Reformed

By Andre Sowunmi

"Tough times do not last, tough people do" is a cliché that characterized Jon's epic saga. It began one summer evening when life, as he knew it, turned upside down. Faced with life's threatening circumstances, Jon found strength from within him to carry on. In the face of danger, he outsmarted the mob to save his family, fought, and through it all, he came out on top with more than he could have ever imagined.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Christian Faith Publishing, Inc.
• Release date: Jan 28, 2019
• ISBN: 9781644582220

Book preview

cover.jpg

Reformed

Andre Sowunmi

ISBN 978-1-64458-221-3 (Paperback)

ISBN 978-1-64458-222-0 (Digital)

Copyright © 2019 by Andre Sowunmi

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods without the prior written permission of the publisher. For permission requests, solicit the publisher via the address below.

Christian Faith Publishing, Inc.

832 Park Avenue

Meadville, PA 16335

www.christianfaithpublishing.com

Printed in the United States of America

Table of Contents

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

Chapter One

As he arrived at the Hartson International Airport, Jon quickly paid for the cab and headed into the terminal. It was a warm and clear evening in Atlanta, Georgia, and he was thankful that the weather turned out well today.

He was an hour early, but he needed time to check-in. Once in the building, he pulled out his little gadget—a technological gizmo that included phone services, video streaming, and the rest of the crap he paid for but never used. He had purchased his airline ticket via his cell phone, and all he needed to do was to check-in just by presenting the image to the TSA agent.

As a management consultant, he has taken this trip several times before. When Jon graduated from King’s College with a bachelor degree in Finance, he headed for Wall Street. He enjoyed the atmosphere of rubbing shoulders with the big boys and girls. He often imagined which one of the guys or gals in the elevator was a millionaire, or if all of them were millionaires.

Making money motivated Jon, and he was driven to the max. The word greed was undefined in his dictionary—in a free market, he said, all is fair game. So was the creed he lived by.

He had a knack for numbers and enjoyed crunching numbers until the wee of the night. It was common for Jon to arrive at work at 8:00 a.m. and leave at 2:00 a.m. the next morning—eighteen-hour workday. Ever since he interned at Gardmon Sarks in the summer of his junior year, he knew he belonged on the Street, so when he graduated, it was a no brainer for him to return to the Street; and to the Street, he returned. He worked tirelessly for two years, learning the tricks of the trade. He was an investment banker, researching companies and developing financial models for companies that were slated for mergers and acquisitions. He made money—a six-figure salary with a hefty bonus at the end of the year. Life was good, but in order for him to climb the ladder as fast as he wanted, he believed he had to equip himself with an MBA.

To that end, he started preparing for the GMAT and then applied to the top business schools in the country. He finally narrowed his selection to Carvard Business School and Harnell Jones School of Management. Both distinguished Universities accepted him, but he chose Harnell, and he became a Big Blue Harnellian.

Two years of business school, in the bitter cold of upstate New York, was a handful. But he was tough and he roughed it out. He met his wife, Jane, at Harnell, and at the business school there, he discovered a career called management consulting. He liked it and decided that he was going to become a management consultant. After graduating, he took a job as a senior manager at the management-consulting firm of Wenron & Company, a global strategy consulting company. The Atlanta office of Wenron had one hundred twenty consultants, all of them from top business schools from around the world.

The atmosphere was competitive, but Jon had a solid financial background and Wall Street experience that positioned him as a premier financial strategy consultant, and he quickly became an associate partner with some of the largest and richest banks in the world as clients.

Have a safe journey, sir. The TSA agent had checked Jon in, and he was on his way to Gate 30—direct flight to Heathrow International Airport, London, England. As he located Gate 30, he glanced at his watch and figured that he has time for a bottle of beer at the restaurant next to Gate 30. He proceeded into the restaurant and sat squarely on a bar chair at the center of the bar area with other travelers and next to a starkly middle-aged man with cowboy boots and a gallon hat to match. He was busy nursing a mug of beer.

The businessman turned sideways to acknowledge Jon’s presence and blotted out to him, Howdy, partner!

Jon was happy to find a new friend, and he replied, Hi, I’m Jon Grant. I’m guessing you are from Texas. The starkly middle-aged man smiled, and said, You are correct, I am from Dallas, Texas—born and raised. I’m on my way to Europe on a business trip.

