C250 Which Proposal Are You Choosing

The atmosphere around the dining table gradually became peaceful again as everyone enjoyed their meal. The earlier arguments between Ben and Sarah slowly faded into light-hearted conversation, while little Monica happily entertained everyone by trying to feed herself with a tiny spoon. Every now and then she would miss her mouth completely, causing Tracy and Samantha to laugh. "My granddaughter is becoming independent already," Tracy said proudly.

Sarah smiled as she wiped Monica's face with a napkin. "She's learning quickly." Kelvin looked around the table before speaking. "Now that everyone has eaten, let's hear what Sarah wanted to discuss." Sarah nodded. She reached beside her chair and picked up the folder she had brought downstairs. "I've finished reviewing all the proposals." The moment she said that, everyone's attention shifted towards her. Kelvin folded his hands together. "My child you are the director now so these decisions are yours to make."

She opened the folder and carefully arranged three proposal documents on the table. "Dad, these are the final three offers." Tracy leaned forward curiously. "Which banks made the shortlist?" Sarah looked at everyone before answering. "UK International Bank." "Scotland Celtic Bank." "And Spain National Bank." Kelvin nodded slowly. "Those are all strong institutions." Sarah picked up the first proposal. "The first one is from UK International Bank."

She stretched out her hand to give it to Kelvin. However... Before it even reached him. Ben suddenly snatched the document from the air. "I'll read it first." Sarah immediately frowned. "Ben..." "I'm discussing company business." He grinned shamelessly. "And I'm listening." Without waiting for permission, he quickly flipped through the pages. The moment he reached the benefits section, his eyes widened. "Half a million dollars every year?"

He looked again. "There's another two hundred thousand dollars..." "And another fifty thousand dollars in bonuses!" He almost jumped out of his chair. "Dad!" "What are we still discussing?" "Take this one!" "It's UK International Bank!" "They're famous worldwide!" "Our company will become internationally recognised overnight." Sarah slowly rubbed her forehead. "Your stupidity continues to amaze me." Ben froze. "What did I do now?"

Without answering, Sarah simply pulled the document from his hands and finally passed it to Kelvin. Ben looked completely confused. "I was praising the offer..." Kelvin smiled slightly. "I think your sister wants me to read everything before making a conclusion." Ben crossed his arms. "Fine." Kelvin calmly began reading. Unlike Ben, he carefully examined every sentence. The benefits were indeed impressive. He nodded several times while reading.

Then... He turned to the second page. His expression gradually changed. The smile disappeared. His eyebrows slowly knitted together. He reread several paragraphs before quietly closing the document. Although he deliberately kept a calm expression, Sarah still noticed the subtle change. She smiled inwardly. "Dad noticed it too." Kelvin looked at her. "Next."

Without saying anything else, Sarah picked up the second proposal. "This one is from Scotland Celtic Bank." She handed it over. Meanwhile, Ben grabbed the UK International Bank proposal again. This time he finally decided to read beyond the attractive numbers. As Kelvin carefully studied the Scotland proposal, Ben flipped to the conditions section of the UK proposal. His confident smile slowly disappeared. "What..." He read it again. "If the application fails..." "...we pay?"

He frowned. "They're making us responsible for customer compensation?" His eyes moved lower. "We also have to train their technicians..." "And..." "We're still responsible if something goes wrong?" He slowly looked toward Sarah. She merely smiled. "Now you're reading properly." Ben scratched his head awkwardly. Across the table, Kelvin had also finished reading the Scotland Celtic Bank proposal.

The financial benefits were lower than those offered by the UK bank. However... The conditions were far more balanced. The responsibilities were clearly shared. The partnership would last two years. Both companies would benefit. He quietly closed the file. "This one is reasonable." Sarah nodded. "Exactly." She then handed him the final proposal. "This is Spain National Bank."

