01x05 - The Silent Partner

[bunniefuu]

So, Jude,

you haven't told me.

How did things go
with the article at school?

-Oh, they loved it.
-Mm.

It couldn't have been better.

Mom, you should be proud of yourself.

That's great. What did they say?

They loved it.

And what they liked most, the photo.

They were like, "Your mother's pretty.
You look like her."

I know it hasn't been easy for you.

I mean,
it's a new school with new friends.

But you adapted fast.

-God bless you.
-Thanks.

I think public school is a good fit.
I don't wanna be like those other snobs--

You'll be sad when you are older
and you look back on all this.

Huh?

That's right. I've saved up enough money,
and I'm sending you to British school.

Uh, but didn't…

-Didn't you say you don't have--
-I said you're going back there.

Where would you get

money for that?

What do you say?

We get on a flight.

We travel first class.

Be in Istanbul at 7:00 a.m.

And we can go to the café
I was telling you about.

-The best coffee ever.
-You've mentioned it a few times.

I'd like to try Turkish coffee.

If that's the case, let's make it happen.

I'll call the travel agency
and take you before sunrise.

We're not going anywhere.
We have tons of work here.

But I'd love to break free
from my family even for a day.

I wouldn't mind never coming back.

Wow. Really? Is there something wrong?

Since the article,
my mother's a pain in the a*s.

Mohamed Rashed really sang your praises.

Yeah, but she's jealous of me.

She always disapproves of me.

She thinks
I'm taking attention away from her.

-And she's probably right.
-Introduce me to her so I can defend you.

I'd rather take my chances in Istanbul.

You know, Saud?

I sense I'm living a double life.

One with my family
and one with everyone else.

These two lives
are so different from each other.

And I'd really rather keep them separate.

If it's any consolation,
there's good news.

The article written about you,
it'll pay dividends elsewhere.

How? Sounds too good.

You'll know tomorrow
at the executive meeting. But sadly,

it's going to be in Kuwait,
not in Istanbul.

Executive meeting…

A promotion in the future.

Okay, what's the extent of the damage?

Did they ID the type of missiles?

Any casualties?

Okay, thank God. Thank God.

Well, everything
is probably going to change now.

I know. I know.

I know that for sure.

Listen. Follow up on all the updates.
Keep me posted.

Yeah, check all the analytics
and information. Study them.

Anyway, everything is going to change.

I know it.

Tell me.

Yeah.

Yeah.

Iran has bombed another oil tanker.

But this time,
the tanker had a flag from America.

Mama, they've been bombing
oil tankers my whole life.

Why is everyone worried about it now?

The tanker had an American flag.

-And that makes the bombing worse?
-Makes it dangerous. More.

…on the tanker
that shook the area this morning

with a large expl*si*n.

Since when do you do this to your hair?
You're tearing your hair. Don't do that.

Why?

Ladies and gentlemen…

I thought that my hair was
the least of our worries.

…and our 4th news report
for this day.

Roshen, please. Radio.

…generous--

Are you gonna send me back
to British school?

I'll have to work harder,

but yeah, back you go.

Now, tell me something. I'm curious.

Why are you worried about snobs
all of a sudden?

I mean, I'm trying to understand.

Do you want to go back
to the British School or not?

Yes, I do.

Okay.

Hm.

What's all this about?

I don't know.

I'm not what you think I am.

I keep my job
and my relationship separate

despite all your accusations.

You hear the expl*si*n?

Mm.

It'll only get worse.

I'd like you to meet our IPO lead manager
here at Bank of Tomorrow,

Majid Awad.

You might be wondering
why you're sitting with us now.

Allow me to explain.

Bank of Tomorrow currently is bidding on

the IPO for Alpha real Estate.
I am here to make that happen.

The CEO of that company
died this year, may he rest in peace.

And his beloved wife,

who was just a silent partner,

is now the CEO of the company.

