The Symphony

The Secret Deal

Sometimes keeping secrets,
is the only thing that prevents disaster.
Other times, it's what causes it.
_______

It's been a few weeks since Winnie and I got back together. I told my friends and they're definitely hesitant about it, but they support me all the way. I can understand why they're nervous about it but I'm not worried. I have made up my mind though, after what Wilhemina said.

I do forgive very easily and I should probably work on that but, I love her too much. However, I know I can't take having my heart broken by her again. If anything should happen that's worse than last time, I might not be able to take it. I know I appear to have things all figured out but when it comes to her, I just lose it.

I've lost myself one too many times in the past and I won't survive it again. I haven't told her this because I don't want her to worry. I'm not actively looking for problems and I'm not gonna worry about small things. I know there'll be hiccups on the way and setbacks as we try to fix our relationship.

Anyways, I'm on my way to Laveau's, a Cajun/creole type restaurant. I'm meeting with the owners of Kineros to try and strike a deal. I've finally figured out why the name sounds so familiar to me; Wilhemina works there. So I decided it'd be best to not meet in the office in case I cross paths with her.

I did tell her I own businesses but I'm not quite ready to reveal what those are. It's not that I think she'll use me for my money, I know she won't. She's just the only person outside of my friends that see me as a normal person. Once people know my 'status' they tend to change.

I don't want it to alter our relationship in anyway. Especially given the fact that I just got her back. I arrive at the restaurant and get out, straightening my suit and heading in. "Reservation under Dean" I say and the younger woman looks up at me. "Oh of course, Ms. Dean. Right this way" she replies with enthusiasm.

She leads me over to the table where the men are surprisingly already seated. I thank her and then greet them as I sit down. We engage in a bit of small talk before ordering and then we get to business. "You're quite young, Ms. Dean" Mutt says and I just nod. What a weird name.

"Will that be a problem?" I ask, taking a sip of my sweet tea. "No, not at all. We love that you're younger, your ideas will be fresher and you'll be more open. Not to mention we started on the earlier side as well, we admire like-minded individuals" Jeff chimes in. I definitely didn't think they'd be this smart in person, given our phone conversation.

"Of course. So, tell me about this proposal" I voice, ready to get to the point. I don't wanna be here any longer than necessary. "Right. So we're offering 23% of the company, you'd get residual income on the products we sell as a result of your technology, as well. In addition to that, we're offering 15 million up front to cover the time deficit it'd take to get the project up and running" Mutt explains.

I think about it for a second, our food being placed on the table. I stir the gumbo a bit and grab a spoonful, moaning softly as I taste it. I carefully play with the idea in my mind before speaking. "30%, 10% of all profits on each sale and 40 million" I reply plainly. They look at each other and their eyes widen slightly causing me to smirk.

"27% of the company, 6% of the profits and 25 million. I'll write a check right now" Jeff offers, "it's my offer or nothing" I counter. They look at each other again and I can see how hard they're thinking about it. See I did a bit of research on Kineros beforehand. I know just how quick they jumped off the ground.

I've tracked their stock history and seen how they frivolously spend money. This is a risky deal for me to be making and if it goes bad I need to make sure I have a plan B. Asking for all this up front will ensure that my company doesn't experience severe damage due to their carelessness. I definitely asked for more than I needed because I know they'll give it to me.

A little extra never hurt anyone and maybe I'm taking advantage of them. However, given the press surrounding them, this deal needs to be perfect. It has to make sense to my stockholders or else they'll pull out. "Fine" Mutt sighs, "great. I'll be waiting on that check, after that I'll send the basic layouts of the tech" I voice.

I motion for the waitress to come over and I ask for the check. "Once you work them into your prototype I'll stop by and check it out. If I approve, then I'll give you clearance for the full blueprints. If you need it, I can send over a few engineers to show you the best ways to work it into your existing products. I'll also need full access to your sales reports and finance team to insure the best use of my money" I list.

"Our accountants are competent, they can handle it" Jeff says with a cocky attitude. "It's not them I'm worried about" I argue, looking directly into his eyes. He slumps back a bit and sighs nodding his head. "This is already a risky deal I'm taking to help you out. I can assure you if you spend my money in any way other than what we've discussed—it'll be your ass, not mine" I state.

"Ok" Mutt replies softly, "lovely. I'll have the contract written up by my lawyer and I'll send it over to yours, sound good?" I ask rhetorically, they both nod in agreement and I smile. I place two $100 bills on the table to cover all of us plus a tip. "Nice doing business with you" I say standing up, reaching out my hand to shake both of theirs.

Afterwards I walk out and back to my car, getting in and doing a little dance. I typically stress over things like this so—when it goes as well as it did today—I get excited. I call my lawyer and let him know what we talked about today. Asking her to write up a draft and send it to me so I can preview it.

I text the CEO and let her know that in the coming days we might have to send a few employees here. She replies saying she'll make arrangements for it and I thank her. Once that's all settled I head home to wait for Wilhemina to get off work. I'm a little sad I can't tell her so, I text all my friends and let them know about it.

They all congratulate me, they know how much I hate business meetings. They promise to celebrate with me in the near future. Once I get home I send a text to my parents just letting them know I did it. My mom sends a thumbs up from her and my dad. I roll my eyes and turn on the tv to Grey's anatomy so I can pass the time.