis for myself - a single piece that I did not have to give to Preston, a little bit that still belonged to me, made me feel whole. Angelique had been the labor of love of Sunny, a Korean chef that had served as sous chef for a few Michelin starred restaurants in her heyday. She had opened a cute little French spot in the quietest corner of the west village after a few years in retirement, which she had decided didn't suit her. It had miraculously gone underreported so there was always a table where I could come sit. The coffee and the pastries were spectacular and the wine selection was something to behold. I had been coming here almost daily to escape the suffocation of being alone at night in my new apartment - it was worth not having the additional screens to work on. Sunny had always been chatty and welcoming but after the fourth week, she had taken it up onto herself to make sure that I ate actual meals and not just survived on caffeine and caneles. She had slowly but surely become a part of the crumbles that I called life these days, becoming somewhat of a confidante. I looked around - it was only me and the tall handsome guy I'd seen a few times around. I decided the least I could do was post more about the spot on Insta, it wasn't like people cared what I thought, at least not anymore, but the Mille-Feuille and the St. Honore looked as good as they tasted. Someone was sure to notice that and come here for the Instagram potential alone.