His instincts told him that their deal was about to change. He didn’t like change. He liked innovation, oh, he liked that very much. He liked it when his company stumbled on the most important new technology since the microwave, that kind of change was most welcome. But he didn’t like it when the person who had given it to him wanted to change the nature of their agreement. No, that kind of change was very unsettling indeed. And he sensed already that this was the direction of this conversation. Bracing himself for a heated discussion, he readied himself to hear what they had to say, and to defend his contract if need be. They had as much to lose as him at this point.

“Maybe you can tell me what this is about?” Matsuoka asked, somewhat cagily.

“Of course, Matsuoka-san. We have asked you here today because we would like to negotiate a new contract with you.” said Ayala like she was ordering a latte.

He withheld an ironic smile, his eyebrows rising only slightly as he placed his elbows on the table, his fingers interlocking slowly. He had been a man of considerable influence for many years, and he felt even more like a sovereign now that his company had in its possession a technology that would catapult it to the top of the computer industry, and probably many other industries as well. But as he thought of his position, he decided he was not too proud, nor too foolish, to know how much of his good fortune stemmed from these two ladies. Maybe they had something more for him, he tried to tell himself, though that seemed hard to imagine.

He decided he was willing to listen to their proposal, not that he would let that show, of course. He was not an amateur negotiator; he knew never to show the other party what power, if any, they had over you.

“Ladies, while I thank you for your help to date, we both know that this relationship was as beneficial to you as it was to me. And of course, you have been adamant that this is as much about your releasing the technology your current employers held hostage as it was about my firm making profits. We are still in the same position as we have always been. I see no need to renegotiate our agreement, nor will I entertain such a topic.”

“You misunderstand me, Shinobu,” the use of the senior man’s first name was like a slap in the face in Japanese culture, made all the more powerful by Ayala’s previously careful adherence to the cultural rules of his country. As he reeled from the snub, she continued, “we do not seek some retroactive change in compensation, your money is not important to us, though do not think for a second that you would not be forced to give us more compensation if we demanded it.”