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There was a brief silence as everyone in the roo at a desk thirty-two hundred kilometers to the west Abstractedly, Sandecker toyed with an unlit cigar What most did not knoas that his mind wasn't on the possible destruction of Gladiator Island

His ered at the sa sea by Arthur Dorsett In the end, hate won out over any humane consideration

He stared at the ie of Sanford A the reflector at Gladiator Island If we don't stop Dorsett Consolidated, and stop them in the shortest time possible, no one else will"

Arthur Dorsett's private elevator in the jewelry trade center rose noiselessly The only evidence of ascent was the progression of blinking floor levels over the doors When the car eased to a gentle stop at the penthouse suite, Gabe Strouser stepped out into an entryway that led to the open courtyard where Dorsett stood waiting to greet him

Strouser did not relish hiswith the diamond maverick They had known each other since they were children The close association between the Strousers and the Dorsetts had lasted well over a century, until Arthur cut off any future dealings with Strouser & Sons The break was not amicable

Dorsett coldly ordered his attorneys to inforer required The axe fell, not with a personal confrontation but over the telephone It was an insult that badly stung Strouser, and he never forgave Dorsett

To save his faiance to the cartel in South Africa, eventuallyhis company headquarters from Sydney to New York In time he rose to become a respected director of the board Because the cartel was barred fro business in the United States due to national antitrust laws, they operated behind the coattails of the respected diamond merchants of Strouser & Sons, who acted as their American arm

He would not be here now i

f the other board directors had not panicked at the ru's threat to bury the market in an avalanche of stones at sharply discounted prices

They had to act decisively and fast if they were to avert a disaster A deeply scrupulous man, Strouser was the only cartel member the board of directors could trust to persuade Dorsett not to shatter the established price levels of the market

Arthur Dorsett stepped forward and shook Strouser's hand vigorously "It's been a long ti

"Thank you for seeing , but with an indelible tinge of aversion "As I recall, your attorneys ordered ain"

Dorsett shrugged indifferently "Water under the bridge Let's forget it happened and talk old times over lunch" He motioned to a table, set under an arbor shielded by bulletproof glass, with a nificent view of Sydney's harbor

The co tycoon, Strouser was a strikingly attractive rooh cheekbones and finely shaped nose that would be the envy of most Hollywood movie actors, he was trim and athletically built with evenly tanned skin, several centi white teeth and a friendly reen eyes of a cat ready to spring away fro

His suit was beautifully cut of the finest wool, conservative but with a few subtle touches that made him look fashionably up-to-date The tie was expensive silk, the shoes custom-made Italian and polished just short of a mirror shine His cuff links, contrary to what people expected, were not diamonds but made from opals