Chapter 47: Negotiations

Chapter 47: Negotiations Ewan ordered food as he waited for Ethan to arrive at the restaurant he had picked for the meeting. While he ate in his private space usually reserved for meetings, he ruminated on the conversation he had with Athena in her office, especially about the identity of his savior. Could she really be serious with her diagnosis? Was it possible that Fiona hadn’t been his savior from years ago? Then how could the presence of the bracelet be explained? The bracelet he had seen in his dreams was the exact one Fiona had worn when she waited on him. Or was it only a mean coincidence? Did Fiona just happen to be wearing the right thing at the right time? Thinking of these theories brought a headache to Ewan, so much so that he left the theories alone, choosing to deliberate on them later. He had an important meeting with Ethan, and didn’t want his mind to be messed up during it. So, he resolved to make do with the facts he had straight: Athena believed that the recurring dream was a memory, she had agreed to be his doctor, and they were civil to each other again—hence his company was in pristine condition. Ewan downed a glass of water after he was done eating, and cleaned his mouth with a napkin, before beckoning the waiter to clear the table in preparation for his meeting with Ethan. His favorite shareholder would soon arrive. Ten minutes later, Ethan strolled confidently into the private space Ewan had reserved for the meeting. Ethan was a young handsome man in his mid-twenties, with thick blond hair and striking brown eyes. Standing at six feet and five inches, he was easily a sight for sore eyes. Ewan was surprised. Having not seen Ethan before, he had been expecting the latter to be middle aged, considering the expertise of the company and the awesome growth it had experienced in just one year. "Good morning, Mr. Ewan..." Ethan greeted first, when he stopped by the table. Ewan stood up, shook Ethan’s outstretched hand, and returned the greeting. "Good afternoon, Mr. Ethan. How do you do?" Ethan shrugged his shoulders and took his seat. "I’m fine. How’s your health? You actually took me by surprise when you agreed to meet me in a restaurant. Shouldn’t you be in the hospital?" Ewan, good with reading business fellows, noted the keenness in Ethan’s gaze and readily concurred with Sandro that their favorite shareholder was an astute businessman, like him. "My doctor cleared me earlier, and said I was good to go. Thanks for asking. Do you want to order something?" Ethan paused. "Just water will be okay. I’m not hungry." Ewan nodded and beckoned to a waiter. "So, before we discuss the reason for this meeting, I want to appreciate you for being available and helpful when my company was in crisis..." Ethan smiled. "That’s not necessary. I’m a shareholder; I had to help. My money was on the line too; I had to be open to resolving the situation, so that my investments won’t waste, not minding the incriminating text." Ewan laughed. "Spoken like a true businessman. Thanks all the same. As you can see, our company is back to normal..." Ethan nodded, and collected the glass of water from the waiter. "That is right. Personally, I was surprised on how the issue had been resolved quickly and fastidiously. Some other companies would have been as good as closed. They would have sold out. Your company’s recovery rate goes a long way to show you have a good grip on things." Ewan accepted the praise humbly with a nod, before throwing the well packaged praise to Athena, mentally. If she hadn’t done what she did, to salvage the situation, he wouldn’t have been laughing with Ethan now. He would have been in a miserable state. He let his mind ruminate on what to get as a gift for her and her children. "So, about the offer I made concerning your company, what do you think about it?" He asked Ethan, after a few beats. Ethan hesitated, however, making Ewan curious. What now? "Well, that’s why I asked for this meeting. The company’s shares which are up for sale are not much. A lot of people are interested too, including Zack Moore... although considering the state of his company now, I doubt he would be interested in the shares." Hearing about Zack’s predicament brought Ewan no small happiness. Over the years, he had maintained a cold civility with the man as their towns shared boundaries, and had avoided whatever that would bring up any matter between them. So, hearing the wicked man was struggling was good. Never mind that Athena was behind it. Yet seeing as Ethan was going around in circles instead of answering his question, he knew he might not like the young man’s final answer. "I can have Zack’s portion, if he is not interested. How much is up for sale?" Ethan brought out a file from his work bag. "Just two percent." Ewan laughed, only stopping when he saw that Ethan was still maintaining his earnest business expression. "You are serious? But how can that be? How much are you willing to offer me then?" "One percent." Ewan shook his head in unbelief. "As much as your company has great potential, it needs money to grow. How can that happen when only that amount of shares are up for sale?" Ethan smiled thinly. "Money is not an issue for me, Ewan. After all, there are organizations channeling money into my start up. I just want to have partners for growth’s sake, to fulfill all righteousness. That’s all there is to it." Ewan inhaled deeply. One percent? That’s too small! "There’s no way I can get more? Let’s say ten percent?" Ethan shook his head. "If you need some time to think about it, we can leave it for next week." But Ewan didn’t need any time, he only needed more shares in the company. "For Zack, how much was to be allocated to him, before his company’s problems?" "0.1 percent." Ewan’s eyes widened in astonishment. "Wow, you really do mean business. Let me see the documents then."