Need You

Chapter 34

Amanda's POV

"Hey."

"Hi Amanda." I caught the momentary look of surprise on Debbie's face when she saw me.

She made her to the adjacent couch and responded to Harry's question as he returned next to me.

I wondered what Debbie could have found during her research that would make her come to Harry's apartment instead of emailing it.

"Come in!" Harry responded to the knock on the door and asked as Derrick entered, "What do we need to discuss?"

"A lot." He said as he closed the door. "Oh, I didn't know Amanda was here."

"Do you not want me to be here?" I asked and he shrugged as he went to sit next to Debbie.

I didn't want to be around Derrick but I wasn't going to leave just because he was there. Hopefully, whatever he and Debbie were in the apartment to discuss would be over soon.

Listening to their discussion, I must admit I was beginning to think that investing in that firm would be very beneficial to A & H.

That was up until Debbie mentioned that there was a chance that the firm they wanted to invest into could be a ponzi scheme.

From the research she had done, the owners of the firm had each being accused of being involved in something fraudulent in the past, and the firm was highly dependent on new investors.

"It wouldn't be very smart to invest now." Harry said.

"That's obvious." I said.

"What's obvious?" Derrick asked in a snarky tone. "It would actually be very smart to invest now."

He continued. "The firm got established not so long ago and so even if Debbie's suspicion is true, that ponzi scheme will run for a while."

"How do you know that it will?" I asked him.

"It's common knowledge; ponzis don't start and end in a day." He responded. "Look, Derrick, if we act right, we'll make the returns we want and will in no way be affected by the ponzi."

"He's not wrong." Debbie backed him.

Harry seemed to be considering Derrick's proposal.

"You guys aren't seriously thinking about taking that risk, are you?" I asked.

No one answered. We were all waiting on Harry who was clearly deep in thought.

"You know the returns we'd get from that investment would help us out a lot, especially with the new office."

"Is that firm the only one A & H can invest in?" I questioned.

Ignoring my question, he said to Harry, "As your business partner, I say that we should proceed with the investment."

"Let's do it."

That response from Harry left me in shock.

"Yes!" Derrick exclaimed.

"Are you serious!?" I finally found my words as the two of them separated from their vigorous handshake. The grin on Harry's face slowly disappeared as he turned to me. "Why would you want to take that risk? Is that the only firm worth investing in!?"

"Maybe not, but it is worth it. You read Debbie's research."

"It's a ponzi scheme for crying out loud! You're setting yourself up to get scammed. You're setting A & H up to..."

"No, I'm not." He said firmly. "Derrick and I will be smart about the investment."

"Of course." Derrick said with a smug look.

"Amanda, nobody's going to get scammed. Once we've gotten the returns we want, we'll stop investing."

"And what if you don't get any returns? This isn't just your money you're talking about investing. It's A & H's money."

"Exactly, it's A & H's money." Derrick interjected. "Are you a part of A & H? The last time I checked the two people in this room part of A & H are Harry and me. That is our company, our money and it is our decision."

"Your company." I scoffed. I turned to Harry and told him that investing in that firm could jeopardize the financial stability of A & H.

"And it could also be a game-changer for A & H." He responded. "Derrick and I can handle it."

"Of course." I grabbed my notebook and stood.

"Are you leaving?"

"Yes. I only came back for this." I raised the notebook. "And I think it's high time I left so that you can continue with the discussion I have no business in."

"That's not true." Harry said standing.

Looking over at Derrick, I was irritated by the smugness in his features.
"It's fine. After all, it's your company, your money, and your decision."

"Good luck Harry." I said and looked at Derrick. "And for his and A & H's sake, good luck to you too."

Leaving the apartment, I hoped that he and Derrick could actually handle it because if they went ahead with the investment and didn't, then that would be very bad for him and for
A & H.

After my meeting with Sandra Watson, I couldn't help but feel a deep sense of gratitude for Harry.
Leaning back against the seat of the taxi, I smiled as I remembered our conversation about meeting with Sandra Watson and the laughs we shared over the book.

The driver drew my attention to my phone's ringing and I immediately answered when I saw the name on the screen.

"Hello?"

"Hey." Harry's voice came in softly. "How've you been?"

"I'm fine. I met with Sandra Watson today."

"Really?" I could sense the excitement in his voice. "How did it go?"

"It went great." I said and found myself giving him all the details of the meeting. "She was excited about how the story ended for Zac and Tiff and thinks the readers would love it."

"Who are Zac and Tiff?"

"The new names for the lead characters." I said. "I told you I'd change them before I met with her."

Harry chuckled shortly and then said, "I've missed you Amanda."

We hadn't spoken since the argument over the investment. It had been three days.

"I know that I shouldn't have waited this long to call after the other day at the apartment. I understand how the argument could have left you feeling. It wasn't right the way Derrick talked  to you and I'm very sorry that I let him."

"Thank you." I responded. "How's it going?"

"So far so good, and there's a possibility that it might not be a ponzi scheme after all."

"I hope it's not." I said. "And I'm sorry for getting upset. It's your job to take risks and I just need to support you while you do that and so that's what I'm going to do."

"I appreciate that."