Chapter 13
Our chef completed his isolation at the panhouse and then departed for his holiday in East Europe.
However, when he went to renew his visa at the Chinese embassy in his city, the staff noticed that he had overstayed and warned him that they might reject his application. This was very concerning for our chef as he had secured three jobs - one with us, another with the partner’s SB new restaurant, and a third one with his girlfriend’s restaurant.
The chef messaged me, suggesting that partner SB believes I have a sneaky plan to control the embassy staff.SB was good at pushing away duties to others.I was taken aback by his accusation and responded by saying that if I had the power to control the embassy, I would rather be relaxing on the beach every day instead of pressuring partner SB to adhere to our investment contract. I explained that it’s normal for there to be some tension after having overstayed records. Our chef seemed to calm down a bit after our conversation.
Soon, I received word from part-time finance Jimi that our chef had obtained his new visa and was back working in the shop. I then reached out to the chef to express that I support his decision for his life. My main concern was with partner SB, who signed a contract and used my money to take on unnecessary risks and overpay others, all for the sake of building up his own loyalty. If possible, please try to remain neutral in this matter. He agreed.
Mathild came back to town and started encouraging me to visit his home. I explained to Mathild that I had learned a lesson from my first partner Oliva when he told everyone about my small living space, so I suggested meeting at a regular coffee shop instead. However, Mathild insisted that he had welcomed me into his family so many times and asked me not to judge him like Oliva did. I politely declined, explaining that his house was rented and didn’t feel like a real home to me.
We met up and he started to encourage me to consider alternatives to legal action. I questioned why he had promised to handle the situation if things went south. He explained that it was important for me to consider the bigger picture of the team. I expressed my concern that no one likes uncertainty, and also mentioned to Mathild that I hadn’t been involved in his wine business. I explained that following his advice might invade my previous experiences in the restaurant industry, as each case is unique and requires a tailored approach. Mathild agreed, and asked for more time before taking legal action, which I agreed to.
I went back to visit my running partner Bali’s lawyer Lee and my cop lawyer friend to express gratitude for their kind advice. They were very polite and considerate for me. Some lawyers only encourage fighting and paying legal fees. I also spoke with a third female lawyer to discuss further legal actions. She was eager to push me into action without discussing first, and then sent me a bill, claiming she had already opened a debt account for future expenses. Maybe she thought it was professional, how can you do that with a stranger without any trust? At least I took it as a danger for me.
Meanwhile, I acquired a new client who is a fencing coach from Hungary who supported Brown university fencing team before. He was ousted by his partner at the fencing club in Green City. While I need to focus on my consulting job and follow up on a legal case with my partner SB, I can’t afford to lose any more time. Despite facing tough times in my own life, I find joy in challenging myself while helping others.
About a week later, Monsieur An messaged me from Hong Kong saying that he had heard about some issues with our partner Mathild. He asked me if I could take some time to address the situation. It turned out that Mathild just needed more time and support for his wine business, and it’s important for me to help him in order to maintain my reputation in other business ventures. I didn’t see this coming at all!
The things you hear and see are all part of the same game, with two sides to it at least. On the surface, there’s morality, etiquette, fairness and justice; behind that, there are all kinds of calculations for personal gain. A successful businessman manages to maintain both aspects, while foolish me has only just begun to understand this. In light of this, I should stick to my own consulting business instead of forming a partnership. after all, even though an individual partnership Oliva may not incur losses, it also doesn’t guarantee success. Yet here I am getting myself involved in this game with six other people - such is the nature of the world.
When partner SB took action by breaking the contract, he had planned everything from his perspective while I was still hoping to find a more gentle way to balance everything.I had failed already from this perspective.