"This software will allow them to generate images at faster speeds and provide image search in Google with the sa speed as they have now for normal search," Aric said.
"And this makes them want to buy your software for more than 2 billion dollars?" Uncle Kurien asked.
"Yes, because it will make Google the forefront of image compression. Google isn’t known for this kind of software, and thus this will allow them to enter the image compression industry, making companies like Adobe owe Google a favor," Aric said. They didn’t know how big Adobe was, but they could guess it was another big company.
"You seem very confident about this software," Aric’s father asked. He hadn’t seen his son this confident before. Or at least he hadn’t noticed it.
"I know the worth of the software. And I know it will sell for around 3 to 4 billion dollars," Aric replied with more confidence and finality. Uncle Kurien and Aric’s father looked at this young man in awe. He was speaking about such a huge amount of money like it was nothing. This was outrageous. There was a small silence in the room, only filled with the soft humming of the fan that was revolving slowly overhead.
Spring had slowly been creeping in, and the overhead fan was like a lukewarm breeze.
"You do realize how big that amount is, don’t you?" Aric’s father asked.
"Yes. And it will be in your na," Aric said. This made Aric’s father blush a bit in embarrassnt. Aric had never seen his father blush, even when Mom kissed him in front of everyone once. (Indian families aren’t known for intimacy in public or in front of anyone in general.)
But this statent made him proud and embarrassed.
"I am not taking the money. It will always be in your na. You can go for higher studies and study in Europe or the USA, or wherever there are good universities," Aric’s father said.
"Dad, are you a bit crazy? The money I will receive will be enough for my lifeti even if I quit studies tomorrow. I don’t care about money. We will soon move to Europe after I finish my Class 10th," Aric said.
"We?" Aric’s father had a question in his voice.
"Yes, WE! There is almost nobody here whom we can trust and be safe with. I am sorry, but except for the grandparents, the other uncles and aunts are just leeches and will conspire against us once they know we have loads of money. Dad, you must not speak of the money we have to anyone. Speaking to Mother about it is fine, but not a soul outside. And Uncle Kurien, your native ho is in Kerala, right?"
"Uh.. Yes.. My father ca here for the carpentry shop and I was raised here," Uncle Kurien said.
"Then with the money you will receive in the negotiations, you should move to your state or any other state for that matter. I am sure you would love to give your daughter a better life, and you can’t give it in the town we live. You can move to Mumbai too, but I advise you not to, as this place can swallow all the money if you are not careful enough. And also, never speak of the deal. I will make sure that the deal is never made public, and when it is, it will be under a pseudonym. Since I am a minor, I will ask for the privacy laws of minors. I know there are none, but I am sure we can find so loopholes and make Google use another na to cover mine," Aric said. Both of them were now dumbfounded. They wanted to say that he was too young to speak and decide for the elders, but then again, this person was now the richest among them or at least about to be.
"We can’t leave the ho behind. What will happen to the land we bought? No. We have friends and relatives here," Aric’s father protested.
"We will discuss this again after I finish Class 10. How about that?" Aric said. He didn’t want to argue against his father, and it was better to show them through actions. Aric’s father wanted to say more but stopped. This was a headache for the future, and at the mont, they needed to finish the deal, which would take so days from the looks of it.
The three then sat, and Aric spoke about the software. Uncle Kurien actually advised being removed from the negotiations, as it would be better to have proper lawyers for Aric, but he refused. He didn’t need legal counsel when he had Mira with him.
Mira had already gone through all the laws of the country and international laws, so Uncle Kurien was there only to ensure that a lawyer was present, not because Aric needed help in this regard.
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"Welco back. I hope you had a good sleep. Are you staying nearby?" Eric asked once Aric was back. This ti, his father and Uncle Kurien were dressed better than the previous day. They were very casual yesterday, but they couldn’t repeat that today.
"No. It’s a bit far," Aric replied.
"Then why don’t you move to this hotel? I am sure the traveling distance will be minimized due to this, as the negotiations might go on for so days. Google will pay for all the expenses," Eric said.
"We will think about it," Aric smiled and replied. Soon, they sat opposite each other, and unlike the previous day, there were more people present, including so natives. Probably the lawyers representing Google from the Indian side.
Probably from a big law firm.
"This is the new deal we chalked up yesterday," Eric said as he forwarded it to Uncle Kurien, who was now officially representing Aric. When he saw the amount today, he was surprised that Aric’s words had co true, and it was 4 billion dollars with the sa conditions from yesterday.
After taking a look, he gave it to Aric to see, as he was the actual boss today.
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