Ex-wife, Please Come Back novel Chapter 271

The directors stared at Jacob expressionlessly. None of them dared to show even the slightest hint of emotion. They were undoubtedly furious. However, they remained silent. They knew if they expressed how they truly felt, they risked losing their jobs. Besides, their words wouldn't work at all.

The example of Jonathan was still fresh in their minds. And so, everyone was still afraid. Nervous energy continued to grow in the room. The aura in the room became stifling once the silence compounded the tension. Everyone stared at Jacob. Soon, the silence was broken.

"Mr. Jacob, please think about us. I know the company is in a crisis now, and its performance has indeed fallen. But we didn't cause the explosion. We didn't wish for it either. Isn't it unfair to let the directors bear the consequences?"

An older man tried to persuade Jacob to change his mind.

"Yes, boss. We are middle-aged people. As such, we have the greatest need for financial stability and consistency. After all, we each have to consider expenses such as children's education and buying a house. If we contribute more to the company, we will have nothing left. How will we survive?"

"Mr. Jacob, you can't do something like this. Your decision is akin to killing a chicken to get an egg. Haven't you considered long-term gains? We are old, and we have tried our best even though we don't make too many contributions. The company can't abandon us. We can accept the first two conditions. But the third provision is unfair. Sacrificing ten percent of our bonus will not bring many benefits to the company. But the bonus is of great importance to us."

Almost everyone felt dismayed enough to cry. They couldn't accept the rule that the company would take the money directly. But they didn't know what they could say to convince Jacob to reconsider the decision.

Many people were old. If they gave their bonus to the company, wouldn't it be equivalent to making contributions to the company for free?

No one here was so great. Even the most honest people would fight for their benefits. Why should they be any different?

Jacob stood, ready to speak again. Everyone held their breath in anticipation. They hoped that Jacob had considered more reasonable terms. Perhaps he would ask for five percent. The directors might even agree to eight percent. Nobody was sure what number he would quote. But one thing was for sure. For Jacob, this was just a number. The consequences, however, would be borne by the people in this room.

The initial offer of ten percent had been too much. What made matters worse is that none of the directors had been expecting this. They had been completely unprepared for this situation. They would continue to resist Jacob if he pushed for ten percent. But they secretly wished that he wouldn't. And so, they looked at Jacob with expectation and nervousness, hoping to hear a fair number from him.

"Well, then let's do as you have suggested. If you meet the standards then you can keep the bonus. I don't mean to make things difficult for you. But mine is a valid argument. The better the company's performance, the higher the bonus you will receive. In fact, it won't take too much effort. If you insist on not giving the bonus to the company, I have no choice but to consider your suggestions."

Jacob shrugged as he spoke. It appeared as though he was compromising. What the others didn't know was that the negotiation was going just as he had planned. Although Jacob had brought up the bonus on the spur of the moment, he had found the directors' arguments reasonable. So he didn't refute them.

James was not surprised. He and Jacob had planned to make a five percent concession. They knew that the number wasn't large enough to merit refusal. But it was sufficient to give the company the funds it needed. However, now, Jacob had promised not to take any bonus from the directors.

The way the negotiations had unfolded seemed very convincing. No one thought they were being manipulated. As long as the first two requirements were met, the company would not lack funds. Jacob's negotiation skills and efficiency were better than James's.

The directors had been angry initially, but now they felt that Jacob was reasonable. As long as they had their bonus, they didn't care about the first and second rules.

After hearing Jacob's decision, the tense directors felt relieved enough to smile. They were, indeed, grateful that Jacob had listened to their concerns and reconsidered. If Jonathan were here, the negotiation wouldn't have been as successful. But it was also thanks to him that everyone listened to James's announcement seriously.

"Now that everyone has agreed to the conditions, the meeting should end. But our CEO understands that the first three terms are restrictions on everyone. He has benevolently agreed to start an encouragement system. Starting next year, all directors will be rewarded with two million cash if their business or performance increases by over 10% every year. There is one non-negotiable criterion. Your performance can't decrease this year and rise to the same level the following year. If your business or performance exceeds this year's profits, only then will we consider it eligible for the reward."