Gemsicuted

Written by Julian Robov


Fifty Six


Lord knew his position too well. The 37carat ruby had given him and others more than enough pain and cost several human lives. All that business animosity and greed were replaced by the human touch and reconciliation in earnest. More than anyone else, he wanted to get back to that old friendship he had with Rubyhall. The anguish which had been brewing in his mind after the failed London copper deal faded away soon after what he saw was happening to Sanders. Though problems like this were common among the gem dealers, but this one really shook him. Lord had no reasons to have an extramarital relationship. He was just happy and content with Ben the way it was.

Knowing Sanders and the way he and his partners did business, the group became everyones envy. They were so good in what they were doing, and all of a sudden a Russian women of dubious background pulling their reputation and business down to the ground became a stark reminder once again that friendship and business went separate ways irrespective of the deals they had done before. Now their suppliers wanted to know the real scoop, before doing any further business with Sanders and his partners. They were in a real hot spot. It was good news for Rubyhall and Lord, because events like this decreased the number of competitions tilting the balance in their favor.

Anyone who preferred consistency and reputation now didn’t have that many choices other than Lord and Rubyhall. The international buyers now had an opportunity to reshuffle their affiliations when it came to special rubies, because consistency and a name were prerequisites for repeat business. At least that was Lord’s prognosis, and instead of competing with Rubyhall for that huge share, he believed joining him was the best alternative. CONSOLIDATION!

Lord had burnt his hands before with several partnerships for the sake of obtaining the most beautiful colored stone on earth, but the relationship with Rubyhall always had a charm of its own. Though everyone in the trade hated Rubyhall for obvious reasons, the international dealers and collectors loved to do business with him, and that’s where the money was and he had a way of doing business with these people. That’s what Lord lacked at times, while trying to win Rubyhall’s clients. Something always went wrong. Either it was the quality or price or sometimes both. This was a specialty field and Rubyhall was the master in his craft. Even if he returned with an olive branch Lord knew too well Rubyhall wouldn’t take it as it is. He would exercise all his tricks and games to test the waters, before revealing or even showing some of his expensive rubies. But the events in Bangkok became a good boon to alter such perception, and knowing what was happening to Jay Lam, his expensive Mr Fixit, Lord knew he had a window of opportunity to do something about it. That was to fill the void of trust and confidence, his way.

After hearing that Lam had already been tattoed and fired from his ruby desk, it was Lord’s best chance to soothe and win Rubyhall’s special attention. He had no problem forgetting the past, but he had no idea if Rubyhall had such an attitude shift. The unbelievable gesture came when Rubyhall called after intense lobbying from Den. Lord knew Rubyhall must have had a reason to do that since the 37carat ruby scenario was now history. Rubyhall didn’t mention anything about the ruby when Lord was called, except for a friendly reminder.

“It’s important!” In this type of ruby business everything was important, and Lord didn’t understand the reasons behind that simple reminder slip. The only way he was going to find out was by meeting Rubyhall at the Oriental’s, Lord Jim’s. They had several meetings during their hay days but this time Lord was cautious. He was willing to go the extra mile to win Rubyhall’s trust at the earliest. His only concern was how long knowing Rubyhall’s advancing age with no apparent heirs to succeed. And Lord needed Rubyhall’s rubies knowing the stockpile of expensive and rarely seen qualities in his collection. That was his ultimate goal. The rest of his business interests were shared among Den, and a few investors from New York and London. He had structured them in a professional way, except his pet ruby business.

Rubyhall kept this one particular interest away from the hands of professional managers, because rubies and ruby deals where like toys for him. He could play any games as long as the players understood his rules. No one understood such rules except himself. That had been the reasons, with the exception of Lam, no one could work with him that long.

