“Welcome to our esteemed Russo enterprise” Damien’s excited voice resonated through the whole room, his gaze fluttering around the room, looking at the new faces in his office. “I must say, I’m surprised you all came in response to my invitation.. thank you”
He paused and counted their numbers swiftly before saying,” Is this everyone?” He arched his eyebrow.
“No, it isn’t. But that isn’t the reason why we are here” one of the men snapped in reply. “Don’t waste our time”
“He’s right. You should go straight to the point, our shares will soon become a thing of no value if we don’t invest it into another company” another chipped in, his tone high pitched.
“It’s alright, it’s fine,” Damien said, his tone calm and collected, though his inner self was engulfed in rage at the temerity of the men who were rudely talking to him. If not because he needed their help, he wouldn’t have had to stoop so low to work with them, so greedy and selfish.
“Rachael” he called out to the lady standing beside him and ordered saying, “You can distribute the drafted agreement to everyone now. Let the meeting commence”
“Alright, Mr. Russo. I’m on it”Rachael replied, adjusting her suit jacket to position the mini camera attached to it. She walked around the table, handing the agreement over to them while making sure to capture each of their faces with the camera.
“On the third page of the document, at the last line, the clause stated there is the crucial point of the meeting. If you agree to it, then we’re good to go” Damien uttered with an evil smirk on his lips, his voice laced with a hint of mockery as his gaze lingered on them with interest.
“You’re free to state your dissatisfaction, I’m all ears” he added, obviously enjoying the dumbfounded expression on their faces. He felt the urge to applaud himself for his cunningness and sky nature.
After the long silence, one of them finally spoke, sweat beads trickling down his forehead. “This isn’t what we talked about. This isn’t what we agreed on”
“I don’t seem to understand what you’re saying.. please, elaborate on it”Damien indulged him, the grin of his face widening. “Because I don’t think I mentioned any form of agreement to you in my invitation. I only said I had an offer for you, that is, if you were no longer interested in working with Liam Callahan”
“But… But… the.. this is outrageous, we can’t sign half of our shares to you, the remaining half will amount to nothing… Mr. Callahan already had us sign three percent to him. We don’t have much left” another man uttered, his voice shakened from the shock.
“That’s what I can offer to you if you want to work with my company. You could use the door if you’re not interested”Damien waved his hand dismissively, his tone nonchalant and scornful.
“I can’t believe we came here for this.. this is insane” another exclaimed with gritted teeth.
“If we sign this, we’re signing away everything we have” another added, his voice laced with a hint of pain as he gripped the paper in his hands tightly.
That was what Damien wanted in the first place. He wanted Liam to lose a stronghold and also gain more wealth and power for his company, the reason for the agreement he had Rachael draft for him.
“As I said, if you’re not satisfied, you’re free to leave” Damien emphasized on it. “But know this, no company would want you to invest in their company when they figure out where you’re coming from.. so, this is an opportunity you wouldn’t want to miss for anything”
All the investors in the room clenched their teeth, obviously frustrated by the glaring truth in Damien’s words. If they had known this was what was waiting for them, they wouldn’t have dared to leave Mr. Callahan’s company. They had made a huge mistake which had cost them everything. Accepting Damien’s offer was the only option that had left, at least they could have something to lean on.
“Bang” one of the investors landed his fist on the table with force, letting out his frustration. They couldn’t back out of it, it was too late.
“You said there would be other benefits, right?” The man who had hit the table asked, his questioning gaze on Damien who nodded in affirmation.
“Yes, that is, if you spend the next five years working for me” Damien stated another groundbreaking fact, unmoved by the glares thrown at him.
“Damn it” someone cursed in anger. “It’s not like we have a choice. We’ve stepped into this, we can’t back out now”
“He’s right. We have to sign it if we want to secure our future” another voice chipped in, in agreement.
With great hesitation, their hands balled into fists and their jaws tightened in anger, they reluctantly picked up their pen and slowly placed their signature on the agreement with their names written on it.
Damien smiled in satisfaction at his new victory and stood up saying, “Thank you all for your cooperation. I look forward to a long-term partnership with you. Please, feel free to use the name of our company since you now work with us”
Some of the men snarled in disgust while the others glared at him and walked out of the room without saying a word. The agreement they signed was more of a long-term bondage. Anxiety gripped their heart as they thought of what the future held for them.
“Hahaha” a roaring laughter echoed through the empty room with only two people in it. “What do you think, Rachael?… I outdid it this time, didn’t I?”
“Yes, you did sir. Your performance was off the charts” Rachael indulged him with a perfunctory smile plastered on her face. Though she felt disgusted by his cunningness, she didn’t feel an ounce of pity for those selfish investors. They truly deserved it.
“I need to share this good news with Gina, she would be really happy” Damien uttered in a daze, his tone laced with happiness as he hurriedly stood up to go carry out what he had said. “File those agreements and send them to my office”
“I will, sir” Rachael replied, her expression solemn as she picked up the agreement while thinking of a way to see Liam Callahan.