The chairman wasn't expecting that but he looked briefly relieved because he knew the difficult part was starting
"The partnership will only succeed if both companies are willing to make compromises", he said sharply
Scarlett then looked towards Jude
"I totally agree", she said slowly
Jude met her eyes directly
"Let's make this very clear that compromise doesn't mean surrendering", he said sharply
A few executives looked between themselves and the chairman nodded slowly
"Then let's begin", the chairman said quickly
For the next several hours, the room became like a battlefield but not with anger or insults but with numbers, strategies, and terms
Scarlett challenged Maguire Industries' demands and Jude questioned Bellingham Holdings' conditions
They didn't give each other any advantage and everyone inside the room understood something for the first time that it wasn't a meeting between an ex-husband and an ex-wife but a meeting between two CEOs
