10 . AMBER’S 10% DEAL LEAVES DAVE STUNNED

 

AMBER’S 10% DEAL LEAVES DAVE STUNNED! 😱

Dave thought the meeting was going to be simple.

He expected Amber to come into the room, discuss the business situation, negotiate a few details, and eventually agree on a reasonable percentage.

Instead, Amber walked in with a completely different plan.

She had been unusually quiet for several days.

Whenever Dave asked what she was working on, she simply replied:

“I’m handling it.”

Dave didn't think much of it at first.

But then he started hearing rumors that Amber had been negotiating privately with someone.

The rumors became impossible to ignore when Dave received a message saying:

“Amber has already made an offer.”

Dave immediately called her.

“Amber, what offer?”

There was a pause.

“What are you talking about?”

“I heard you've been negotiating a deal without telling me.”

Amber sighed.

“Dave, I was going to tell you.”

“When?”

“When everything was finalized.”

Dave couldn't believe it.

“You made a deal before even talking to me?”

“I didn't finalize anything.”

“Then what did you offer?”

Amber remained silent.

Dave waited.

Finally, she said:

“Ten percent.”

Dave froze.

“Ten percent?”

“Yes.”

Dave thought he had misunderstood.

“Ten percent of what?”

“The deal.”

Dave leaned back in his chair.

“Amber, that's it?”

“Yes.”

“Why would you agree to only ten percent?”

Amber calmly replied:

“Because ten percent of the right opportunity can be worth more than a bigger percentage of the wrong one.”

Dave stared at her.

“That doesn't make sense.”

“It does if you know what I'm planning.”

Dave immediately became suspicious.

“What are you planning?”

Amber placed a folder on the table.

“I want to build something of my own.”

Dave opened the folder.

Inside were notes, numbers, projections, and a proposed agreement.

He looked through the pages carefully.

“You've been working on this for how long?”

“A while.”

“And you didn't tell me?”

“I didn't want anyone interfering before I knew whether it could actually work.”

Dave looked up.

“You don't trust me?”

Amber shook her head.

“This isn't about trust.”

“Then what is it about?”

“Independence.”

That word caught Dave off guard.

Amber continued.

“I've spent too much time depending on other people to decide what happens next in my life.”

Dave closed the folder.

“And you think this ten-percent deal changes that?”

“I think it's the beginning.”

Dave remained silent.

Then he noticed something else.

“Wait.”

He opened the folder again.

“Who negotiated these terms?”

Amber didn't answer.

Dave looked at her.

“Amber.”

She finally said:

“Someone who understands business.”

Dave shook his head.

“You're keeping too many things from me.”

Amber replied:

“Because every time I tell you something, you immediately try to change it.”

Dave stood up.

“Because I'm trying to protect you!”

Amber stood as well.

“I don't need you to protect me from every decision I make!”

The room became tense.

Dave pointed toward the agreement.

“You're risking your reputation for ten percent.”

Amber calmly replied:

“No. I'm risking my comfort.”

Dave had no immediate response.

For the first time, he began to understand that Amber wasn't simply negotiating money.

She was trying to prove something to herself.

But Dave still had concerns.

“What happens if this deal fails?”

Amber answered:

“Then I learn from it.”

“And if it succeeds?”

Amber smiled slightly.

“Then you'll understand why I made the deal.”

Dave looked back at the documents.

He still wasn't convinced.

Then his phone rang.

He answered.

“Hello?”

The person on the other end mentioned Amber's deal.

Dave listened silently.

His expression gradually changed.

When the call ended, Amber asked:

“What happened?”

Dave looked at her.

“They accepted your ten percent.”

Amber nodded.

“I know.”

Dave stared at her.

“You knew?”

“Yes.”

“When?”

“This morning.”

Dave couldn't believe it.

“So you already had their approval?”

Amber nodded.

Dave sat down.

“Why didn't you tell me?”

“Because I wanted to know whether you would support the decision or only criticize it.”

Dave looked at her.

“That isn't fair.”

“Maybe not.”

Amber picked up the agreement.

“But it's my decision.”

Dave looked at the papers one more time.

Then he noticed a clause near the bottom.

“Hold on.”

He pointed at it.

“This says your ten percent can increase if certain conditions are met.”

Amber smiled.

“Exactly.”

Dave's eyes widened.

“So the ten percent isn't necessarily the final number?”

“No.”

“You negotiated performance-based increases?”

“Yes.”

Dave slowly leaned back.

Now he understood.

Amber hadn't simply accepted ten percent.

She had deliberately structured the agreement so that the initial percentage could grow if the project reached specific milestones.

Dave looked genuinely stunned.

“You planned all of this?”

Amber nodded.

“I told you. I wanted to do something for myself.”

Dave remained quiet.

After several seconds, he finally said:

“I underestimated you.”

Amber looked at him.

“That's all I wanted you to realize.”

Dave smiled faintly.

“But there's still one thing I don't understand.”

“What?”

“Why ten percent?”

Amber looked down at the agreement.

“Because I didn't want to fight over a number.”

She looked back at him.

“I wanted to prove that I could create value.”

Dave nodded slowly.

“And now?”

“Now I have a starting point.”

The conversation seemed to be ending peacefully.

But then Dave's phone received another notification.

He looked at the screen.

His expression suddenly changed.

Amber noticed.

“What is it?”

Dave didn't answer.

“Dave?”

He turned the phone toward her.

There was another message.

“The 10% agreement is only the beginning. Amber doesn't know what happens after the next milestone.”

Amber's smile disappeared.

“What does that mean?”

Dave shook his head.

“I don't know.”

She took the phone and read the message again.

Then she looked at Dave.

“Who sent it?”

Dave stared at the screen.

“No name.”

Amber's expression became serious.

“So someone knows about my deal.”

Dave nodded.

“And apparently, they know more about it than we do.”

Amber slowly closed the folder.

“What if this wasn't just a business opportunity?”

Dave looked at her.

“What do you mean?”

Amber whispered:

“What if someone wanted me to sign this deal for another reason?”

Dave stood up.

“Then we need to find out who.”

Amber nodded.

The ten-percent deal that had started as Amber's boldest business decision suddenly looked like the beginning of something much bigger.

Dave was stunned by the deal.

But neither of them realized that the real shock was still waiting for them.

Because somewhere behind the agreement was a secret clause…

And when that clause was finally revealed, Amber's entire plan could change.