Across the metropolis, a beautiful young woman sat in her office typing at tremendous speed, rigid at work before the sun said its first hellos for the day.
"Ma'am, I've brought you your coffee. Where would you like it?" the assistant said, entering carefully while holding the hot coffee.
Without looking up from her screen, she pointed to a spot on the desk. As soon as the coffee touched the table, she reached for it, took a sip, and continued. The assistant bowed and left the room.
Pulling out a bright pink vape pen, she takes a few drags. Before taking another drag, her assistant buzzed her intercom.
"What is it, Samantha?"
"Your six o'clock is here. Shall I let the guest in?"
"Give me a few minutes, knock, then show them in." She said while puffing on her vape.
The guest entered after the door was knocked. Two men in suits, one gold, and the other turquoise, walked forward.
"Ms.Yamamoto, what a delight to do business with you." The man in gold said as smiled showing his pearly white teeth.
"Thank you, Mr.Sanchez. Mr.Blankenship, what a pleasure it was to see you again. Please sit and make yourselves comfortable." Ms Yamamoto said, smiling and motioning to the chairs before the desk.
"Likewise, ma'am." Mr Blankenship said while making himself more comfortable.
"Ms. If we could. I want to revisit the acquisition of the photo company Snaps, previously owned by the Toge Group. Let's be frank: the Toge Group wants to acquire Snaps from the Fire Swan Corporation. My boss was very upset when your group took it from us. So let's talk numbers."
Smoking on her vape, she leaned back and mulled over her options.
"What are you trading?" She asked while blowing a puff of smoke.
"How about you state what you want instead."
"Oh, How gentlemanly of you. Look, gentlemen, Snaps Inc. is not up for sale. Sorry for wasting your time, but I have my orders, as I know you do too."
"Ms.Yamamoto, be reasonable. There has to be something your group wants more than that small company. So what is it?" Mr. Sanchez spoke smoothly.
Scanning some files, she began to smile brightly.
Noticing Mr.Blankenship asks, "So, you found something your group would like?"
"I'll trade you Snaps for your new militant company, Cross and Arrows. That's the deal: take it or leave it.
"Cross and arrows, you say?" Mr Blankenship asked,
"Yes. We are willing to trade Snaps for Cross and Arrows." Ms. Yamamoto replied.
The two men leaned in whispering amongst themselves.
"I don't see why we can't trade Cross and Arrows for Snaps Inc. They're up and coming but still too small to be on the playing field," Mr. Blankenship said.
"Sure, but let's try looking at it like this. One company provides intel and revenue, while the other provides protection revenue and intel. Cross and Arrows may be small, but they are still a militant organization under us." Mr. Sanchez said,
"Yeah, sure, you're right. However, the boss wants Snaps more than anything. We should hold off on the trade and reproach this later." Mr. Blankenship replied.
Turning from the little meeting back to Ms. Yamamoto, the two men leaned back in their seats.
"Ms., my partner, and I have decided we would like some time to think it over and possibly send a counteroffer," Mr. Blankensip said.
"Are you sure? Well, we're all the same in this business. Have your associates contact mine, and we will do business accordingly," Yamamoto said while getting up from her seat.
The two followed suit, both reaching out to shake her hand. As the two left the office, she sat back down, resting her head against her fist. Exhaling deeply and slightly disappointed that the trade was taking longer than expected.
Spinning around in her to look out her window, she saw that the city was already bustling. Aerial vehicles flew in and out, transporting anything and everything. Nothing was off limits if you had the cash. All the cars driving below seemed like ants from up above. No cloud was in the sky, signifying the first signs of summer. Smiling to herself, she thought, today will be an excellent day to make a lot of zeroes.
As if the greedy corporate gods were watching her rest, the phone on her desk went off.
"Ma'am, this is Lieutenant Harris. I am the new leader of acquisition team two. I just wanted to check in."
"A pleasure. I'm sure you are aware. I don't hand out the contracts; your department manager handles that."
"Yes, Ma'am. Somebody mentioned that I should introduce myself to the higher-ups."
"I see. Well, it was a pleasure meeting you, but I must go. Goodbye, lieutenant."
Diligently, she looked over the holo-files of Cross and Arrow and Snap Inc. to see if there was some leverage she could gain. Opening another screen. She filled out an acquisition request form and submitted it.
Relaxing in her chair, she grinned from ear to ear. By the end of the day, both companies will be theirs. Swiping the files away, she stood up, stretching her arms