CHAPTER 74: NEGOTIATIONS

"You’re sure you don’t feel any dizziness? Nausea? Blackouts?" Doctor Gabriel asked, his clipboard in hand as he looked at Ethan.

They were both currently walking in the hospital’s corridor as the doctor had insisted on one final check before discharge.

"I’m fine," was Ethan’s response.

Gabriel narrowed his eyes but didn’t push further. "Most patients who are found laying in a pool of blood caused by hitting their head would still be struggling to even walk. You’re... unusual."

Ethan just shrugged at his words. He couldn’t exactly tell the doctor that his brain was upgraded by a system only found in webnovels.... He’d be given a VIP ticket to the mental asylum.

The doctor chuckled lightly at his shrug before handing him the signed discharge papers. "Alright then. You’re officially free, Mr. Carter. Try not to collapse in a pool of blood again—it doesn’t do wonders for your lady friend’s blood pressure."

Ethan could only smile faintly in response before folding the papers, and head out of the ward.

The warmth of the morning sun greeted him the moment he stepped outside. Not much had changed but Ethan could somehow see more, now.

Details he might’ve previously missed lay clearly before him right now. He seemed more aware of details he might’ve previously dismissed as background noise.

As much as it felt fascinating, it felt a bit overwhelming. Not in the sense that his brain couldn’t handle all this information, but rather, he was the one unused to processing all this information at the same time.

He adjusted the hoodie Lillian had previously brought to the hospital for him and lifted a hand. A yellow cab slowed almost immediately, pulling up to the curb with a squeak of its brakes.

He slid into the back seat, told the driver his location and leaned back to relax. He was sure that by the time he got to the hotel, Lillian would’ve already left for Google.

_________

While Ethan made his way back to the hotel, the convoy escorting Lillian pulled up at Google’s headquarters.

The sleek black SUV doors opened, and Lillian stepped out, flanked by Mark and two other members of her small team.

Despite the calm expression on her face, her heart was pounding in her chest. This was her first negotiation of this scale—sitting across from one of the biggest tech giants in the world. And with Ethan trusting her to win.

Inside the boardroom, the atmosphere was already heavy with anticipation. On Google’s side of the long, polished table sat Amelia Rhodes, alongside Mrs. Patel, and a team of corporate lawyers flipping through their briefing documents.

The moment Lillian walked in, their gazes shifted to her. Some were skeptical, although they had noticed during that live stream, they still couldn’t get over the fact she looked young, too young for someone representing a company audacious enough to pressure Google.

But the faint, calm smile she wore didn’t falter. She set her leather folder on the table and took her seat opposite them.

"Miss Hayes," Amelia Rhodes began, her tone professional, "We appreciate OmniTech agreeing to meet us here. I hope you had a pleasant flight from Atlanta?"

"It was smooth," Lillian replied with a polite nod. "Thank you for asking. I trust preparations for this meeting were equally smooth on your end?"

A faint twitch played at the corner of Amelia’s lips—half amusement, half respect at the poise in Lillian’s voice. The young woman before her was nothing like the nervous intern she had imagined from the livestream.

Mrs. Patel leaned forward slightly, her voice warmer. "It must have been a long trip for you and your team. We truly appreciate the effort, Miss Hayes."

Lillian gave her a genuine smile. "OmniTech believes in professionalism. If an agreement is to be reached, we want it handled properly, face to face." She let her eyes sweep across the table, briefly meeting the gazes of the lawyers before returning to Amelia. "So, shall we get started?"

"Ah, before that," she paused and looked at one of her team members who handed her a laptop and she turned it on and clicked a few buttons.

Amelia’s confusion didn’t last long as the screen was turned towards her and she was faced with a familiar chibi avatar.

"Hello Mrs Rhodes," he greeted, "it’s been a short while, I hope you don’t mind me observing this negotiation."

Amelia raised a brow.

She expected to only have to deal with Lillian so OmniTech being here was surprising but she still nodded and slid a file across the table.

