Chapter 47: Troublesome Visitor
Michael drove to college to attend his classes. This week was the Final exam week so he could not skip any classes. Naturally, He did not have to prepare much for the exams because he had already memorized the textbooks.
The scene at college was amusing to Michael. Students were walking around like zombies. They had dark circles under their eyes from lack of sleep. Everyone was trying to stay awake with coffee and energy drinks. The students that finished their exams had passed out on chairs in public.
Michael was enjoying the spectacle while casually taking his exams. The week flew by quickly and Michael had passed all his exams with flying colors. The professors were astonished because they did not think a lazy student like Michael could perform so well. He barely attended the classes and never asked questions or participated in class activities. How could he get perfect scores?
Michael met up with Jennifer on campus.
"Congratulation on your graduation!" Michael greeted Jennifer. She had finished her MBA and graduated with Top Rank.
" Thanks, I am excited to graduate. I can finally pay more attention to the company." Jennifer replied. She had been going to evening classes while working in the morning recently. She was completely worn-out and was looking forward to getting some rest. Furthermore, she could now spend more time managing the company.
" Great, Eminence Gaming has started to develop into a proper company. I will let you start taking control." Michael replied. Now that Jennifer can start working full time it will free up his schedule quite a bit. He still planned to solve the major problems the company will face; however, at least there was someone to take care of the business.
" About that, Michael you never really explained properly where the games come from. When will the company release more games?" Jennifer asked. She only knew what everyone else knew; the game was developed by an overseas team. She needed to know more information for the sake of managing the company.
" Do not worry Jennifer. I will make sure that the development team works hard and develops new games. For now, I intend to be the only contact with them. If you want to request something from them, then just tell me." Michael did not intend to tell Jennifer the truth. It was not that he did not trust her; just that he felt it was not necessary to take the risk.
Jennifer sighed but did not pressure Michael; after all, she knew her place. She agreed to meet at the office to talk more and went to join the graduation party.
Michael drove to his office, the week of exams was finally over and he had one month break from college. He kept brainstorming for more game ideas on the way.
Redwood City, ER Games
A man was sitting at his desk while complaining about his work. Because of his boss's request, Lewis Rhodes had been trying to negotiate with Eminence gaming for the past week. However, they kept going in circles and refused to accept an offer. He was running out of patience. At first, he thought they were just trying to get a higher offer; however, now he suspects that they did not want to sell in the first place.
Lewis called and chartered the company jet for a flight to Austin. He decided to go see them in person and resolve this issue; after all, he knew that Wilfred was also running out of patience. His boss was the last person who he wished to annoy.
Three hours later, Lewis stepped out of the airport and was already on his way towards Eminence gaming headquarters. On the way to the office, Lewis was thinking about the game's progress so far. He remembered the PR Incident that happened last weekend. Frankly, Lewis was astonished by the ingenious method Eminence gaming used to stop farmers. ER was trying to implement something similar in all their games.
Eminence gaming had already revolutionized the industry. However, he ridiculed the way Eminence handled the player backlash. Honestly, he thought that they were too soft when they issued full refunds.
ER games had gone through much bigger player retaliation and still did not give full refunds. A refund might seem like an even trade but the company incurred the operating costs that they needed to pay out of pocket for. As far as Lewis was concerned, Eminence gaming was still too immature and could not think of long-term consequences of their actions.
Lewis was woken from his thoughts when the driver announced the arrival. He looked up and examined the compound. The security was excellent, and the whole building looked brand new. Clearly, the company was well funded.
" My name is Lewis Rhodes. I am the Vice-President of ER Games. I am here to see Jennifer." Lewis talked to the security guards. They spoke into their radios and after a couple of minutes let him in.
A receptionist met him at the front door and let him to a conference room. In the room, he saw Jennifer Parker and another young man. He had been in contact with Jennifer over the past week so he recognized her, but he could not identify the other man. Then Lewis remembered the details of Eminence gaming and deduced that his young man was the owner of the parent company.
" Nice to finally meet you, Mr. Lewis. I am pleasantly surprised by your visit. How can I help you?" Jennifer asked. She and Michael were in a meeting when the security guards let them know that a Lewis Rhodes was here to see her.
Lewis was the person that represented ER games and made the biggest offer for Capos. Jennifer had been trying to delay him for as long as she can but it looks like she ran out of time.
" I won't beat around the bush. I am here for Capos. We have been negotiating the deal for a week. Now I know that ER games made the highest offer out of all the buyers, so I would like for you to give us an answer." Lewis replied. He was tired of playing games with Jennifer.
Jennifer looked at Michael; He nodded at her, telling her to speak the truth.
" Well Mr. Lewis, we have considered your offer and we are very grateful for it. However, at this moment we are not interested in selling our game." She replied.
Lewis's face turned ugly. This was not the answer he wanted to hear. He turned to the young man.
" Are you sure you want to make this decision Michael? You might not be able to bear the consequences."
Michael was not surprised when Lewis recognized him. He figured a large mega-corporation like them could find out who he was in minutes.
" I am positive that I will not regret this decision." Michael replied.
Lewis snorted and immediately walked out of the company. As soon as he got in the car. He immediately called Wilfred.
Wilfred had been waiting for Lewis's call because he already knew that Lewis had gone to Austin to close the deal. " Lewis I am presuming you have good news."
" Boss, They turned us down. They said they do not want to sell. They were just playing with us for a week."
Wilfred's face contorted when he heard that response. These nobodies dared oppose him? He will make sure that they regretted it.
" You know what to do Lewis. Make sure that they come begging to us next week, offering to sell the game for any price." Wilfred ordered.
" Yes, Sir. I am will handle the situation. Just wait for my call with good news." Lewis responded and ended the call.
Lewis contemplated his options. Eminence gaming was a private company, so he could not manipulate the shareholders. The game was still not cracked so he could not steal the technology. However, all online games had a vulnerability. He quickly made some calls. He hung up the call and smiled. " Let's see if you still won't have any regrets by next week."
CREATORS' THOUGHTS 
Red_Tempest
Red_Tempest Thanks for reading.
This Bonus release is for my dear readers.
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone