It was a sight that many in the office complex had gotten used to over the past two months. In that much time, not a single person in the office had been able to quite make an opinion of him. Just like every other day, Fred making his way to the conference room on the sixth floor, with strides that would make you think he was silently running a race, a permed hair that never seem to go out of place or suffer for lustre, prime, trimmed, spotless suit that never seem to loose it fine lines in endurance of his leaping strides.
Halfway through the big office space of the six floor, he made a quick 90° turning motion, making a beeline for the desk of Sarah Houghton. A quick flurry of conversation passed through them, and an accompany unfettered laughter from Fred had the office in a freeze moment. This seeming routine always caused an instant tinge of mystery, confusion and uncertainty in the air, which was almost certainly manifested in the immediate silence that always before the room in those moments. As quickly as he had his laugh, he stood and made to continue his previous journey.
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It was going to be another long day of negotiations as usual. Fred has be a pain to negotiate with up till now. Two months pf negotiation, and the meger was no where closer to happening than it was then. I made to join him for the rest of the way, while hoping I could start the day on a more amiable level. "You are on time, like always. Good morning" I said. Good morning, he replied. "Your suggestions on asset repurposition are nonsensical" he added. So much for a more amaiable level.
Sitting accross the table as both side negotiated away at every little fine details, figures and sheet, I couldn't help observing Fred. His well built frame began to seem to have a limp to it. When he spoke, everyone listened with so much attentiveness. He seem not be able to stop pinching away at his nose with a surreal regularity. His use of "emm, you know, right" was unending, and constant. For the first time on a long time, behind the "mysterious, confident, intelligent, strong-willed,, knowledgeable" stare, I saw what seem to have been weariness and fear in his eyes.
It was then it dawned on me. We had been playing the wrong cards all along. If this was poker, one could say Fred had a deamn good poker face. But I would seen it, and I was going to pounce now and here. I hadn't realize how much I had been lost in my thoughts and extrapolating until I actually heard my name called in the distance. "Sorry, I am fine" I replied, hoping it was sufficient for whatever had been said to me.
Mr Stan, if I may? I asked my boss. He knew he didn't want me negotiating off my head, but it woupd have been weird to have turned me down, so he nodded. "Mr Fred, here is what you can consider our best offer yet. You acept the initial recommendations of the joint commitee on this merger and we agree to let Sarah Houghton be the COO after the merger. What do you say?". For a time that must have stretched into minutes, the room was dead silent. That "mysterious, confident, intelligence, strong-willed, knowledgeable" stare had turned into a death stare trained on me and me alone, but I wasn't going to yield. I had played my trump card.
Mr Stan quicky seek to douse the tension in the room. "Forgive my associate for taking us back, he's being a bit out of it today. The negotiations are taking a toll" he said. But by now the death stare had turned into something else; softer, but no less mysterious. "If we can now move on to the subject of personnel retent..", "I accept" Mr Fred cuts my boss short. "Sorry what??" My confused boss asks. I accept the proposal as offered by your associate, replied Mr Fred.
It had been two weeks since that last meeting. Our party was on a flight back home. As the plane cruised, and the team continued to celebrate the closing of the merger, I couldn't help wondering why I didn't just play the other card and max Mr Fred out. I could have gotten him to roll back all of his asks and give my team all our asks. Why didn't I tell him that I had made the connection between him and Sarah Houghton? Why didn't I tell him that from my observation, I had seen so many things they had in common that it had to be biological? Why didn't I tell him that I had figured that Sarah Houghton is his illegitimate daughter? I guess that's a question I will spend the rest of my life answering.