This is an authorized translation in English of a post in French by Vincent Le Roy (@vincentleroy): LE DOSSIER VALMY (Thriller) : Chapitre 3
As my primary language is not English, there are probably some mistakes in my translation.
Remember that the person who speaks here is NOT me, Vincent Celier (@vcelier), but Vincent Le Roy (@vincentleroy), a French guy.
Chapter 3: Origins
Digestion does not seem to have been right of my opponent. He continues to turn pages by ten in search of "THE QUESTION THAT KILLS". From the first day, he quickly understands that the interrogation will not go as planned. Never mind, he bills 300 dollars per hour plus the trainee he is doing, everything is fine, it makes a ticket of $ 40,000 Canadian in his pocket. So he continues.
And so as a good little soldier who has no choice, I answer, I explain, I detail. I'm unpacking my life from the beginning.
And everything started in 2001. At the time I worked for a Luxembourg venture capital group. My job is to manage the investments on a technical level and to check there is no problem. In a case, I have a problem. Investors have staked a nice sum on a scientist who claims to have a revolutionary process. The word phenolic appeared. Revolutionary and exclusive technology according to its inventor. Since I do not know anything about it, I am eager to write my report and decide if the financiers have to put more money or not. Because the mad scientist is greedy and calls for a lot of fresh money. Yet, many things do not stick.
My approach is simple: take consultants and have them explain everything to me. And make contacts to counterbalance the words of the mad scientist. This is how I will meet Denis my first partner, then the chemists. The chances of life, as they say.
Denis is a judicial expert and works as a consultant in the field of raw materials. The contact is immediate. Perfect report and a long open discussion. The scam seems proven according to him. To confirm this first approach, I call the leader in this area. Just like that.
The switchboard connects me to a "responsible" person. It's the commercial director. Like all those fifty years old guys, part of a publicly traded company, in charge of sales, he answers me with distance but without losing interest. I offer him lunch. To go all the way, this is my usual behavior. To invite to a restaurant a guy and to make it speak, I know how to do it, and I have full latitude. My gold credit card has no limit.
Wow! After listening to me, he explains that his English company has just bought a portfolio from a French multinational in the north and that he must develop some revolutionary technologies hidden for 30 years by the French with an outstanding chemist, hidden in the background of a laboratory.
Apart from that, he explains to me that the project I'm dealing with is a mess and that he is the first to supply shitty products at a high price to the other jerk on which my risky investors have invested. He finds me very commercial and especially I know the world of the building which is the sector which he must develop. In England, they are leaders but here, they are strictly unknown and clash with the majors like Saint-Gobain ... And so in turn, he wishes to invite me.
I obviously accept the invitation. I am curious by nature. Fifteen days later, here I am landing in the North on a SEVESO site. And after passing all the checks points I met the second chemist. Introverted, alcoholic, a typical guy from north of France who has become the last of the Mohicans in a multinational who has set aside technologies. Then they forgot him and the guy tinkered by himself for 15 or 20 years. Locked at the bottom of the basement in a laboratory of 20m2, he makes me visit the museum. We explore. The first chemist is jubilant! And indeed, what they present to me is undeniably relevant.
Alex's lawyer continues his questions. I continue my answers more watered down than the truth. I'm not going to tell him the little arrangements between big groups that go wrong and two guys decided to take advantage of this bullshit. This is the reality but I will keep this aspect for myself. The lawyer will only know the outline, names and dates. The reality is that chemists are fed up with their companies. Most technologies are unknown to their leaders. So I can become the one who markets them, off, because I am lucky and I know the final outcome. But my Luxembourg investors are suffering from the Internet crisis and they will not follow me financially. Yet what I saw was absolutely bluffing. I measure the potential. And I decide to start my own business.
In 2002, I created the VALMY company with the two chemists in Luxembourg. I am the manager and the majority shareholder. I arranged for the chemists not to appear. The lawyer pretends not to understand and would like to color the file. Oh Luxembourg! That immediately sounds dishonest! There are two simple reasons: first, Luxembourg is the place where I work and live with my family, and second, it is also the country of Arcelor where I have contacts and that from the start is interested in the product.
For two years, I will travel thousands of miles in France, England and Italy. I learn how to master the technologies. To industrialize them especially and to weave a network of technical partners to manufacture and commercialize everything. I'm going to consume 300,000 Euros in this business and all my energy.
In 2004, a little out of breath financially, I managed to recapitalize the company to finance the tests of the product that we just finished to develop and I therefore have new shareholders. Among them we find Denis who takes the head of the Board of Directors. The scheme is simple: if the tests are successful, everyone puts more money and we start marketing the products. The tests, I know that we will pass them handily and I am rather serene at this time. It is in this context that I saw Mathieu without imagining at that moment that he was going to jump on my business.
Basically, all this is public and the first day brings nothing to the debate. Their lawyer leaves with the satisfaction of the billing and is certain to win in the coming days. Alex is puzzled. He does not understand anything. He will never understand anything. His only chance is to be rich and to have access to the intelligence of his lawyers, their networks, their influence ... Freemasonry too.
My lawyer relaxed. He sees that I master my subject both in substance and in form. He even tells me:
- My colleague has not yet seen that he is working for us.
Back at my hotel, I connect to the WI-fi and turn on the camera. I will not say good night to my children. They are already in bed. I start a brief report to Julie who will not be long to go to bed either. That's it, I'm alone, the jet lag weighs on me and after one last cigarette, I collapse. Tomorrow will be a long day.
-- Vincent Le Roy
Continue to Chapter 4
Introduction
Chapter 1 - Chapter 2
