American History 1988
Chapter 80 - 75 You owe me a favor

Chapter 80: Chapter 75 You owe me a favor

The office of Judge Witt in the Youngstown Court was once again the gathering place for Charles and William from NCR, Dean, and Wedner.

"So, there’s good news today?" Charles smiled at everyone after sipping his coffee.

Dean and Judge Witt exchanged glances, and the latter nodded toward Charles, "I think today will be a smooth one."

"Good!" Charles raised his eyebrows with satisfaction and turned his gaze to Dean, "Then, shall we continue with our deal?"

"Mr. Charles, I have no objections about the price. But I do have two additional minor requests." The price of 60,000 US Dollars was acceptable to Dean.

After all, as a giant like NCR, coupled with the leverage of Judge Witt, he, just an average student, had very little room to negotiate.

Although there was no room to increase the price, this did not mean Dean couldn’t seek some compensation in other areas.

Hearing that Dean had additional demands, Charles did not reject them immediately. He was interested to hear what they were.

"So what are your minor requests? I would like to remind you that it’s better not to make demands that put us in a difficult position. When they are not commensurate with the value of this deal, they will not be considered."

"Of course, quid pro quo, I understand." Dean took over a contract from Wedner, "My first request is that after NCR Group (including subsidiaries) acquires DCAP, it continues the cooperation with Duosouzu and grants Duosouzu exclusive authorization."

"Duosouzu?" Charles had never heard the name before and began to examine the documents Dean handed him closely.

"It’s an insignificant small company; we had already collaborated with the Youngstown Court before you. Judge Witt can attest to this." Under Dean’s "encouraging" gaze, Judge Witt could only helplessly nod in agreement.

This was another condition she had agreed to with Dean – ousting the competitor Good Rent Company and lobbying for Duosouzu’s exclusive authorization. This way, Dean would agree to the 60,000 US Dollar offer, and she, Judge Witt, would get her share of the benefits, whether monetary or political.

"Is it a company that traffics information?" After looking it over for a while, Charles said, finding an appropriate description.

"Exactly, we are a small business." Dean nodded nonchalantly, "As you know, Mr. Charles, my family’s situation is average, so I want to earn some tuition for myself. Of course, Duosouzu will only have access to the DCAP case information database and will not be involved in any modifications, editing, or other permissions."

If NCR were to acquire DCAP, it would surely restructure the servers of the latter. The case records could be stored on a separate server, which would make it very easy to grant only Duosouzu access to that specific server.

"In fact, the state of Ohio encourages citizens to go to court to learn about crime records happening in the state, so from a procedural standpoint, this is quite legitimate, and Duosouzu Company would not encounter any legal risks," Judge Witt, who had been sitting behind her desk, also added her bit at the right moment to back up Dean.

Everything Judge Witt said was unproblematic, and it indeed followed due process, on the premise that DCAP authorizes Duosouzu.

With Judge Witt’s persuasion and the confirmation that Duosouzu was just an insignificant company that relied on the fringes of DCAP for a small profit, Charles shed his reservations.

"If our attorneys confirm there are no issues, I can agree to this demand." Charles hardly cared about the meager profits of Duosouzu; to him, DCAP was the real gold mine.

If courts like Youngstown were to purchase the DCAP system, NCR would quote each set at no less than 50,000 US Dollars. That’s the purchase price, and subsequent upgrades and maintenance services are even more expensive than the purchase itself.

The revenue DCAP would contribute to NCR in the future was beyond Dean’s imagination, so after spending only 60,000 US Dollars to acquire it, Charles did not mind offering him a proper compensation.

In a way, Charles also admired Dean, so fulfilling a favor for Duosouzu came naturally.

Having received a positive response, Dean was secretly thrilled. This was a bigger gain than getting the 60,000 US Dollars from selling DCAP.

Judge Witt also breathed a sigh of relief; she had done what was necessary. The rest was no longer her concern.

"Now, let’s hear your final condition," said Charles, who didn’t have much time to waste on a small Youngstown, and wouldn’t have come to this town if not for DCAP.

"As for the last request, it might be even simpler for Mr. Charles," Dean sat up straight and threw out his final demand, "I hope you can introduce me to the heads of various banks here in Youngstown. It doesn’t need to be a formal introduction, you just need to tell them that a young man named Dean Price will be visiting them."

What is NCR’s core business? Cash registers and ATMs! Of course, other banking systems and databases are not to be mentioned, but all these revolve around one industry - banking!

NCR does business with nearly every bank in America, so they have a vast amount of banking resources at their disposal.

Of course, Dean wasn’t presumptuous enough to ask Charles to introduce him to the heads of all banks; he targeted Youngstown. Youngstown was a small city, and the level of responsibility of the banks here was relatively low.

Charles’s status here was that of a big shot, and that’s why Dean wanted to leverage his influence. With his backing, Dean would achieve much more, much faster.

Upon hearing Dean’s request, Charles gave him a surprised look, "The banks here in Youngstown?"