Um Fahd,
whose original name was Ms. Sabiha,

got herself in financial trouble,
drowning the company in debt.

She needs capital to not go under.

And she needs us to make it work,

which brought her to our steps.

Ladies, this is where…

where you come in.

Looks like Um Fahd has read the article
written about the two of you.

She mentioned you in our last meeting.

On Monday, you will be joining the pitch
along with all of us.

The committee thinks
your presence in the meeting

will reassure Mrs. Sabiha.

Your presence was requested.

Thank you, Mr. Majid. We'd be delighted.

Excuse me, Mr. Majid.
Shouldn't we be getting briefed?

You just were.
That's the information you need.

You still think
there's no such thing as frivolous media?

If you don't see the value of the article,
then I can't help you see it.

Munira, we are window dressing at best.

-We're going to be present at the meeting.
-So? Big deal.

Makes no difference if we're in that room.

Not yet.

Step by step.

Mm?

We are all excited about the two of you
joining us on the team.

I hope that your expectations are
in line with what we are asking of you.

What exactly are we supposed to do?

I still don't get our part,
to be perfectly honest.

It took weeks
to prepare the pitch for Alpha.

That means analysts, our marketing team,
and our IPO team have covered everything.

And some of us are in the room
just as a formality.

You mean us?

Even if our presence
is simply a formality,

we should still be well-prepared
for the meeting. Don't you think?

Just in case.

I can call Mishari.

He'll give you access to the Alpha files,

as long as it doesn't distract
from your original job.

I don't want any complaints
from Hasan or Walid, okay?

What if we have complaints about them?

Please don't drain yourselves.

All we need you to do is show up
for Monday's meeting with a smile.

But do not neglect the trading floor,
which is obviously more important.

Of course, Amir.

Great.

Sabiha is drowning in debt indeed.

She bought three new properties,
and the renovations were all major.

Well, I think

that she doesn't have enough experience
and she bit off more than she can chew.

Hold on.

These are all in London and Paris.

-Where are the London prices?
-Right there.

Yeah, yeah. Just a second.

See?

Properties there are very expensive,
but the locations are desirable.

The report says all of her properties
are at maximum occupancy.

So even if she has large debts,
she can pay them off with those revenues.

Uh-huh.

Wait a minute.

She owns the Golden Tower?

Wait. That's the big renovation
that cost her millions. Give me.

It's gorgeous.

I've seen it
but didn't know it was owned by Alpha.

Me neither.

Imagine you owned this huge tower,

but nobody knew.

Mm.

So,

Majid said
that Sabiha got Alpha in trouble.

I see the opposite.

The woman's trying to expand,
but because she's a woman,

they'll say she lacks experience.

This woman has
a clear vision for the future.

Mm.

After work, we should go
check out the building for ourselves.

You're right.
I'll call to ask for an appointment.

Mm.

Where are they?

-They haven't checked in?
-Haven't seen them all morning.

-What do you know about it?
-Here they come.

Speak of the devil.

Welcome back, ladies.

Welcome back. Where have you been?

Saud had us working.

What's wrong with your desk?
Why are you in mine?

We received a notice
from the clearinghouse.

-Wait. What?
He told you about it in a song.

A trading mistake. When?
That's impossible. I did not.

It's okay. You're human.

No, no, no, no, no, guys, come on.
My work is accurate,

and I check my trades
before sending them to the clearinghouse.

-This must be the broker's error.
-The problem was Nabil was the broker.

-So…
-Give it to me.

So what trade was it?

225,000 shares for 16,000 dinars.

So according to this memo, huh?

Nabil listed the share price at 14.08,

but we'd agreed on 14.06.
Not to mention his illegible handwriting.

A small mistake, right?

Unless we resolve it with him personally,

the clearinghouse
will have to take care of it.

Come on. Let's go.

Right now?

Ugh.

You need to schedule the Golden Tower.

Can't you see the trouble I'm in?

-I'll make the appointment.
-Okay.

Munira, I can't make it.

