"Not so straight forward."
"Now why doesn't that surprise me." Beatrice muttered beneath her breath. She knew she had lost this argument several minutes back. She'd had him on the back foot for most of their early conversation, but the last ten minutes had seen a distinct switch in agency. The power was now in his hands. Not that she intended for that to remain the case.
Again, having heard her, he nearly smiled. Resolute, David added to his list. "Bring your solicitor to meet with mine. We can thrash out the details then."
"Mr Cardoso, I think you are making a mountain out of a molehill. You want to set up a Trust, just go ahead, set it up!" She told him with frustration showing in her voice now.
David shook his head. "uh-uh, there's my reputation at stake remember. You need to be seen to be negotiating this settlement." That was the whole point of this little scheme. He fully intended to spend some time with his wife. He also knew that she would make certain she avoided him, unless she had no choice.
Beatrice muttered what sounded like a string of obscenities, which nearly had him laughing out loud. But he had a fish to land, and laughing at this juncture was not the way to go about landing probably the most valuable fish in his life.
"Fine. I'll find a solicitor." Beatrice was pretty sure he was laughing at her. She could see the light of amusement in his eyes. No doubt he thought she was going to just roll over and fall in with his latest plan.
"Your grandfather's was on the ball, why not use him?" David knew that man well. He was pretty sure that things would go smoothly if he had more allies on his side. And if her grandfather's solicitor saw David's attempts to support Beatrice then he might well become an a useful supporter.
"Fine." Beatrice huffed. She'd have the number somewhere. Not that they had been in touch recently. But he was as good as any she would find through a random search for someone to represent her. "Anything else?" She found herself asking somewhat sarcastically.
At which stage David did laugh. "Have you always been like this or have you metamorphed in the last five years?"
"As I said, anything else?" She was far from pleased to see that he found the situation amusing. Why he would think she would appreciate being laughed at was beyond her.
"Yes, let's set a date to get this started." The start of the rest of his life with the woman he fully intended to keep in his life. Better late than never his head murmured in the background, and he could practically hear his heart laugh in celebration. "When are you free? We'll get our diaries coordinated."
"What? Can't the solicitors sort that out amongst themselves." This was getting more and more complicated by the second. She knew it was going to descend into sheer unadulterated pandemonium if she continued to allow him to dictate terms. For he seemed intent on making a simple situation complicated. If this was his approach she was starting to wonder how had he managed to turn around that failing company?
"They will need us. It makes sense for us to all be present rather than waste time going back and forth. What's your diary like in the next few weeks?" He kept his voice level, and hoped his eyes were no longer showing his amusement for that appeared to annoy her. And he really could not afford for her to take umbrage at this stage.
"The next few weeks?" Beatrice scowled at the man.
"Surely you don't want this to drag on?" Came the instant response. Ok, he was starting to read her better. Starting to use strategies that worked with her. "The sooner we meet. The sooner things are resolved."
Beatrice harrumphed and then without a word headed for another door leading from her office. He followed her despite the fact she had not invited him. It was another small office. Very tidy. On the desk was a diary.
Beatrice turned it around and flicked through a few pages. "I'm in Auckland a week on Friday. If I came up on that Friday, would that suit you? An afternoon meeting?"
He was pretty sure he was tied up for most of Friday. But he could clear his appointments for he was equally sure that she would not show up if he appeared to be treating this as a minor inconvenience. "Perfect. Friday next week. 12.30."