This story is completely fictitious as are all the characters and companies in it.
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So, just before Friday 4 PM and Angela, Frank and I were ushered into a conference room at Matsuda Enterprises.
Frank had tried to convince Angela that he and I could handle it on our own, but Angela, with good reason did not trust us.
At the stroke of the hour, Matsuda and his management team, comprising of four other males entered the room.
"So, Melanie, you wish to renegotiate the contract?" asked Matsuda.
"Yes, Sir! I do," I answered with trepidation.
"Well, all such presentations are done in the nude. So please proceed," said Matsuda simply.
I looked at Matsuda pleadingly, silently saying, "I thought we had a deal!"
Matsuda shook his head and smiled as if to say," I have you where I want you and I am not letting you off."
I was dressed in an elegant dark blue suit and wanting the ordeal to be over with quick, stood up and stripped in front of five gawking Japanese men.
"Clasp your hands behind your head and ask for permission to renegotiate," commanded Matsuda.
"If it may please my Japanese masters, I would like to renegotiate our contract," I said in my submissive best and Matsuda chuckled.
I proceeded to explain my plan of launching on my own and having the contract split between TrueTech and my fledgling company and Angela looked like she had swallowed a bee.
"This is an outrage! This is not what we agree upon," she protested loudly.
Matsuda, to my relief, silenced her and said he would like to hear my proposal through.
I explained my plan. Cloud Computing is now ubiquitous but was new seven years ago.
"I have the technical expertise to make it work. Matsuda Enterprises will be seen as a leader in the industry by moving IT to the cloud. By adopting cutting edge technologies, you will help you attract the brightest talent. So, you have tangible as well as intangible benefits all around," I concluded.
I looked at their VP of Engineering, Nakamura who nodded in agreement. The last time, I had made a compelling technical presentation with a whiteboard session with his engineering team and here I was now naked and in a submissive pose before him. Not that he minded, of course.
Matsuda looked at Frank and he jumped in with, "As I discussed with your CFO, if you pay Melanie's Company InnovativeTech 15 Million a year for the next five years and subtract that from TrueTech's contract amount, It won't cost Matsuda Enterprises anything. TrueTech also saves because their proposal was to absorb 35 Million a year in lost profits by having you pay 10 Million more. So they still come out 20 Million ahead. This is a win-win-win solution and all parties come out ahead."
I was stunned. I had no idea Frank had gone and negotiated all this without even letting me know. I was immensely grateful but still outraged that he had not consulted me. I looked at him and he looked at me penetratingly. It was then that I caught on. He was testing me to see how much autonomy he would have, if he came in with me. I had promised him that and even told him I did not want to bothered with financial complexities and wanted to be left free to focus on technical aspects.
I smiled, nodded and acknowledged his help and he smiled and nodded too. We had cemented our partnership. Now the question was whether Matsuda would come through or stick to stodgy Japanese practices.
In the meanwhile, Angela was outraged and accused me of treason and Frank of betrayal.
To rub it in, Matsuda enquired, "I believe Frank will be joining Melanie to form InnovativeTech?"
Frank and I nodded and Angela again looked like she had swallowed a bee and spluttered and protested, "This is preposterous! You are a traitor!"
She looked at Matsuda and said, "You are a respectable company and what Melanie and Frank have done here is deceitful to say the least. Surely, this behavior is not consistent with your values?"
Matsuda smiled and said, "Good point. They need to be punished for their outrageous conduct. Melanie, get dressed. The whole company could benefit from a discussion of company values and our decision-making process," said Matsuda pompously.
My heart sank and I looked crestfallen.
"So he may back out after all. All my humiliation will have been for nothing," I pondered regretfully as I got dressed.
Frank too looked worried.
"What bloody values?" I wondered as I put suit jacket.
"You think nothing of stripping damsels in distress in public and go on about values? Bloody hypocrite!" I fumed as I followed him to the company auditorium.
We entered on the stage to find the auditorium full of his employees. Most of them were predictably male but there were a handful of females too.
Matsuda and his team sat on chairs and the three of us were asked to stand in front of them facing the audience. There were TV monitors all over the room providing views of the stage from different angles.
Matsuda briefly explained the circumstances of the project and rebuked me sternly for my disloyalty to my company.
"Loyalty is very important to us and Melanie here has been disgraceful. It is only fitting that she be disgraced publicly," the pompous ass continued.
He still had not given a clue as to whether he would come through and support my proposal.
"Why should I put myself through more degradation, if he won't support my plan?" I wondered, waiting for the inevitable command.