I Hate That I Loved You!

60- Negotiation

At an office building in The Springrock city:

A petite woman stepped out of her car that was parked at the reserved parking lot basement and entered the private elevator of the office building.

She wore a grey ruched pencil skirt by Louis Vuitton with bow detail at the back, ruching, and zip detail at the front paired with white silk formal top. 

Her hair tied in a messy high bun. Elevator reached the top floor and she was walking confidently while her Louis Vuitton red bottom heels were making clicking noise throughout the way.

She reached the front of the Co-CEO and COO's office and knocked on the door.

"Please come in." a middle-aged voice came from the other end.

Inside the middle-aged man stood up from his seat and came forward. He greeted her with a smile "Good morning Rizelle!"

"Good morning Elder Song!" Rizi gave a quick hug to Elder Song.

"You don't have to knock. Even though you don't visit office, you remember you are still the CEO of the company right?�� Elder Song pulled a chair for her and gestured her to a seat.

Then he went across the desk and occupied his seat opposite to her.

"C'mon. You are the co-CEO and COO handling everything. I am just an anonymous CEO!" Rizi replied. Gratefulness and sincerity in her voice was palpable.

Elder Song shook his head. This girl!

She established this company in such a short time. LRD Security Solutions was rising in the market because of the security software that she developed.

She was the mastermind behind the software.

Now their new upgraded enhanced security software will be launched in a week.

Her brains and skills are the primary reason that the company was rising, and their profits margins were increasing year by year.

"Well, you are stubborn, and I cannot win against you in words!" Elder Song sighed like a tired father who will happily give up argument for his daughter.

Rizi chuckled at his reaction. "So, what did his assistant say?"

"Well, they want to have a meeting as soon as possible. I have a video conference with them this afternoon. That's why I have to call you up here to discuss about the contract and our proposal. Another thing, You want to attend that meeting? I mean not video conference. But via audio only or you can use your voice changer software?"

"Hmm. No. You can take care of it. Just ensure we charge them appropriately for our new premium software. About the partnership, I have proposed a 65-35 ratio for profit distribution." She smirked meaningfully.

"What? They will not agree for more than 20 percent."

Rizi took out her iPad and forwarded him the proposal file that she had prepared with terms and conditions.

Elder Song read the details of the proposals.

"This is indeed a good proposal. It took care requirements of both of the companies. I am sure Bennetti Group will also be satisfied with these terms and conditions."

"Yes. I don't want them to doubt our intent. Besides, Bennetti Group is the top established company for many decades. Signing up with them is beneficial for our Company. We need this partnership as much as they desperately need our security software and services. We are still new just 2 years old. There is no harm in leeching bit fame and money from them." She gave an evil grin.

"Reminds me of the famous Sun Tzu quote- The supreme art of war is to subdue the enemy without fighting." Elder Song spoke in a calm voice. He was indeed impressed by the way Rizi works. She was indeed a great strategist, smart, and talented at such a young age.

Rizi nodded in acknowledgment. "well, but I won't mind being a mute spectator."

"Very well then." Elder Song responded.

At afternoon, Elder Song connected in a video conference with the Assistant Han, Zain Bennetti, and Francesco Russo.

"Hello, Mr. Kevin Song. Thank you for your time today. I have our CEO Mr. Bennetti as well on the call." Assistant Han gave a quick introduction on Bennetti Groups. On the other side, Zain was sitting behind the desk clad in a formal suit and tie.

He glanced at his laptop screen and greeted in a calm deep voice. "Ciao Mr. Song! We meet again."

Elder Song adjusted his posture and responded with an equal tone. "Hello, Mr. Bennetti! Hope you are doing good! I have forwarded you our proposal just a while back. We can discuss it."

Rizi was seated opposite to the Elder Song and listening to the conversation.

Zain nodded and open the document sent by Elder Song.

He read through the content and an impressed smirk formed on his face.

"Well, I am impressed with the proposal. It was drafted considering mutual benefit of both of the companies. However, I will not agree with the 65-35 ratio for profit distribution. For partnership, I will be investing quite amount of funds. Besides, LRD Security Solutions is just two years old. I don't doubt your company's capability but think from our point of view. You will be gaining more from this partnership. Bennetti Groups will be a huge stepping stone in increasing your company's revenue, stock price, and reputation."

Elder Song expected this. "Well, what do you propose Mr.Bennetti?"

"70-30" Zain spoke calmly. "You can discuss it with your co-CEO." Zain knew the other co-CEO was anonymous. No one knew the name or gender yet. He didn't want to bother more into it because Elder Song was not only the COO but also co-CEO, and at his equal position to discuss about the contract.  If he would have been at any other position, then Zain would have request for their CEO to be present in the contract negotiation. That's a normal business decorum.

Elder Song looked towards Rizi. She was tapping on the desk.

Zain observed Elder Song looking at someone across the desk. He guessed it must be the anonymous CEO.

After a while, Rizi nodded in agreement. 70-30 was still ok. She was surprised that he didn't started with 80-20 which was the normal quote in the industry. He dint leave any room for further negotiations. Both parties were satisfied.

"Ok. We agree. Anything else?"

"No. Rest all conditions are fine by me. We can sign the contract soon. My assistant will reach out to you." Zain adjusted his cufflink and answered.

"Thank you, Mr. Bennetti."

"Thank you, Mr. Song. Looking forward to working with you!"

The conference call ended.

Francesco raised his eyebrow at Zain who was flipping pages in the file.

"Ahem." He cleared his throat to catch Zain's attention.

"What was that?" He asked cockily. "Why 70-30? You know 80-20 is the industry standard."

"Read the proposal. I am forwarding you. You will know then. Also, media has released news articles about LRD winning the Hackathon and them signing up with National Security Agency. This new software will be a big hit. It's a mutual benefit. Besides, profit margins will be huge. So, 70-30 is justifiable."

Francesco read the email and was impressed. He nodded in agreement.

On the other end, in LRD Security Solutions:

"Well, that ended well. Congratulations!" Elder Song closed his laptop.