Now Lam being driven away permanently by Rubyhall’s hand crafted moves, the gem market wondered what else he had up his sleeve. The market loved to hear half-truths and full-blown lies. And that’s where money was made overnight or lost at the same time, because there was always a fool coming from somewhere either to listen or fall into a trap or they just didn’t have the right source to double-check the information regarding the quality or the origin of rubies. It was always an impulse buy when it came to rubies, and Rubyhall took advantage of that weakness from his several years of experience in this colorful wild ruby trade.
“Thank goodness you are on time,” Rubyhall said, as he welcomed Lord with that characteristic grand smile.
“Of course, I keep my time. When did I ever come late?” Lord added, jokingly.
“I remember once, when you had a fight with those tribesmen from Afghanistan over a parcel of rough rubies,” Rubyhall said accurately.
He had a sharp memory, and Lord had to admit it as a matter of fact. Lord just smiled avoiding any further comment. He didn’t want to ruin the day.
“That was not a fight,” added Lord cleverly. “It was just a constructive disagreement over quality and, of course, keeping ones word. Yeah, now I agree, when that happened I was late. But it was never a habit.”
“Let’s cut if off,” Rubyhall continued. “Nothing of much importance. Why I called you for this meeting is to discuss the future of our business after what has happened to Sanders and his partners, and our role as pioneers and all that nonsense.”
Lord listened carefully. This was something really serious, but he had no clue as to what Rubyhall had in mind. He had a way of calibrating his talk with hesitation and deviation. “What’s the matter Ris?” Lord asked politely.
“My wife has no interest in this business. All those big boys from London and New York know how to run my other business interests, but not this one. The ruby stuff. You are the one who knows all the in and out of this business, and perhaps I would like to listen to your ideas if you have any and, if not, I’m giving you enough time to generate a few,” Rubyhall said plainly.
Knowing from Lam’s experience, Lord wondered who on earth would ever wanted to work for Rubyhall. He recalled one such idea he floated during a similar meeting before the break up. Though it looked ludicrous at first, Lord just listened till Rubyhall finished the talk. He had ideas like relying on a very few quality people with brains perfectly calibrated and refined, who had the ability to think and act twenty years ahead, who never complained but worked like hell around the clock, fiercely loyal, dedicated with no family attachments and technical hangovers. Lam’s experience was a stark example for Lord to avoid another repetition. Rubyhall believed that getting sucked into staff’s marital, personal or spiritual situations halted smooth operation thus blocking creativity, productivity and of course money in all sort of ways. His suggestion of working with less than ten superior brains and attitudes helped to churn out millions with the assistance of clever computers. He knew computers never requested fringe benefits like humans nor did they have any conflicts or personal problems. And to add to his strange theory, he believed the refined simulated superior human brains hardly had the time to spend all the money they got in stock options and cash in their present lifetime. So in the end they lived longer, the business grew dramatically, and the money stayed where it was recycled for further research and acquisitions. He even knew one or two things about artificial intelligence. Having known a bit about spectrophotometer, he believed that it could be used for communicating color with his clients around the world without any emotional handicaps in three-dimensional descriptions, far away from the stoneage perception of looking at gems under the table. He wanted to be known as the pioneer by the beginning of the next century with surgical precision, less overhead, and more productivity, thereby influencing the global ruby operation. Lord didn’t have the knowledge or the guts to reply in any language, even if he had one. Now a recycled version was brewing in Rubyhall’s evangelical mind.
“Do you think my opinion is important?” Lord quipped.
The reply was immediate.
“You don’t get my point, do you?” Rubyhall continued. “When we are gone like worms or fossils, someone else will have a perfect idea in a more acceptable way to finesse the next generation and the trade. I want this ruby business still to be centered in Bangkok, and that’s why I need your help. It’s for the future generation. Don’t you understand?”
“Is this your vision? So far I am behind you, Ris. I think you need to put some compassion and human touch to all your ideas to make them realistic,” Lord answered.
“Okay, I respect your opinion,” Rubyhall added. “We all have different opinions on
same issues. I can understand that. But think about it. Maybe, when you get back home other refined ideas might evolve from this rough one. Just don’t give up. We will take a break for a while. The food must be getting cold now.”
That was a meaningful reminder from Rubyhall, as they began to eat.
“What do you have here?” Lord said unconsciously.
“Everything that you like. Your favorites,” Rubyhall said immediately.
Lord laughed heartily. “That’s very thoughtful of you. I appreciate that, Ris. Let me pour some wine for you,” he said sincerely.
“Jay is gone. He has too many problems. I thought for a while that he might take my place someday. It was just a thought, which popped from nowhere. I liked the guy when I poached him from the other company. He was intelligent and hardworking, but now something is missing. That something is very important to me, because that’s what brings money, when I’m competing in this dog eat dog market. Now he knows about everything in my office. Do you agree with me?” Rubyhall asked.
Lord was in a catch-22 situation. He didn’t know what to say other than feel sorry for the guy.
“Partly we were responsible for this mess, and he was the guinea pig. So generalization is not fair under the circumstance,” Lord said, hesitantly.
Rubyhall stared at Lord for a while. Lord noticed the reaction, but remained calm and continued eating his food.
“Now another important issue is this Russian invasion,” Rubyhall said thoughtfully. He then continued, “There must be concerted attempts in some quarters to frighten the trade and, of course, the dealers. I know the Russian Mafia is quite organized, and I have no previous experience with them to test the waters. What’s your gut feeling?”
“If they exist, then they are serious. The Mafia’s today are not illiterates. They are well informed daredevils,” Lord answered quickly. He knew Rubyhall’s comment had to do with Sanders’s mess.
“But why Bangkok and rubies? We are no different from other taxpayers trying to make a living like anybody else in the open market. That’s capitalism, right? Then why would someone want to shift the gravity to create chaos? If they attack our territory with whatever they have then everyone will be getting heat-treated and more. Why would anybody want to kill the goose which lays golden eggs everyday?” Rubyhall asked.
“The world is changing constantly, Ris,” Lord said quickly. “They need a new enemy all the time. That’s all.”
“Really? That’s bad. Not in Bangkok,” Rubyhall replied.
“I’m really worried about Sanders and his friends,” Lord said carefully to test Rubyhall, and his true intention of this meeting.
“Me too. That bloody 37carat ruby I was looking for is already in New York. I had to recut a 40carat ruby to keep my promise. I know it was my fault, but whatever happened has happened. I don’t want to think about it again. The ruby is gone. I want to see what tomorrow is bringing. So I want you to forget about all the quarrels we had before. You are my partner from now onwards. I have a special client from Dubai, visiting Bangkok in a couple of day’s time, and I want you to be with me during that period. You are going to see some beautiful rubies when this little rich guy comes to my office. From now onward, you will know a lot about my personal style in depth. That’s why I invited you to let you know personally. My way, and you know that too well, don’t you?” Rubyhall said laughingly, speaking his mind.
“I’m honored, Ris. Thank you,” Lord replied shockingly. He didn’t expect an announcement like this from Rubyhall knowing his style too well. He took his time when it came to important decisions, and probably Sanders’s incident may have had an impact on Rubyhall’s thoughts. Rubyhall needed a strategic partnership, and Lord became his obvious choice.