Jon thought to himself, Another businessman leaving the wifey and kids at home to take that long trip in order to make ends meet. He often talked about how important it is to balance work and play—he taught the concept to the young consultants under his mentorship and expressly discussed the ideals with peers and seniors. However, more often than not, when he ran across a businessperson at the airport, it seemed like their work was consuming the better part of their time in what seemed to be an endless pursuit of excellence. He was not an exception.

I’m on my way to London on a business trip as well. I need to check on my client to see if all is well, check on my staff at the client site to see if all is on track as was promised the client, ask the client if there are other areas of concern we can help enhance the business, and schmooze a little before heading home. I should be back again in two weeks—life in the fast lane of management consultancy!

Jimmy Lee Pearson, the Texan businessman, was not surprised nor was he unfamiliar with management consultants. When he needed to drive costs down in his business, he called on management consultants to lead the cause. When he needed to position his business properly in the oil industry, he turned to a consulting firm, and when he most definitely wanted to increase profitability, a consultant was not far away.

I often use consultants myself. I think they are a bit pricey, but at the end of the day, they often get me what I want, Jimmy Lee said to Jon.

Jon was delighted with his assessment. After all, it was all about results, and as long as the consultant was adding value to the client, that was money worth paying for.

Glad to hear that, Mr. Pearson. We aim to please, Jon replied.

They chitchatted and discussed football and women as well. Soon, they departed, each heading toward the gates to catch the airlines for long trips to Europe.

The airplane was on time, and the second check-in went smoothly. Jon was glad he did not have to take his shoes off this time around. He had come to expect the rigor of traveling in an airplane these days—while he was uncomfortable with the whole process, he welcomed the added security provided by thorough searching exercises.

He walked into the cabin and found his seat. He opened the overhead compartment and placed his luggage there. He closed it and sat down. He was sitting in his first-class seat next to the window. He was trying to relax and get ready for the long trip to London. He glanced at the GPS system hanging from the roof of the airplane cabin. In a few minutes, they would turn it on, and he can track exactly where he was for the duration of the trip. He reclined in his seat, laid his head back, and closed his eyes. Within minutes, he smelled perfume, and for sure, he knew someone was sitting next to him.

She tried to settle down without disturbing the resting man beside him, but out of curiosity, he opened his eyes anyway. He slowly turned his head to glance at the drop-dead gorgeous chick sitting beside him. Wow, he thought to himself, she sure is pretty; maybe one of those models on her way to Europe for the catwalk scene.

He sat up quickly, adjusting his shirt, and involuntarily sucked his belly in. The beer he just consumed threatened to come out, but he took a hard breath and all was okay. He felt good—intoxicated—but good.

Hi, I’m Ashley. I did not mean to wake you up, she said with a smile that could light up the sky and teeth so white and perfect that Jon actually felt something crawled up his legs; he does not feel that often.

Yes, I’m Jon. Don’t worry, I was not sleeping. I was bored and decided to take a quick nap, hoping an angel would sit next to me. She smiled. She liked the cheesy line, and they instantly connected.

Ashley McIntosh was a corporate attorney from the New York office of Delaney, Ramsey, Fowler, and Daley—one of the largest and most successful law firms in the United States. They specialize in mergers and acquisitions, and she was on her way to London on an assignment regarding due diligence on behalf of her client—a giant New York pharmaceutical that just swallowed a boutique British pharmaceutical company. As it turned out, Ashley knew people who knew Jon. Both of them grew up in New York City, went to the same college, but did not meet on campus.

I don’t believe we did not run across each other on campus, Jon said to Ashley.

It is a busy campus. That is not surprising at all. Our majors were different, and we took different courses.

That is so true. But I still would have loved to have partied with you. They both laughed at Jon’s comment.

I’m sure you had your share of girls you partied with—no regrets! She grinned.

They talked about people they knew, gossiped, and laughed. They had been to some gatherings at college back in the day, but did not know one another at the time. She later went to the North York University Law School.

They engaged in interesting conversations that made a eight-hour trip seem like five minutes. When the pilot started his decent toward London, they were almost surprised where the time went, albeit pleasantly surprised, because they dreaded these long boring trips.

