Strangers

Broken deal

Joe got out of his car and was immediately approached by his general counsel.

"Good morning, Thomas" Joe said, shaking his hand.

"Good morning, Mr. Alwyn"

"How many times have I told you to call me Joe? You know I don't like officiousness"

"okay Joe " agreed the subordinate, and bowed his head in submission.

Joe, who was walking a little ahead, caught the look that appeared on Thomas's face for a few seconds anyway. He wasn't thrilled that he had to call Joe by his first name.

Thomas thought there should be a clear line between superiors and subordinates, and a respectful address emphasized that line. Joe, on the other hand, didn't like officiousness; he would call everyone "you" and let his subordinates call him by his first name.

Every time he saw this, Thomas shook his head in an unappreciative manner. And he asked himself the same question, how could a man like Joe become successful in this business? In Thomas's opinion, and not only his own, he was too soft-spoken and unfit for such a phenomenon as business, especially a business this big.

But despite the hopes of his competitors that he would soon collapse, Joe slowly but surely expanded his business without making a huge number of enemies or getting involved in scandals. It was just that little was known about him, and he did not aspire to fame.

Thomas and Joe walked into the restaurant where the signing of one of the biggest contracts of the last few years was to take place.

They slowly made their way to the VIP lounge, where the client and his lawyers were waiting for them. Joe felt something strange in the back of his head, but did not go into it.

"Oscar, Jacob, my respects" he said shaking hands with the client and his lawyer.

"Hello, Joe" said hello Oscar, who was the client, and his lawyer, Jacob, just nodded silently.

"Like real businessmen, shall we get right down to business?" Joked Joe, who was in high spirits.

"You see, you and I no longer have business in common," said Oscar calmly, then sipped his coffee

"I beg your pardon?" Misunderstood Joe and blinked "Please clarify."

"You see Mr. Alwyn, I respect you as a human being so now I'm telling you in person what I could just pass along with an assistant."

"And what is that?" Joe's voice was now wary

"We've changed our mind and won't be signing a deal with your company."
Somewhere behind Joe's back, Thomas quietly groaned, but the blond guy only frowned

"Why is that? We agreed on everything a long time ago."

"You see, we found someone whose terms suited us better and signed the contract this morning."

"What the hell," Joe shifted his gaze from Oscar to Jacob, "is this even legal? You and I have already prepared everything, today was supposed to be the final step."

"Yes, Mr. Alwyn, everything is perfectly legal. None of your lawyers or any other lawyers in the world are going to pick on us," Jacob interjected.

Joe looked up at the sugary lawyer he'd disliked since the first time he'd met him. It was clear now that his gut was right; he really was a rotten man.

"I have to admit I'm surprised. When deals of this magnitude are made, decisions don't change overnight," Joe said.

"That's right, but there are exceptions like this" replied Oscar, who didn't seem to care about the situation at all.