"Very well. As we discussed prior, Google is interested in acquiring full exclusivity for the use of Sentinel. Considering its demonstrated capabilities, we believe it would benefit both sides if OmniTech committed to a direct partnership with us."

The lawyers straightened at her words, ready to back her up with paperwork.

But Lillian didn’t even glance at the file. She leaned back slightly, folding her hands neatly in her lap. "I understand Google’s position," she said calmly, "but exclusivity is not on the table, Mrs Rhodes. Sentinel was designed to protect the digital infrastructure of the future, not to be locked away in the vaults of a single corporation."

There was a pause. A few of the lawyers exchanged looks, some frowning. Amelia’s expression hardened just slightly, though she fully expected this.

OmniTech Corp had shown from the start that they were interested in exclusivity, but it didn’t hurt to try.

One of the lawyers, a graying man with sharp glasses, leaned forward, his tone measured.

"Miss Hayes, while I respect your conviction, you must understand the implications here. If Sentinel becomes widespread, it will inevitably attract malicious actors who will attempt to exploit it. Restricting its distribution through a single, responsible partner like Google is not only logical—it’s safer."

Another lawyer, a younger woman with a clipped British accent, chimed in.

"Furthermore, an exclusive deal ensures controlled deployment. Without such safeguards, you run the risk of diluting Sentinel’s value or worse—allowing smaller, less responsible firms to misuse it. OmniTech would bear liability for every misuse."

They carefully chose their words, making it seem as if they were suggesting the logical thing rather than pressuring them and Ethan could help but smile at this.

He wasn’t going to interfere, this was all up to Lillian.

Lillian, however, did not budge. She tilted her head slightly, as if considering their points, before responding, her voice still calm.

"Controlled deployment is already ensured," she said, sliding her leather folder open at last. She pulled out a slim document and placed it neatly on the table. "Sentinel’s architecture cannot be reverse-engineered or modified without rendering it non-functional. It has built-in failsafes. In simpler terms—any attempt to misuse it will destroy it."

Finishing her words, she looked directly at Amelia who shifted a bit uncomfortably and so did Mrs. Patel.

Although not displayed by his avatar, there was a large grin on Ethan’s face. He expected her to use the fact that they had previously tried to copy Sentinel and they didn’t disappoint.

"And liability?" the British lawyer cut in.

"That," Lillian replied, on her face was a polite smile, "is precisely why OmniTech is offering licensing agreements, not free distribution. Each client will operate under strict legal and technical frameworks. Exclusivity, however, would undermine Sentinel’s very purpose—global security. You can see the contradiction, can’t you?"

Mark, seated at her side, subtly straightened, there was a barely hidden flicker of admiration on his stoic face.

The older lawyer removed his glasses, polishing them slowly. "You talk a big game, Miss Hayes. But idealism rarely survives the realities of the market."

"Quite the contrary," she responded, her eyes steady as she met the lawyer’s gaze. "Sentinel is a tool meant to dominate the cybersecurity field, and every single company in this world will want a piece of it. I know the realities of the market all too well—because they’re already in motion. Demand is inevitable. Exclusivity, however, would not only choke that demand, but create resentment from every other player in the industry."

Ethan, watching through the chibi avatar, leaned forward slightly, amused at how naturally she was dismantling arguments seasoned lawyers had probably rehearsed for days.

He really was proud and if it was one thing he realized, it was that Midas was still in there... But he couldn’t jump to conclusions yet, he had to see how she’d wrap this up.

Amelia’s pen tapped softly against her notepad before she finally spoke. "Very well, Miss Hayes. If exclusivity is off the table..." She gestured for one of the lawyers to close the file. "Then let’s discuss licensing terms. Because if Sentinel is to be shared, Google fully intends to be first in line."

With a smile, Lillian took the file from Mark’s hand and slid it towards Amelia.

Slowly, Amelia picked the file up from the table and opened it, her eyes scanning a few pages of it before widening, "these terms?"

"Yes Mrs Rhodes," Lillian answered, "those are the terms OmniTech Corp is willing to license Sentinel for, we’re open to negotiate a few of them."