I have something important
I need to do for Jude after work.

-Forgive me.
-Okay, Farida.

Just go. Get out of here. Go, go, go.

-Sorry.
-Go away!

-How could you?
-Sir, it wasn't me.

It was my assistant, sir.

You see, the slightest mistake
could ruin us all!

It won't happen again.

See what she needs.

God!

Walid, this is unacceptable!

Fill this up now.

Quick!

Thinking about the missiles too?

My mom made me some tea.
If I had known--

Khalifa, I made a mistake on a trade.

I bought some shares from that b*stard
and wrote down different prices.

I'm sure the price we settled on
is the price I wrote down.

Nabil will make me jump through hoops.

How many shares?

Sixteen thousand.

So that's about, uh,

3,200 dinars?

Yes, 3,200 dinars!
Honestly, what is the big deal?

So what? Nabil can easily cover
those 3,000 dinars like that!

Okay. Calm down.

I need the clearinghouse to twist his arm
to make him pay.

If he doesn't
and the clearinghouse rules against you…

…you'll pay for it.

How? He makes the mistake and I pay?

I'm just trying to warn you.
I've seen it happen.

Anyway, whatever you do, don't let Nabil
go to the clearinghouse with it.

He has these guys in his pocket.

Answer the phone.

It's not my extension.

Cover for your cousin
until we clear up the mess she's made.

I have other priorities.

What's more important?

They asked me to attend the IPO,
so now I have to prepare for it.

That's my priority today.

What IPO?

Oh?

What? You don't know?

Why wouldn't they tell you?
I assure you it wasn't my decision.

Look. It stopped.

Gentleman, here is your tea,
just the way you like it.

What's the matter, honey?

What's the matter, huh?
You just walk in here? That's ridiculous.

We'll be done in a minute. You can go.

I'm not sure
Walid has shown you the trading card.

Yeah, that one.

Uh, I think there was

a mistake, sir.

It's okay.
We all do it every once in a while.

Mm.

Mistakes don't happen to me.

Uh-huh.

I think you made one.

Anyway, I asked Walid
to run it by the clearinghouse.

And they'll have a meeting
on Monday morning to decide

who made the error.

But, Khaled…

I know the price we agreed on was 14.6.
Admit it.

Admit that it was your mistake.

Admit what exactly?

Huh?

I think you were the one

who took advantage
of a price that better suited you

for your bank to make more profits
at my expense!

No more talking about this silly nonsense.

On Monday,

the review board will have a meeting
and then decide whose fault it was.

The clerk's or the broker's?

Unbelievable!

We taught them everything,

and now they want to surpass us.

Go on and leave.

-I made a mistake, she says!
-No!

Of course not. Forgive her.

What's all this?

Oh, really?

Oh, Dad.

Can you take me
to the British School, please?

I can't, Farida.

I have lots of work today.

It's for Jude's father. Please.

No, can't do it.

There's a big crash
at the exchange in New York.

Dropped by 100 points.

Investors are worried that the US
might get involved

with what's going on
and launch a m*ssile strike.

If this happens,
it'll get crazy over here.

Father, I am in crisis all the time
and I never make you wait for me.

I'm helping you.

I'm not just your driver.

I have a driver's license.
If I'm such a pain, I could drive myself.

Farida,

we have two vehicles.

I need one of those cars.

And the other is Roshen's car.

That car is for your mother
and household errands.

If you want the second car
and you can get Jude to school,

run errands for the house,

take your mother wherever she needs to go,

and get to work on time,

then you can use the car.

And I can fire Roshen.

Dr. Badra, I hope agreeing to see me means
a spot is available for Jude.

Where did Jude end up after British?

Um Kawthar,
where she's getting top marks.

I should hope so.

It's true she is not challenged properly.

That's why we've supplemented
with private journalism lessons

with her grandfather,
who is the editor-in-chief

of a really important newspaper,
as you know.

And how's her violin?