Ben immediately picked up the Scotland proposal while Kelvin began reading the Spanish one. Everyone around the table quietly reviewed different documents. A few moments later... Samantha, who had taken the UK proposal from Ben, suddenly spoke. "They're crazy." Everyone looked at her. She held up the contract. "Imagine losing over one million dollars because of a system failure."

She shook her head. "The compensation alone could bankrupt a company." "Their benefits don't even come close to covering that risk." Sarah smiled proudly. "Finally." "Someone besides Dad actually read the conditions." Ben coughed awkwardly. "I read them too..." "Eventually." Everyone laughed. Tracy also began reading through the proposals one by one. She frowned repeatedly. "The money looks attractive..." "But the conditions are frightening."

Sarah nodded. "Exactly." "That's why I couldn't judge the offers based only on the financial benefits." She pointed towards the UK proposal. "UK International Bank offers the highest guaranteed payment." "But almost all the risk remains with us." "They expect us to train their staff..." "Implement the application..." "And if customers lose money because of any technical issue..." "We carry the responsibility." She gently placed the document aside. "That's simply too dangerous."

Everyone nodded. She continued. "Scotland Celtic Bank is different." "The guaranteed payment is smaller." "But they're offering us five percent of their annual profits during the partnership." "The responsibilities are shared more fairly." "They also expect us to monitor and maintain the application, which is reasonable because we're the developers." Kelvin nodded again. "I like that proposal." "So do I."

Sarah then lifted the final document. "Spain National Bank." "The guaranteed payment is lower than both previous offers." "But..." She smiled. "They're offering fifteen percent of their profits during the partnership." "They'll also give Wood IT Company a permanent two percent shareholding in Spain National Bank." Even Kelvin looked surprised. "Permanent?" Sarah nodded. "Permanent." Ben's eyes widened. "That's incredible." "But..."

Sarah continued before anyone became too excited. "The conditions are also the most difficult." "They require the application to support multiple languages." "Spanish." "French." "And several Latin language options." Everyone immediately became quiet. Ben scratched his head. "But..." "We don't even have Spanish programmers." "Exactly." Tracy sighed. "Recruiting them internationally won't be cheap."

Sarah nodded. "It won't." "However..." "They're willing to compensate customers directly if the application fails." "Our responsibility is only to repair the software itself." "We won't be paying massive compensation claims." Kelvin slowly closed the document. After several seconds of silence, he finally asked, "You've already decided, haven't you?" Sarah smiled. "Yes." "So..." "Which proposal are you choosing?" Tracy and Samantha also looked at her with curiosity.

Even Ben waited quietly. Sarah looked around the table before answering confidently. "Spain National Bank." Ben almost jumped from his chair. "What?" "Impossible!" "Where are you going to find Spanish-speaking technicians in Scotland?" Tracy nodded thoughtfully. "If we recruit internationally, the salaries and relocation costs will be enormous." Sarah smiled calmly. "I've already considered that."

Kelvin leaned back in his chair before smiling proudly. "My child..." "You're the Director now." "I won't interfere with your decision." "If you've weighed the advantages and disadvantages carefully..." "...then I support you." Sarah smiled warmly. "Thank you, Dad." Tracy also nodded. "I trust your judgement." The discussion might have continued... But suddenly Tracy remembered something.

She turned towards Ben. "Earlier you said you had another problem." "What was it?" Ben's expression immediately became serious. Without another word, he took out his phone. "I almost forgot." He opened an anonymous message before placing the phone on the table. "Today..." "I received this." Everyone leaned closer. The message contained only one sentence. A debt is meant to be repaid. Silence instantly filled the dining room.

Tracy frowned. "What does that even mean?" Ben slowly shook his head. "I don't know." "But..." "I think it might be Jack." Kelvin's relaxed expression disappeared immediately. He stared at the message for several long seconds before finally looking up at his son. "Now..." "Do you understand why I kept warning you that Jack is far more dangerous than you ever imagined?"