The Outsider (Outsider #1) ✔️

Chapter 46 : Daniel's Gamble

Daniel reached home but could not sleep. He paced around his living room for some time and then sat down before the holovision screen looking at various channels but not really seeing anything.

Finally, after an hour, he switched the screen off.

A week had passed since his meeting with Luke in Regis. While Luke's investment in Techredulous was done, he was still waiting for Daniel's answer regarding Micro-Mega. He knew that he did not have much of a choice. If Luke's patience wore out, he would just make an open offer for Micro-Mega. Daniel did not have the money to counter him and any other investor he gets to take those shares will only mean someone new owning his company. That is if anyone could actually win a counterbid against Luke Jones.

If Luke made a bid for his company, almost everyone would tender their shares and Luke could decide how much he would want to buy. He could even refuse Daniel's shares and then eject Daniel from the company.

Daniel could see his world and his future crumbling before him. He had spent the previous 10 years building up his company. It was his baby as such. From the time he made is first product, when he was the sole employee to now when he employed thousands across the country, he had focused only on his business.

True, he was not in the office 24 hours a day. He enjoyed his life, went to parties, drank in the pubs with his friends, had a steady set of R&R activities. But his life basically revolved around tech and his company, Micro-Mega. If that went away, he would have nothing, almost literally. He would not starve in real life, only intellectually.

Luke Jones had warned him that day about how he would be in the radar of the big companies. And right on the cue, one of them was trying very hard to get hold of Dusk. It was clear what their interest was. If they knew about the company, they knew about a lot more. They would probably know about the arrangements between Techredulous and Micro-Mega.

Luke was right about some other many things too. If a large company decided to make a bid for Micro-Mega, his investors will sell out without a second thought. He actually had no option but to take Luks's offer. He would be much better off with Luke owning the company than a competitor.

Then again, he wondered, what Luke's actual purpose was. Was he just being tricked into selling his company? It was not that hard for Luke to trick him. Getting Carla Vacuxa to call Dusk was not difficult. With his connections, that would be very easy. He was sure Luke had connections even in the Royal Family, apart from his constant companion, Princess Rosemary Grant. He suddenly realised that Rosemary was not following Luke around any longer. She was here in Ci'gazze while he was in Regis. Perhaps he was just protecting her.

If Luke wanted just the company and the business, he need not approach Daniel at all. He could simply make a open offer. If he wanted to Daniel to remain in the company and run it for him, then only he needed to tell Daniel his plans to acquire. It was unlikely that Luke had to trick him in this manner. On the other hand, the hostile takeover threat was actually a very accurate assessment.

Daniel went to bed with a decision made.

Early the next morning Daniel called Luke. Luke picked up the call on what seemed to be the 4th alert.

"Good morning Daniel, you know its early morning."

"Since when is 7:30 am early for you, Luke?"

"Since I came to Regis and I don't have to attend classes, I have servants to do every damn thing for me, breakfast is prepared and served at 10 ... And since I rarely get to sleep before an hour after midnight!"

"And can't take a nap during the day, huh?"

"No. Too many relatives, too many visitors. The fact that I spent most of the last 5 years away from Regis just makes things worse."