Is her grandfather tutoring her
on that as well?

No, his expertise ends with newsprint.

But Jude is practicing by her own.

Twice a day, actually.

And your financial situation?

How did that misunderstanding
resolve with Jude's father?

I am now able
to personally afford Jude's tuition.

Oh, very well then.

We have a place for your Jude.

Thank you, Dr. Badra.
Thank you so much. This…

Jude is going to be so thrilled.

However,

in addition
to the 700 dinar quarterly tuition,

there will be application fees

and new student expenses.

Yeah.

Of course.

And I will have to ask you
to pay it all upfront

to avoid history repeating itself.

Nine hundred dinar,

give or take.

Will that work for you?

Come in, please.

It's an honor to have you.
The best apartment for the best couple.

Welcome.

Hm.

It's not… not quite London.

-But it's charming.
-Stop acting like this is a date.

They wouldn't show the apartment
to a single woman.

And you know how the system works.

They expect you to be married to look.

Well, your white knight is here.

Here for whatever you want.

At your service.

So, when's your wedding?

As soon as possible.

Well, no, we haven't set a date yet.

I'll give you some privacy
so you can live in the space.

Thank you. Imagine.

-Imagine.
-Mm. Okay.

Cozy.

It's, uh, good for kids.

Or maybe for an office.

You've gotta be kidding me.

This won't be an office.
It's obviously a nursery.

Is that a yes?

Uh, view's awesome.

Sabiha certainly knows how to increase
a property's value with renovations.

Well, she is wasting her money.

Is that what you guys
in the boardroom are saying?

I think the bed should go right there.

Maybe… over there?

This view isn't cheap.

Hm.

Glad you like it.

But this unbelievable view
is Sabiha's, not ours.

Not this view.

Hm?

Say yes.

-Yes to what?
-The place.

The place is great.

You're the one that's great.

We're pretending to be engaged.
Why not for real?

Will you marry me?

The place is really great.

But the altitude up here
has definitely gone to your head.

I think you have gone to my head.

Let's give them a down payment
before we lose the penthouse.

Marry me.

So, how about it?

Well, it's perfect.

Uh…

I need some time to think.

Hello?

Hey, Farida.

I knew you would call.

Farida, it's great.

The renovations at the Golden Tower
exceeded my expectations.

From the harshest critic I know,
must be fancy.

I wish I was with you.

-Sorry about that.
-I wish you had been there.

Uh, I thought about taking Saud with me.

-Did you?
-Uh, I didn't.

He wouldn't take it seriously,
so I went alone.

Yeah, that's good.

He would've just discouraged you
from taking it seriously.

Omar used to do that?

He's still standing in my way.

Munira, I have to go. Call you later.

Walid, my friend, you can go.

So the basis of your defense is
that the eight was supposed to be a six?

Yeah.

This is your fault.

Farida, I do believe you.

Nabil's writing is bad.

But we have to settle
for minimizing our losses.

You're the one whose name is on the card,
and I just ex*cuted the trade.

So who should cover the loss?
Should I or you?

The bank will sort it.
It's up to the bank.

"It's up to the bank."
Nobody takes responsibility around here.

-Where were you?
-What's going on here?

-They haven't rung the bell!
-The markets in Asia crashed!

-Answer the phone. I can't take that call.
-Bank of Tomorrow.

-Okay, sell.
-Hello?

It's dropped by 15 points!

We need to compare our reports.
Our numbers show Hong Kong is crashing.

It's going on everywhere, even Tokyo.

I thought we were being prudent.

We're all gonna suffer.
There's no escaping.

Okay, let's try and survive. God help us.

How'd it go?

-Walid, check the data.
-Do it yourself.

I'm sick and tired of damn Nabil.

Bank of Tomorrow.

-Uh-huh.
-Okay.

-5,000. Sell.
-See if you can get it at 2,900.

-7,000.
-Hello?

-Golden Mine.
-Check for the prices.

