Chris earned her substantial fee that weekend and on the Glorious Twelfth that followed.

By the time Russ arrived at ten on the Monday morning, Sally had agreed to file for the quick English divorce, rather than tie Russ up in the American courts, provided he would agree to at least ten million dollars. She seemed fairly unmoved about the whole deal and was in fact more worried about how she would get Fluffy back into the States. As she said, it would actually give her more spending money than Russ gave her at present, she would have the house and she would have no emotional strain. Chris agreed too, that she could still keep on with the dance therapy.

By the time her husband arrived, Sally and the dreadful Fluffy were on their way back to Las Vegas via the Savoy in London, to indulge in a small amount of the best restorative shopping. Albeit this time, the dog was travelling in a more appropriate, but only slightly more legal manner!

***

All it needed now was Russ to agree to his side of the divorce, sell his shares to the new consortium and then retire with as much dignity as he could muster.

He didn't at first!

He felt he had all of the power because of the shares and that even if everybody voted against him, that he could still keep control and everything that went with it.

But he hadn't taken account of a quiet, sensible and stubborn grandmother, who had brokered, signed and sealed more deals, than perhaps anybody else in Boston. Slowly and surely, she broke every aspect of his resistance, using the depths of her arguments, inconsiderable charm and downright persistence. Time and again she returned to the basic tenet, that to bow out gracefully would enable him to call himself the father of Zyzzx and make himself the maximum cash pile, which he could use in any way he wanted. She was even prepared to allow him to compete after a short period of twelve months.

It was the deal only a fool would turn down. And Russ was no fool, except where the opposite sex was concerned.

***

He didn't actually sign the deal that night either. He only signed a Letter of Intent, as quite rightly he felt that he ought to discuss it with his lawyers first.

But he was magnanimous to the others and that night of the Twelfth, he was an urbane and generous host. A feast had been delivered and eight of them sat at a long table in the formal dining-room and partook of perhaps the best meal the chef had supplied so far. But that would only be splitting the tiniest of hairs! Nothing was spared as four extremely saucy and distinctly over-the-top French maids served and everybody ate their way from a series of delicious appetisers, through a main course of exquisite lamb and on to the sumptuous and wicked deserts. The wines were not spared either, some being older than most at the table.

At about ten, Russ who had been sitting at the top end of the table, stood and called for quiet with his bell. 'I can't say ...' He stopped, as if he was groping through emotion for his words. 'I can't say, that I'm totally happy and completely comfortable with the deal.' He paused again, whilst the others listened apprehensively. 'It's not the money, as I can't fault the price. Or any of the conditions. Zyzzx has been my creation and my life for some years now. I like to think I have many friends there!' Greg was moved to applaud. 'Thank you! But then, this is probably the time for me to leave Zyzzx. And parting is always sorrowful.' He sat down abruptly.

Perhaps, a more normal man would have been in tears.

It was Lucinda who replied, standing at the opposite end of the table. 'Russ! I know that we haven't always seen eye-to-eye, but I think I speak for most of the Zyzzx employees, when I say, that we all owe you and your father a great debt. No! A very great debt!' Greg nodded an agreement. 'The two of you, have really created something of which you can be proud, and I hope that in a few years time, I will be able to say that your successors will have done at least half as good a job.'

Now, taking her glass, she walked around the table and approached Russ. He cowed mockingly, as if she was going to attack him, as she had at Jacob's, but all she did was bend over and give him a kiss to say thank you. As she rose, she proffered her glass and called for a toast. 'Russ, Jim, Zyzzx and the future!'

Everybody rose and similarly replied.

More than one felt that despite Russ's statement, this wasn't the last word they would hear from him on the deal.

***

After the statements and the toasts, Russ had risen and left for his bedroom. He was followed soon after by Pat and Greg, who both decided that an earlier night would not come amiss. The others were left to enjoy the remains of the deserts, coffee, tea and a large selection of pudding wines, brandies and ports.

It was Lucinda who noticed first. 'Where's Suzanne?'

'I thought that was obvious!' He felt that now was the time to come clean, with a lot of his evidence, especially as now, he was only with the lawyers and the two women intertwined in his life. 'She's been Russ's girlfriend for months.' Lucinda, Chris and George showed more than a large degree of surprise. 'I thought everybody knew!'

'No!' Lucinda now leant across towards him, questioning him strongly with almost an anger in her eyes. 'How much more about Suzanne and Russ do you know?' She thought perhaps that he had used investigators to check out all of the major people in Zyzzx. Including perhaps herself! 'Have you been spying on Russ? And Zyzzx and me for that matter!'

He was thinking about whether and how much to disclose, when his lover broke in. 'You had better tell!' He looked across at her, rather anxiously, showing that he was very unsure of what to say. 'I think you ought to tell the truth!'

'I will!' He looked at everybody in turn. 'And it will be most of the whole truth!' The two lawyers laughed. 'But I must have absolute discretion!' He thought for a moment. 'George, make sure we've got plenty of drink and then tell Melanie, we're not to be disturbed. By anyone! And especially Russ!'

***

After getting complete agreement as to confidentiality, he told most of the story, starting with how he had met Suzanne on the flight to Orlando, how she had got drunk and how he had asked her to provide the insurance on the deal. He left out the personal details of their bedroom arrangements and most of Suzanne's past, although he did have everybody in fits of laughter as he told the story of the massage. He then continued to disclose the information that Suzanne had told him over the Internet and in his room earlier in the week. He spared the details of the rape.

Lucinda had not known about the Zyzzx apartment, the real story of the Hungarian software, the lawyers who had tried to break the deal or any of the other goings-on, that he had related. It left her with even more contempt for Russ.

As he finished it was Chris who spoke first. 'Did you use any of this information to help you in the negotiations? Legally speaking, because if you did, then the deal's dead and buried.'

'I can only reply with a question to you.' He always chose his words very carefully where lawyers were concerned. 'Did you change any wording or parts of the contract in Medusa's favour, after talking with either Adams or myself? In other words, did you allow me to use anything I gained for my advantage?'

'I think no to both questions!' She checked the contract in her mind, remembering mainly that the original draft and the final contract were more or less exactly the same. Give or take a few spelling mistakes, names and addresses and the clause, which meant that the programmer would have to spend several years in Las Vegas. 'Thinking again! It's a definite no to both! I'm certain, that I only corrected the contract and added a couple of clauses that were certainly not in your favour! I wouldn't want to be contracted to spend any time at all in Vegas!'

Copyright 1999 by Ewart Higgins