America 1982-Chapter 162 - 59: The Contact Meeting_2

Jim Manzi likewise waved his hand dismissively, "Robert, this isn’t a courtroom, just informal chat, since after the meeting both companies will exchange each other’s testimonies and evidence. Let me have a friendly chat with this Mr. Tommy Hawk."

After he spoke, he turned to Tommy, choosing his words carefully and slowing down his speech, his face full of sincerity, "Mr. Tommy Hawk, we are not here to discuss biology with you. We see that your company has done many things beneficial to society, such as helping women gain employment and providing computer training services to those with lower education, and so on. We come with sincerity. Mr. Mitch Kapor, the absent Jonathan, and I are all heartened by the work your company has done. Would you mind discussing these matters?"

Mitch Kapor, Robert Molley, and other attending Lotus attorneys all showed surprised expressions, clearly not expecting Jim’s words.

Tommy caught Delia pausing for a moment while flipping through her notebook and then looked at Jim with a smile, "I do mind, because while you always express satisfaction, you have never donated to support us. That’s the main reason we have only met now. If you truly want to understand everything, it’s simple; I will have the secretaries of those organizations provide donation accounts to you. Cash, checks, all are acceptable, and there is no limit to the amount. At that time, I’d be very willing to talk to you about charity, but not now, because you’re not a sponsor."

Jim rubbed his lips with his palm. This guy named Tommy Hawk was truly like himself, an undeniable bastard. His sincere inquiry had been met with nothing but disgusting answers.

"Mr. Mitch Kapor, I saw some news recently. You were in the newspaper headlines. Many women outside of Lotus Corporation were reminding you—I guess they were reminding you to do the right thing, not the wrong thing." Tommy always kept his eyes on Mitch Kapor, even when responding to Jim, always gauging his expression. When Jim showed a hint of bewilderment, Tommy immediately continued to press Mitch.

Mitch Kapor, with his fingers intertwined, spoke calmly, "History tells us those who truly do wrong will be punished in the end."

"That sounds like the history courses at Massachusetts Institute of Technology are different from those at Stanford University because the history books I’ve read told me that the Native Americans didn’t do anything wrong, yet those who truly did wrong, after killing off the Native Americans, became the most powerful nation in the world." Tommy Hawk looked at Mitch Kapor:

"Didn’t I just suggest Mr. Mitch Kapor to donate to charity? Now, I think it’s unnecessary. Instead, you could donate some money to MIT to update their history books, to prevent misleading the young."

"So does Actor Corporation think it should do such a thing?" Jim Manzi tried to shift Tommy’s focus back onto himself since he didn’t know how much longer Mitch could tolerate such a scholarly humiliation.

Tommy looked innocently at Jim, "Actor Corporation has not scalped Software Arts Company. As for who the murderer is, I think everyone here knows very well."

"Tommy... may I call you Tommy? I feel that you have a strong aversion to us. You might have thought the contact meeting would be full of lawyers asking all kinds of tricky questions in a queue, but we did not come prepared to do so. We just want to talk peacefully and understand each other better. Maybe the previous problems were only due to a lack of communication between us."

"Soviet Union." Tommy’s eyes were fixed on Mitch, and a single word escaped his lips.

Jim was taken aback, "What?"

"The Soviet Union, do you think the misunderstandings between the United States and the Soviet Union were due to a lack of communication, Mr. Jim Manzi? You’ve been to the Soviet Union, so you have a lot to say on this." Suddenly, Tommy’s gaze shifted to Jim Manzi, asking with a smile.

Jim found himself at a loss for words. This question was difficult to answer. All the talk about having a peaceful conversation was nonsense. From the moment they sat down up to now, every question was aimed at attacking each other as much as possible and keeping a written record to use as a weapon in court, to attack the opposition before the judge and the jury.

He had a slew of explanations for the conflicts between the United States and the Soviet Union and could have kept it simple, but if he wasn’t mistaken, this would definitely become a weapon for the opposing side to attack the judge and jury in court, likely likening Actor Corporation to an open United States and Lotus Corporation to a Soviet Union opposed to freedom, to garner sympathy. He couldn’t give them that opportunity.

"I believe the misunderstanding between the two American companies is due to a lack of communication. As for the details of the question you just asked, Tommy, the National Review has a 150,000-word report that can inform you," Jim said after thinking for a moment.

"Mr. Mitch Kapor, Actor Corporation had taken the initiative to communicate with you. What I’m curious about is, why didn’t you respond? Do you remember the version of OSS we were testing? After a Lotus 1-2-3 user from Stanford University finished testing it, they excitedly sent it to you," Tommy still fixed his gaze on Mitch Kapor as he asked.

Mitch Kapor frowned slightly but nodded honestly, "Lotus did indeed receive that software, but I thought it was just the personal action of a user, so, I did not think it was a response from Actor Corporation."

"Of course, speaking of communication, if you all were truly sincere, I think Actor Corporation should have received a phone call, not just a lawyer’s letter straight away," Tommy said, looking at Mitch, his speech suddenly quickening, "We are sitting here communicating, which is what you, Mr. Mitch Kapor, wanted to see, right? Just like the way you resolved unpleasant encounters with some classmates in high school. You like to communicate, but only in front of the dean or the principal. You would like to see those guys who stripped you to your underwear in the classroom, or who helped to write ’HelloGirl’ with a marker on a certain organ during your first date, bow and scrape to you out of fear of the principal..."

Tommy had already finished a long speech before Robert could interrupt.

"I remind you..."

"No need to remind me, Counselor," Tommy turned to look at Robert Molley, "You are free to record this, and be sure to sue me for defamation if I’m lying or making things up."

Tommy then continued, his eyes fixed tightly on Mitch Kapor, and said with a smile, "This is the kind of communication you wanted, isn’t it, Mr. Mitch Kapor? You may find, after exchanging some of the testimonies later, that those high school classmates have very different memories of those incidents that affect your mood. My lawyer has thoughtfully organized them for you."

Mitch Kapor’s face revealed a deep anger, but he managed to keep his composure.

Jim let out a slight sigh of relief, looked toward Tommy, and tried to draw the fire onto himself, "Tommy, the definition of communication and sincerity is..."

"I know what it is, and to tell you honestly, I think that’s the best definition of sincere communication," Tommy smoothly turned to Jim Manzi, his gaze gleaming:

"By the way, Mr. Jim Manzi, did you know? A woman whom our Actor Corporation helped actually claimed that you had fun with her and her companion in California without paying. Unfortunately for you, during an investigation, our lawyers discovered that you seemed to have sold some lunar land to farmers in Montana back in your college days. Don’t worry, I know these matters are irrelevant to the case at hand. Besides, after the Fraternity got wind of this, they are contacting those poor people to help provide compensation," Tommy noted as Jim Manzi’s complexion subtly changed.

With a smile, Tommy looked back at Mitch Kapor, slightly spreading his arms:

"This is what I’m talking about, the three things that Actor has always insisted on: sincerity, communication, and doing the right thing."