Nate
THE RECEPTION room at Vanguard BioTech was too quiet for a negotiation that was supposedly moving "smoothly."
I sat across from Alistair, watching him flip through the revised proposal his assistant had prepared. He looked composed on the surface, but the tension around his eyes had already given him away the moment he walked in. He needed this partnership more than he wanted to admit.
"That's our final adjusted structure," he said, sliding the document across the table. "The licensing percentages and distribution terms are significantly better for Vanguard now."
I glanced at the file without reaching for it immediately. Silence stretched just long enough to make his assistant shift uncomfortably.
Finally, I leaned back slightly. "Improved terms don't automatically ma
