The next morning, Matt was back at work bright and early. One thing that was clear to him; his VP of Sales, Tony, was the same irritating guy he was when Matt left. Tony had been Matt's boss for a few years and knew a lot about the aviation industry. He took pride in his industry experience and regularly reminded Matt of all the ways that he lacked experience and could improve. Matt struggled to connect with Tony and their work relationship was strained.

“Close the door behind you. I have some big news,” Tony said, as Matt followed the instructions and sat down, taking note of Tony's clean‐shaven, smug face. “You'll never believe this. While you were gone, one of your biggest clients, Thrive Airlines, reached out.”

“What?!” Matt responded, almost falling out of his seat.

“They wanted to follow up with you on the engines. They want to come in two weeks to see the engines in person.” Matt's heart dropped. The engines were not yet ready for market.

“That's great news… .” Matt sighed. “But we still haven't received an ‘all‐clear’ test rating for those engines yet. We might as well tell them to save their time, because they can't acquire them without the passed test.”

Tony grinned widely. “I haven't told you the great news yet.” He paused for dramatic effect, looked down at Matt, and changed the pitch of his voice. “Let's just say … I know a few people over at the inspection office. I made a few phone calls and we're all set.”

“Wait, what? So they're all good to go?” Matt asked. “I can't believe all this happened while I was gone!”

“Well, they're not necessarily ready to go, but the inspection reports now say that they're ready to go.” Tony winked.

Matt's lips flatlined and his eyebrows dipped. “Wait … the engines have not actually cleared inspection, but we received a certificate saying that they passed?”

“Yes, sir!” Tony replied strongly. “We can now sell them.”

“Wow,” Matt replied, lost for words.

“Is that all you got? ‘Wow’? This sale could be life changing for you, me, and the entire company. If Thrive Airlines buys our engines for their fleet, this will be the biggest sale in company history!” Matt already knew the implications of this sale. It would bring Turnbow around seventy‐two million dollars in revenue, and Matt alone would get a gross commission of $7 million. This type of sales opportunity generally comes around only once in a lifetime. Matt's mind raced. This would be his big break. He could escape the rat race. He could spend more time with his family. He would finally be on par with his brother. He thought about how proud Jerry would be. But he also wondered what would happen if he found out they agreed to sell the engines to a client knowing that the complete protocol had not been followed.

“Surely my own grandpa wouldn't be that upset. I mean, I would be bringing in seventy‐two million dollars for the company. He wouldn't be mad at me, right?”

Tony shook his head. “Of course not. Jerry is an amazing guy, one of the best around, but at the end of the day, he's a businessman just like you and me. He wouldn't want us to pass up an opportunity as good as this.”

Matt had spent the entirety of his professional career trying to position himself to make a sale of this magnitude. Thrive Airlines was excited about buying the engines because it would mean significant fuel efficiency for their planes. The company was a major player in the airline industry and the new engines Turnbow had created were cutting edge. Yet Matt didn't feel good about making a big decision like this without the counsel of his grandfather. Matt knew that Jerry was one of the most forthright and honorable men he had ever knew. If Matt told him about this, Jerry might say to wait until they got a passed test result and Matt might lose the deal. If he didn't tell him, he could always move forward with the sale and ask for forgiveness later.

Matt thought about his travel schedule and how much time he would be able to spend with family if he could just bring in more money. A $7 million commission check would change Matt's world and would allow him to retire early like his brother. With all that money, he wouldn't have to report to his controlling boss for every decision he makes. He could do his own thing, invest his money, live off the interest, and consult in his free time.

“You need to start preparing for Thrive Airlines,” Tony said. “They'll be here in two weeks and we need to put on a great show. The information I shared with you can't leave this room. Understood?”

“Understood.”

As Matt opened the door to leave, Tony yelled, “Have a great night, money bags!” Matt pretty much danced out of the room, knowing he was about to be set for life.