"I want to discuss software cooperation with them, but as you know, I’m just a student. Without an introduction, I might not even be able to enter their offices," Dean spoke truthfully; this was where he was at a disadvantage.

He lacked identity, status, and money, which meant he faced many difficulties even when trying to start a business.

So when unexpected resources appeared around him, he made every effort to turn them into a source of support. Of course, he didn’t need to be overly ambitious, just minor, trivial requests, like now.

After listening to Dean’s explanation, Charles couldn’t help but laugh. "Dean, in my view, the last request is more precious than the previous ones. As I’ve said before, favors can sometimes be priceless."

"Mr. Charles..."

Charles raised his hand to stop him, "But I am willing to do you this favor. I’ll have my assistant give you the business cards of all the bank managers here in Youngstown. However, I won’t make any introductions on your behalf, though I won’t deny it if they call to confirm. But all this comes with a condition..."

"Please go ahead, Mr. Charles." Dean focused intently, as dealing with these tycoons was quite brain-burning.

"I need you to remember that you owe me a favor!" Charles faced Dean as if he were a negotiation opponent, "This favor, when I need it one day, you cannot refuse. Of course, it might also never be needed at all."

Under what circumstances would it never be needed? When Dean’s future extinguished all others, and he was just an ordinary, insignificant person.

Dean understood the additional meaning behind Charles’s words; he was investing his current favor in Dean’s future achievements. Charles’s appreciation of Dean’s performance deepened, as it was his professional habit to cultivate promising networking relationships.

Facing Charles’s piercing gaze, Dean nodded calmly. "Okay, Mr. Charles, I owe you a favor."

"Good!" This time, Charles took the agreement that Wedner had previously handed over and signed it. He no longer needed to wait for a lawyer’s confirmation; the authorization to collect more rent would be his little gift to Dean.

If this little gift could become an aid for Dean, then even better, because it meant that his investment in a favor had an even greater chance of success in the future.

After signing the agreement, Charles took out the cheque he had written two days before from his pocket.

This time Dean did not refuse, "Pleasure doing business, Mr. Charles."

"I look forward to the day I can call in that favor," Charles said with a smile, extending his hand.

"I have the same hope." At least someone was optimistic about his future, wasn’t he? Dean thought cheerfully.

As for the transfer of DCAP, Wedner had already prepared the agreement in advance. Dean had registered a COS company for DCAP, and this time NCR’s subsidiary CRC acquired everything, company and software, for 260,000 US dollars.

60,000 US dollars was the money Dean pocketed; he walked away free and clear, and future earnings from DCAP were no longer any of his concern.

Of course, 60,000 US dollars was not Dean’s biggest gain. The two additional conditions were the most precious treasures.

Dean got what he wanted, Judge Witt gained both fame and fortune, and NCR’s people bought a gold mine at a low price. At least on the surface, everyone was delighted.

In the presence of Judge Witt, both parties signed the contract, and the transaction was smoothly completed.

"Dean, won’t you consider letting me be your personal attorney?" As they left the Youngstown courthouse doors, Wedner was incessantly persuading Dean to hire him.

"Come on, Wedner. I’m just a student; I won’t have that many legal inquiries to make." Personal attorney? Joking aside, Dean simply couldn’t afford one yet.

"But you just earned 60,000 US dollars!" Wedner’s eyes bulged; Dean was the biggest client he had ever met in Youngstown.

"Aha~ If you hadn’t mentioned it, I would have almost forgotten. You just took away 1,200 US dollars in attorney’s fees from me, so the figure of 60,000 US dollars now becomes 58,800 US dollars."

"Er... precisely 46,800 US dollars, because there’s also a 20% capital gains tax," Wedner corrected him on a small mistake.

"F*ck you, Wedner!" Dean’s previously good mood soured instantly.

"Dean, you already have your own business, right? MoreRent, and that website. Believe me, without a lawyer, lots of troubles will find you. In America, everyone needs a lawyer!" Wedner pointed to the red tie on his chest, "Though I don’t specialize in a particular field, I am a ’barrister’ and familiar with all kinds of law. When you run into trouble, I can give you proper advice right away, at the very least I won’t let you make mistakes."

The core competitiveness of a personal attorney is not in their ability to solve various legal problems but in their special trust relationship with their employer. In addition, when the employer encounters legal issues, the personal attorney makes a preliminary judgment based on the problems and recruits or recommends specialized attorneys suitable for the particular field.

Wedner believed that his relationship with Dean was already close enough, having worked together many times. They understood each other’s situations very well, so as a personal attorney, Wedner was fully capable.

Dean stopped walking and looked at Wedner, who was ardently promoting himself, and hesitated before speaking. "Let me think about it. I’m going to meet with the heads of various banks in Youngstown. If you can help with that, then I’ll have no doubts at all."

"Is this a test for me?" Wedner kept following behind Dean.

"Consider it a test then. Come on, Wedner, I need to earn money to be able to afford you."

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