Is this about Hong Kong?

Tokyo, Malaysia, Singapore…

They're all down
by around about 20 percent.

What'll happen to our trades?

No one is gonna trade.
I'll handle everything.

So you're gonna be a hero?

Guys, calm down. Please calm down.

Let's work it out.
Let's focus on cutting losses. Right?

-Let's begin with strategy.
-Look.

We can cut our losses if we--

Bank of Tomorrow.

Jude?! What's the problem?

Uh, can you pick me up from school?

Why are you sick?

No, I'm not sick. But I got in trouble.

Jude, the market is crashing,
and I don't have my own car.

I can't just leave everything
because you did something stupid!

Mom just come get me.

Tell your dad to get you.

Doesn't he pick you up for lunch?

Not big enough. Double that.

I am not selling at this price.

Nabil! Nabil!

Nabil! Nabil!

They said no, so what are we to do?

Walid! Walid!

This is not acceptable!

We're out! We're out!

-Hey, As many as you can.
-Listen to me!

Talk to him!
Can't you see he's not answering me?

Come over here!

-Come here! Tell him!
-You need to listen to me!

Sweetheart, don't be all sad.

The least you could do is smile
and look pretty to cheer us up.

This is all that you're good for.

-Nabil!
-Khalifa! No! Don't!

-Khalifa!
-You should be ashamed of yourself, Nabil.

-You should be--
-No!

-Let go!
-No! Stop it!

Enough! Enough! Stop!

Maybe you shouldn't have punched his face.

Now, Nabil won't trade with us.

Let me see. Oof.

Hold this like this for a bit.

-Like this?
-Okay, it's okay.

Hold this down.

I'm sorry.

You have enough on your plate.

I just couldn't help it
when he crossed the line.

It was too much. I had to stop him.

You deserve to be treated better.

Please, Khalifa.

I can stand up to him and defend myself.

Yeah.

-Ah.
-Sorry. Does it hurt?

I'm sorry.

I'm sorry.

I really like you…

I know that we can't be together.

Your situation…

My situation?

Wait. I didn't mean that.

Farida.

Uh, Saud and Amir
want to see us about Alpha.

Farida.

I'm sure that other banks
have promised you

to launch your IPO

with first class service.

We can offer you something greater.

We will give you results.

You see, I'm a bit of a… a numbers man.

We don't need an expert analyst…

…to sit here and to tell you

that Bank of Tomorrow

has launched all major IPOs in Kuwait.

And Alpha…

…is a company we trust 100 percent.

I think there's potential
to be our biggest IPO.

It is true that your debts
present a threat to your company now.

But it's all just
a little bump in the road.

And with the upcoming launch
of the Alpha IPO,

I think that we will overcome that bump.

And also that Bank of Tomorrow is capable
of taking Alpha to the promised land.

Mrs. Sabiha,

rest assured.

Just put us in charge.

And I promise that Bank of Tomorrow

will carry Alpha

to the promised land.

I don't mean to insult,
but that's underwhelming.

Your ideas are nothing new to me.
Nothing new.

This is exactly the same thing
that I've been hearing from other banks.

But I'll hand it to you.

The presentation, it was really cute.

Excuse me, but, uh,

that was a PowerPoint.
It's state-of-the-art technology.

We're the only ones currently using it
in the Kuwait Stock Exchange.

Yes.

Is that what you meant when you said

that your bank's foundation
was innovation?

Respectfully and no offense intended,
Mrs. Sabiha,

your transition from silent partner

to the position of CEO

is something that,
in and of itself, raises skepticism.

And Alpha needs the success of this IPO.

And we've already proven that we…

…we share your vision completely.

We share your ideals.

That is why
we have been carefully developing

a very diversified group of talents.

And these two haven't said a word.

Are they just decorations for the place?

Just a moment.

Mrs. Sabiha.

The slide show was impressive.

There are two areas where I disagree.

