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It wasn't like I was drowning my sorrows.
Really…
* * *
The next day was just another day in my ordinary life leading up to the deal of the century and the trip of a lifetime.
By all accounts, I should have been the happiest I had ever been in my life – other than when I was engaged but blissfully ignorant of my fiancée's cheating on me…
Thing was, I wasn't happy. I was preoccupied at best, my mind filled with numbers and details. Even though I was trying to concentrate on the presentation, I felt this sense of gloom hanging over me, like everything I was doing was merely a distraction from what was really bothering me.
I shoved that out of my mind and tried to focus on the business at hand. John sat on a chair across from my desk, flipping through some papers, rearranging the hand-outs for the presentation to make sure they were in the right order.
"Are you ready for this?" He gave me a look from under a frown.
"Of course," I replied. "Do you doubt it?"
"You seem distracted."
"I'm totally present. I have the presentation memorized. I'm your man. The investors will be putty in my hands."
"I hope so. Blow them away, my friend. I want to see those big numbers roll into my bank account and the sooner they appear there, the sooner you and I can blow this popsicle stand."
* * *
My admin Stella buzzed my intercom, letting us know the investors had arrived and so we gathered our materials and joined them in the boardroom. After a round of handshakes and light banter about the weather and the latest ball game we got down to business.
For the next hour, I walked them through the business, the organizational structure, the business plan we'd drafted when we started, our balance sheet, the number of subscribers, our ad revenues and our share of the lucrative social media market.
Harrison sat at the far end of the table, watching as I went through the charts and tables on our financials, and the projections based on the past quarter's performance. I had to admit the presentation went smoothly. Questions were smart, and I answered them with ease. I knew my stuff and had a great product to sell, with a serious earning potential and room to grow the market.
They'd be foolish not to jump at the chance to buy Chatter and they knew it.
"If you have no more questions, I'd like to thank you for your interest in Chatter. Please, feel free to contact us with any further questions. We'll be glad to answer them."
Another round of handshakes followed and we walked them to the elevators and said goodbyes.
Harrison hung back, and waited for the next elevator.
"I was really impressed with your presentation," he said and clapped me on the back. "I had some second thoughts, but you've done a great job with Chatter and I'm feeling pretty confident that the deal will go through with no further problems."
"That's good to know," I said and we shook hands once more.
He took the elevator and as soon as the doors closed, I heaved a sigh of relief. When I turned around, John had this huge grin on his face.
"You did it," he said and high-fived me. "They seemed really impressed with the presentation and Q&A. I think we have a deal."
"I think we do as well," I said and felt adrenaline surge through me. "We should hear back in twenty-four hours. That was our deadline."
He nodded. "Let's go get a beer. It's time to celebrate."
I smiled. "Let me grab my cell. I'll meet you downstairs in the lobby."
He left and I went back to my office to grab my phone off the desk where I'd left it.
I sat on my sofa and read a text from Dana.
DANA: What’s up, o brother of mine? How did the presentation go?
