Can We Negotiated?

Part 1

JENNIE

"Jennie Kim,I wish you'd just give me what I asked for," Lisa said in a sharp voice once I answered my phone.

I hit Speaker and dropped it onto my desk, my hands returning to my computer to finish the email I'd been typing. "You asked for our most up-to-date numbers."

"I did."

I smiled because it gave me so much satisfaction to say, "And that's what I sent you."

Lisa Manoban was an attorney hired by Entertainment Management Worldwide, the management company that The Agency the business I owned with my three best friends was partnering with. Once the merger was complete, the actors, athletes, and musicians who were signed with us would then have access to managers in addition to the representation and PR services we currently offered.

That was, if the deal ever went through.

My partners Song Mino, Jin, and Park Jimin and I weren't budging on the terms of the contract. And to show why we didn't have to, this morning, I'd sent Lisa a breakdown of the revenue we'd earned for the previous two months the amount of time that had passed since she last saw our books. It included Mino's newest client, an actor earning forty-five million a movie, Jin's recently acquired quarterback who was worth one hundred ten million, and the two pop stars Jimin had signed to labels, worth fifty million each.

"What you gave me was a forecast. There's no way your revenue jumped ten percent in two months."

Conversations like the one we were having used to only take place between Lisa and our attorney. My attorney would then forward me Lisa's questions, write something irrelevant, and bill us an astronomical amount for the two minutes it had taken him to be the middleman.

I'd put a stop to it.

If Lisa wanted something, she would come directly to me.

And, lately, that had been happening all the time.

"Ms. Manoban, I'm not a weatherman. I'm an accountant. The last set of figures you received is real they're not a projection. But what they do is prove that I have no reason to negotiate any of the terms we're requesting."

"Everything is negotiable."

"We both know that isn't true." I crossed my arms over the edge of the desk and then rubbed at the corners of my eyes. "If you'll excuse me, I have to get back to work."

"Jennie, there are two items still on the table. The percent of equity my clients want and the buyout terms. We've gone over both, and I highly suggest you take the numbers we've offered. They're more than fair."

This fucking women.

Since the moment she had first called me, there wasn't a single item Lisa and I hadn't argued about. And, before we'd even spoken, our attorney had tried battling it out with her.

I understood the term hard-ass.

I was one.

So were my three partners.

We had high expectations that we wanted to be met.

But this women wasn't just a hard-ass. She was quickly becoming the biggest pain in my ass.

"Let me explain this in words you'll understand, Ms. Manoban. What we provided was our final offer. If your clients would like to concede, we're ready to sign. If not, we're prepared to walk. Remember, we didn't approach them. They approached us."

A few seconds passed before she said, "We need to talk in person. I'm scheduling a meeting for Thursday."

I glanced toward my computer, clicking on my calendar.