One is your debt puts us
in a vulnerable position,

but it doesn't pose a threat to us.

Your properties have no disadvantages.

I'm no numbers man,
but it's clear the risk is low.

So if the price point and demand stay high

and if the quality you provide
matches the price, there's no worries.

-What's the second thought?
-Alpha doesn't need an IPO.

You're already
a successful private company.

I believe that you're doing this
for a different reason.

Maybe as a show of force.

Or maybe you've been silent
for far too long

and it's time for your voice to be heard.

Mrs. Sabiha, I assure you
if you choose Bank of Tomorrow,

this IPO will give you more
than just fresh capital.

It will raise your image,

something that has been
a long time coming.

And you, Miss?

-What is your opinion?
-Uh, I, um…

I think Munira is onto something.

Mrs. Sabiha,

what do you think?

What a performance!

Thank you.

A surprising performance
since you were invited as a spectator.

It would be great if you put some
of that enthusiasm into our relationship.

Not the place for this.

Tell me what's the nature
of our relationship? As a formality.

Saud, I can only think about Alpha.

We're done with Alpha.

Why don't we talk tomorrow?

Why tomorrow
if we're already talking now?

I already told Farida I'd help her.

I can drop you off at home.

No, you don't have to do that.

I'll call my father.
Then we'll go pick up Jude.

No matter how much we learn and grow,

we'll be stuck
between our fathers and our husbands.

Nah.

Not you.

You were able to escape that destiny,
just like you escaped the party hats. Ugh.

No, Farida, I didn't escape.

I avoided it.

I didn't wanna get married.

I don't know what I would've done
if I had been in your situation.

I don't have that courage.

You want me to come in?

You k*lled it today, Munira.

VILLA OMAR ABDUL RAHMAN AL-HASWI

Where is she?

Jude?

Juju! Let me see!

Are you okay?

Are you hurt?

Your father said that you
got into a fight with someone else.

Is that true?

Since when do you hit others, Jude?
Why did you hit her?

It was the article.

Don't lie to me, Jude. Don't lie to me.

I know you never took it to school.

Now, just spare me and tell me the truth.

I didn't take it, because I knew
what the other girls would say.

-Someone else brought it in.
-What'd they say?

They said that…
that you're going to go to Hell.

-And?
-Not wearing a hijab.

You're divorced, and you work with men.

I, uh…

I'm… I'm gonna call my dad.

I'll drive you… after dinner.

Dinner?

I ordered from Sultan's.

-Sultan's?
-Oh yeah.

Ordered the hummus, 7-Up, and
all your favorites. You can have it all.

Sorry, we aren't able to stay for dinner.

-My father can't drive late.
-I'll drive you home after dinner.

Right after dinner.

I mean, between yesterday's bombing
and today's fight,

I think Jude could use a little cheer.

She will get to sit with her mom and dad,
and we'll have dinner.

It'll be good.

Good, you know?

Like a family.

Please, Mom.

Please!

London stock market
has registered an 11 percent decline.

And Frankfurt?

Numbers are down.

Just waiting for the final report.

Hm.

Sale fever, huh?

Yeah, but it's not only bad news
for us, is it? Hm?

I'm talking about how Munira
successfully turned the tables on Alpha.

Mm.

Munira is very good.

She's very sharp.

A gorgeous woman…

But in work,

she's more man than you are.

Don't you say that about her.

We're engaged to be married.

Really?

You never told me.

Well, congratulations.

Good for you.

Good for you.

I wish you all the best.

You two are perfect for each other.

You should read this.

Oh!

It's from New York.

Investors are holding their breath

as they wait for reports
from the New York stock market.

Within minutes after opening,

Dow Jones dropped by 260 points

and is now on course for a historic crash.

These major sell-offs
have been caused by fear

that the Iranian bombing
near the Kuwait coast

might lead
to a harsh retaliation from America.

As stock markets continue to fall,

we advise traders to buckle up,

because it's going to be a bumpy ride.