Chapter 2
Three days later, Andrew dropped a new agreement right onto the dining table. "This is the patent renewal contract. Check it out."
I was in the middle of breakfast when I glanced at the document.
[Party A: Susan Nolan.
[Party B: LaneBio Group.
[Authorization Period: Ten years.
[Authorization Fee: 160,000 dollars per year.]
I almost choked on my toast. "Ten years? Only 160,000 dollars a year?"
"You used company equipment to develop those patents. I'm only giving you a licensing fee because we're married, " he said, snatching up his car keys.
"The company pulls in 300 million dollars a year from these patents, and all I get is five hundred thousand?"
He frowned. "Susan, don't push your luck. You're R&D. Without the company's resources and team, those pieces of paper wouldn't be worth anything."
A few sheets of paper, that's all.
He reduced three years of my sweat and tears to "a few sheets of paper".
"Sign it and leave it on my desk in the study," Andrew said, swinging the door open. "I've got some business to handle tonight, so don't wait up."
The door slammed shut behind him.
I flipped to the last page of the agreement.
Next to the signature line, there was a line of fine print: [Once you sign this, you can't license or transfer these patents to anyone else.]
I couldn't help but laugh.
Andrew must have thought I was a complete fool.
He wanted to lock me in for ten years, pay me peanuts, 160,000 dollars a year, and strip me of any say over my own patents.
This wasn't a licensing agreement.
This might as well be a slave contract.
I pulled out my phone, snapped a photo of the agreement, and sent it to Jessica Winters.
She was my college roommate, now a partner at Summit Legal Partners.
Three seconds later, my phone rang. Jessica asked, "Susan, is your husband out of his mind?"
"He's not crazy. He thinks I'm stupid," I replied.
"If you showed this to any legit lawyer, they'd throw it out in a heartbeat. Ten years of exclusive rights for 160,000 dollars a year? Your formula pulled in 300 million for LaneBio last year."
"I know."
"So what's your move? Seriously, you should..."
"Jessica, I've already made up my mind."
She paused for a moment. "What are you talking about?"
"I've already signed the contract with HarperTech Group."
There was a long silence on the other end, "How much?"
"One billion dollars. Bought out all three core patents."
"Susan." Jessica practically shrieked. "You... When did you..."
"Three days ago."
"You haven't told Andrew?"
"Not yet."
"So he's still pushing you to sign that renewal contract."
"Yeah, he has no idea the formulas his entire company depends on don't belong to him anymore."
Jessica took a few deep breaths on the other end. "Susan, you really don't mess around when you get ruthless."
"Ruthless?" I scoffed, gripping that 160,000-dollar-a-year slave contract. "He made 300 million dollars, handed 100 million to his mistress, and wanted to lock me down for ten years and throw me scraps. Tell me, who's the real savage here?"
"So when are you going to tell him?"
I flipped the agreement over and scribbled a line on the back. "When he finally begs me to sign it."
"And then?"
"Then I'll let him see he's lost everything."
After hanging up, I folded Andrew's agreement and slipped it into my bag.
No rush.
Let the show play out at its own pace.