This was good, and Jon could not believe his luck. She was into him as well, blushing and smiling. So when they finally arrived in London, it was not too difficult for Jon to convince her to join him for cocktails at the Ritz Carlton Hotel, where he would be staying. They waited for their luggage, hoping they weren’t missing, deformed, or misplaced. Jon’s luggage arrived first. He quickly grabbed it and waited for Ashley’s luggage to arrive. When her luggage finally arrived, he grabbed it for her. You are a gentleman as well. Ashley complimented him for helping with her luggage. They headed for the door.

They took a cab together, and she brought her luggage with her from the airport to Jon’s hotel. At the hotel, they went straight to the bar and dropped their luggage near the bar stools. Ashley observed the marble-covered, gold–plated bar and thought it was splendid. What a bar! This is beautiful. Every now and then, I stay at the Ritz myself, but this time around, the trip was booked in a hurry, and the only hotel I could get into on a short notice as such was the Wellington. It is not bad, but it is not a five star. She laughed and excused herself as she headed toward the ladies room to freshen up. Jon ordered some cocktails for himself and Ashley. He ordered some shots as well, and before you know it, he was on his way to drunken city.

While Ashley was in the bathroom, Jon placed a phone call to his wife in Atlanta to inform her that he got to London safely. He asked to speak to the child as well, but he was already in bed. He said goodbye and hung up. Then he turned his cell phone off and stuck it deeply in his pocket as if he was hiding it.

He watched Ashley approach the bar from the ladies room, and she looked beautiful and walked gracefully. Jon was half-drunk at the time, and many things crossed his mind. None of them were thoughts of his wife at home.

Ashley joined him at the bar, and the party for two started. She drank quite a bit herself,—after all, she just broke up with her boyfriend, and she needed male company. She and her ex-boyfriend both traveled a lot. Unfortunately, when they travelled, her assignments took her West, while her boyfriend’s assignments took him East. They weren’t spending enough quality time together. She suspected that he was cheating on her, and since he did not deny it during a confrontation, the relationship went south.

This was the first trip without a boyfriend in her life. Somehow, she ended up in Jon’s room upstairs, and they had a few sessions of horizontal workout. She fell asleep on his shoulders, and soon after, he fell asleep as well.

Jon woke up at 5.02 a.m. and sat up in the bed. He looked confused yet peaceful. He had a dream. He could not remember the last time he had a dream. Most of the time, even if he had a dream, he could not recall exactly what it was when he woke up. This time, it was different. He clearly remembered the dream. Not only that, the dream was in color. He could not recall if he had ever had a colored dream before. This was definitely strange, but he felt peaceful, like he had never been before in his entire life. Something about the dream enabled that.

He reached for the remote control to check what was going on in the world and to bring him into reality. As the television came on, the channel was set on BBC and the anchor was saying the morning news. …Centennial Bank plans to file for bankruptcy today, based on Asian market collapse overnight that will definitely see a ripple in the London Stock Exchange this morning when the market opens here…

What? He could not believe what he was hearing and watching. When he got on the plane yesterday, all was well; in fact, he spoke to the CEO of Centennial Bank yesterday when he called him from Atlanta to inform him of his impending trip to London and his plan to meet with him at 1:00 p.m. Greenwich meridian time the next day. The CEO, Ian Smith, was cheerful and optimistic at the time. He did not mention anything like this. So this came as a complete surprise and shock to him.

Ashley woke up abruptly. He noticed Jon cursing at the television. What is it? Are you okay? She asked Jon who was holding his head now as he was also shaking it at the same time.

He could not believe that this was happening to him. Well, my client has just decided to file for bankruptcy, just like that! I am just finding out about it now on BBC news. Is that not lovely?

Ashley was just as shocked. She said, What? That is horrible! What are you going to do? She tried her best to console him.

I hope they change their minds.

I hope so too. I’ll find out what is going on in a few hours.

Jon got up and went into the bathroom section of the suite. He turned the shower on and started to shower. He kept thinking about the horrible news he just heard, but at the same time, he had peace that he could not explain. Ordinarily, he would have been close to a nervous breakdown by now, but he felt some inward peace, and that surprised him. It was the dream he had—it had to be. What else could it be?

