Chapter 58 Playing Hardball
That same afternoon, Henry was at the cafe near school grounds, where he met up with the representative from Reinhart Group at the agreed time.
The representative was a middle-aged man with rather refined features and he was dressed in a suit and leather shoes while looking proper.
After the both of them took their seats in the cafe, the man introduced himself affably, “I’m Silas Reinhart, the chairman of Reinhart Group. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
Upon hearing this, Henry immediately straightened in his seat and said courteously, “Oh, it’s nice to meet you, too, Mr. Reinhart. I’m Henry.”
Silas flashed him a casual smile, and he seemed rather enthusiastic as he chuckled heartily. “How refreshing! You certainly know your manners, young man.” Then, he cut to the chase by asking, “So, Henry, what does your buddy think about the deal we’re offering for your project?”
“Well…” Henry trailed off, unsure how he was supposed to relay what Timothy had told him.
Sensing the boy’s hesitation, Silas grew serious and prompted jovially, “Actually, Henry, I came to meet you today with the utmost sincerity. If you’re willing to sell the software rights to our company, then we’re more than ready to up the initial offer of two million to five million.”
Henry worked hard to hide his astonishment at this. Is Timothy psychic or something? I can’t believe this man is actually offering us five million for the software! If he’s willing to up the price by three million in the spur of the moment, then surely five million won’t be the upper limit!
Being an intellectual, and a street-smart one to boot, Henry pursed his lips and pretended to look torn as he said slowly, “I don’t know, Mr. Reinhart… Five million isn’t exactly what I had in mind.”
At that moment, Silas’ smile slipped a little, but he maintained a friendly front as he chuckled. “Henry, I get what you mean, but we can’t go any higher than five million.” He paused and stared at the younger boy assessingly. “I’ll admit that your software is a rather brilliant one, and with its bright prospects in the market, it’s definitely worth more than the two million we initially offered. That’s the reason why our company has decided to re-evaluate the offer and came up with the adjusted sum of five million instead. I don’t think any other company would make an offer like this.”
Henry knew that the man was beating around the bush, so he countered with a smile, “Mr. Reinhart, we aren’t new to this whole thing, and I’m sure that everyone involved has a clear idea of how much our project is worth. Actually, I came here today to tell you that my buddy refuses to sell the software unless you’re offering twenty million. That said, we are incredibly flattered that your company has such high regards for our project, but five million…”
Twenty million? Silas’ expression turned grim at this. He couldn’t believe the audacity of these kids.
He was acutely aware that the software was definitely worth twenty million on the market, but to be outsmarted and have his bluff called by two college kids wounded his pride. They’re just kids who are still wet behind the ears! They should thank us profusely and feel so honored that Reinhart Group even noticed their software project at all!
More to the point, he thought he had been the bigger person when he offered to up the price by three million. And yet, these punks are turning a blind eye to my good favor!
As displeased as he was, Silas willed himself to calm down, for he knew that the Reinhart Group was in a precarious position right now. Procuring the project would be the pivot point for the whole company to get back on track, so he couldn’t very well throw a tantrum in front of Henry right now.
Swallowing his rage, Silas forced out a friendly grin as he cajoled, “Look, buddy, I’ve been through the same thing, so I know how you young ones think. Of course it’s wonderful for young people like you to be ambitious, but you need to have an eye for these things and know when to take the offer instead of blindly spewing your demands.
“Whether or not this software of yours is worth twenty million, the both of you must first understand that we’re the only company on the market right now that wants to buy your software; the fact that we’re willing to pay a hefty sum for it is more than enough proof of our genuinity. If you refuse to sell it, who’s to say that you will get a better offer? At the end of the day, the software could very well end up losing every bit of its worth, and you won’t be able to sell it off at all.
“Besides, there are plenty of talented people coming up with various high-tech stuff, and we see technology replaced by even more innovative ones overnight. Do you really think your software is the best one out there? Hah! Don’t be naive, boy. It could be superseded by an even better one in the next two days. By that point, I won’t even consider buying yours for cheap even if you beg me! Do you understand?”
Henry froze when he heard this, taken aback by the threatening and haughty edge to Silas’ tone.
