“It seems as if your old friend Rondel doesn’t want to do business with me.”
“Huh?” Smart had been so fixated on that damned painting on his wall he hadn’t heard a single word Benny said. Smart quickly redirected his gaze toward the man in front of him and left hell alone.
“Rondel won’t do business with me, sir. I thought maybe you could have a little talk with him. You know, help him come around to seeing things my way. You know, you help me out, I help you out and everyone ends the day happy.”
“How are you helping me out in this whole thing?”
Benny reached out to slap Smart's arm. “I’m glad you asked. I got a special little spot in Russia with your name on it old man.”
It sounded like he was offering access to a Russian mine, access he’d been unable to secure on his own. With the diamond industry changing so radically in the past few years Smart needed to secure mines in locations outside of South Africa or his empire would cease to thrive.
A couple of years ago, the “Kimberly Process” changed the diamond industry irreversibly. It turned Leyland Rondel into a billionaire. It also turned him into a man with an even bigger target on his back than he had before. Smart would love to do away with the bastard more than anything. Unfortunately, Smart needed Rondel more than Rondel needed him. Those fake certificates of origin that he produced, they allowed Smart to keep his business running. When the international agreement passed which required official paperwork to accompany all diamond sales, Rondel started producing the highest quality counterfeit documents that could be had. Although upper level officials in several different countries suspected his scheme, not one had a bit of evidence to launch against him. Demand for his product was high and he was growing his own little empire without any real competition to speak of. Now Benny wanted in on it. He wanted Rondel to supply him with some of his product and Smart was the only man he knew of who could make that happen for him.