Ashley dressed and left, promising to keep in touch. She had a long day ahead of her, and she wanted to be at her hotel early in order to get ready for the tough day ahead. Yesterday was fun—she hadn’t done a one-night stand in a while, out of respect for her ex-boyfriend. Now, she felt sooo justified to have a few orgasms in his name. Oh well, life goes on!

Jon was dressed too and headed to central London, where the headquarters of Centennial Bank was located. The cab driver was enthusiastic and trying very hard to have a conversation with Jon. Jon was responsive with reservation. His mind was on the news he just heard. After all, if this transpired as relayed, that would be the end of a revenue-generating project. Last year alone, Jon brought in 1.5 million dollars in billable hours from this project. This year, the project was on track to rake in a 5 percent increase in revenue. With that kind of sustained revenue stream, Jon was well on his way to making partner soon. He was becoming a much sought-after rainmaker!

As they approached central London, he saw the imposing building that had become one of London’s landmarks and a frequent Architectural Digest favorite—the 50-story glass building that housed the Centennial Bank. His heart skipped a beat, and for a second, he thought about what he was about to face shortly—a financial tsunami of the grander kind. A paradigm shift accompanied by a whirlpool of emotional distress, stuff that makes grown men cry and make people think about ending their lives.

Before long, he was at the lobby of Centennial Bank. It was an elaborately decorated building—marble floors, leather seats, and beautiful people to receive visitors and guests. The receptionist immediately recognized him and welcomed him back. He asked for Ian, and she told him that Ian was meeting with board members in an emergency meeting that convened an hour earlier. Jon understood the nature of the emergency, and he proceeded to wait for him in his office. At the office of the CEO, he was ushered into a seat by the administrative assistant, who kept him occupied with empty conversations until Ian returned from the meeting.

Ian walked in with a young attorney in tow. His name was Philip, and they had attended the board meeting together.

Jon, you could not have come at a worse time. How was the flight? Ian extended niceties to Jon.

That was the understatement of the year, my friend, and the flight was good. Thanks. Jon explained how troubled he was by the news—the news was shocking and unexpected.

I found out via BBC news this morning. What gives? Jon was still astonished and ready for an explanation.

Ian Smith was fifty-three years old and impeccably well dressed with strong features and boyish good looks. He started at the bank at the age of nineteen, when he worked as a stock boy. His story was a classical rise from bottom to the top—a real company man. Centennial Bank was established in 1705. Affluent Britons do their banking with Centennial. It seemed like the bank’s doors would open forever.

Well, Johnny, ol’ chap, the bottom fell out! That’s what happened. Step in my office, and I’d be glad to debrief you, Ian offered. Jon and Philip stepped in the office first, and Ian followed. Philip was new, so Ian would seize this opportunity to introduce him to the corporate strategy that had guided this profitable Bank for a few years until now. Ian looked pale and quite disturbed. He hadn’t slept in hours, and he had been in a marathon of meetings that seemed endless.

As you know, Mr. Grant, Centennial is an old bank. We called your company to assist us in expanding our business and adding more value to the customers. As it turned out, you fellows have done a wonderful job of leveraging our core competencies, and that way, we were able to push out into other areas, generating added revenue streams in return. Before, we were only offering traditional services. Mr. Walls met with the senior executive three years ago and that changed. Mr. Walls, your boss and a partner at Wenron & Company, has done a wonderful job of starting an investment-banking arm of the Bank. For the last three years, it has been the cash cow of the bank. It grossed several billion dollars more than the traditional banking arm did. I’m only restating all of this for the benefit of Philip, here. Jon nodded to Ian’s comment.

"We started engaging in derivatives which, at the time did not seem as risky. With your help and Mr. Walls’s, we employed mortgage-backed securities as part of our portfolio. This particular financial instrument has been mega profitable. We generated more profits from it than from any other financial instruments we have employed before. I thank you and your company a great deal for that strategy. Unfortunately, the hand choked us.

"As we discussed in our last meeting that included Mr. Walls, the senior executives of the bank, and you, homeowners were foreclosing at an alarming rate lately, and this would eventually affect our business. That was only two weeks ago, and you assured us that your staff would research the impact to our business and make recommendations today. As it turned out, our bank was not the only financial institution negatively impacted by this—it seemed to be a global issue. Some solidly profitable banks folded in the Far East yesterday that set the global stock markets tumbling down. Late last night, our