Page 49 of Savage Ruin
I stand and look at Blake, whose head has been swiveling back and forth. “The first company to accept the deal will be the one in business with SEI. I know I’ll get the best deal for my company, because it’s the only one I’m willing to make. Run the numbers, talk to your lawyers.”
Henley shakes Blake’s hand. “I’ve sent the demo to your email. Sorry, we don’t have time to stay and chat. Maybe if we do business together.”
I grip her elbow and escort her out the door.
The security team falls in behind us when we get to the lobby. We load into the two waiting SUVs.
“Four Seasons hotel,” I tell the driver. “Brilliant. He…”
“Stop,” she commands the driver before turning back to me. “Is there a place around here where we can grab a late lunch? I really did make us an appointment with Epic Entertainment for four p.m.” she says, chewing her bottom lip.
I tap her lip with my thumb until she releases it. “Thomas, please find a suitable restaurant nearby. Tell me about this meeting you’ve set up,” I order her.
“Well, when I saw the rumor last night, I dropped an email to Epic. They replied right before we went into the meeting with Blake. They want to meet today,” she explains. “Would you be interested in meeting with them? If not, I’ll cancel.”
“SEI and Epic are both powerhouses. We’ll be two wolves in a cage, but if we don’t kill each other, it could be a cornerstone deal. I’ll pull their quarterly reports while we eat and email Grayson to see what he thinks. But the idea fires me up,” I remark with satisfaction. “And honestly, I’m not sure I like Blake or VRDeck. They’ve got a big cash flow issue which concerns me.” She laughs. “What?”
“I’m one hundred percent sure you didn’t like him. To be honest, I didn’t either. It doesn’t seem like he did his due diligence on the other company,” she says with a shrug. “I wonder what LCW stands for. Our enemy’s initials maybe? When I created CJ Tech, I named it after my mother and father—Catherine and James. Marcos named his company after his wife, Juliana—and his sister—your mother, Francisca. If they did the same…”
“We may be dealing with three enemies. I wonder if the C stands for Carlton?” I ponder the idea of investigating it, but a letter isn’t much to go on. It won’t hurt to have Sterling run a check, but I doubt they’re legit.
We arrive at the restaurant. Thomas splits the team. Two secure the vehicle while Thomas and another enter with us. We request two tables.
Henley peruses the menu quickly. “I’ll have a cobb salad.”
“Hamburger, medium rare, and a salad with olive oil and balsamic,” I add, then point to the table where the security team sits. “Also, combine their order with ours.” I pull out my phone and send a text to Thomas telling him to order the team whatever they need. We’ll be here for a couple of hours.
Getting out my laptop, I pull up the Epic’s reports and quickly scan them. The phone rings. “Go.”
Grayson gives me his analysis of Epic’s financials. “To summarize, they’re solid. The only advantage we have is the tech. Go for it.”
“Thanks, we’ll let you know how it goes,” I reply and hang up.
Henley arches a brow.
“We’re going for it. I’m going to offer the same deal we gave to VRDeck. If we complicate it, Epic will walk away. The hardest part will be settling on a profit percentage,” I speculate.
The food arrives, and I pick up the burger and take a huge bite. “Is the rumor the only reason you set up the additional meeting?”
“Probably should have done it in the first place. More leverage if there’s more competition, and you should always have back-ups, right?”
I grunt. “One of Marcos’ rules. I don’t always follow them. Maybe because I like more risk in my life, but I understand why he tried to avoid it. He had to protect five people. Having a back-up plan probably saved us more times than I want to know,” I reflect.
“It’s been a lifesaver for me. I still believe in having options, but maybe I don’t need a back-up plan for everything,” she says, to my surprise. “In fact, for the first time in years, I don’t have an escape plan. Some days it makes me panic, but I’m not going anywhere until this is finished. The next time I leave, I want it to be out in the open.”
I put my fork down, disturbed to hear she might leave us. “What do you mean? Are you planning on leaving Miami?”
“I can work from anywhere,” she reminds me.
“What about Mateo?”
“He doesn’t want to talk about it until all this is over,” she says with a sigh.
Smart man—buying more time—but I hate the thought of her not being nearby. For the first time in ages, I’ve been coming home at the end of the workday instead of staying until seven or eight at night. “I see. Probably good to wait.”
She takes a bite. “Maybe. I have one piece of good news—the app received approval from the app store. I pushed it live in an obscure country to limit its exposure for right now, but we’re in business,” she reveals with a grin. “The product is ready for distribution. How about the bid?”
“It’s been started but hidden until we get through these meetings. I’ve been thinking about the glasses, and if everything goes to plan, I think we should donate a pair of glasses to any surgeon who requests a pair instead of pairing it with a future software update. The goodwill will stir up publicity, SEI will offset the revenue with a write-off, and it may help generate faster adoption in the hospitals,” I tell her. It’s a win-win for the project and for us.
