The day finally came for Matt to meet with representatives from Thrive Airlines. They were a huge company whose cheap flight options and great service were a hit with air travelers. They had experienced a 40 percent increase in revenue from the previous year and were continuously seeking ways to increase profitability. With their focus on fuel‐efficient engines, they believed Turnbow Technologies had the perfect product—and matched what they were looking for. This was a perfect partnership.

Matt and Tony were able to meet with the CEO of Thrive Airlines, Jade Morgan, who had helped build Thrive Airlines from the ground up. Matt showed Jade the groundbreaking technology that created the fuel‐efficient engines. Many other airlines had told Matt that their new technology wouldn't work, and had expressed concerns that the engines hadn't yet passed regulatory testing. But Jade was different. She really liked the technology and conveyed her interest in acquiring it; but without a passed test, she would not be able to sign off on her company buying the product. Matt wanted to keep this positive momentum going, so he assured Jade that they had the test results and he would send them over to her as soon as possible. Matt felt a twinge of discomfort as he noticed how easily the words had flowed from his mouth, yet he felt energized by the thought of getting the bonus of a lifetime.

When Matt walked into Tony's office after the meeting, he was smiling. “Jade mentioned that they need passed test results before they can make things official. When can you get me the certificate and results?” Matt asked

“It's only a call away,” Tony said arrogantly. “I told you my guy will take care of us, and he will.”

“Do you really think this will work? Using falsified test results? Don't you think …”

Tony interrupted, “It'll work, don't question me. I've been doing this much longer than you have. I'm a closer, and this is what I do. I make deals happen.”

Tony stood up, walked straight up to Matt, looked him up and down, then left his office. Matt was surprised that a senior leader like Tony—who had a decent amount of sales success in the past—would consider using false test results. Matt began to feel ashamed that he was even considering being part of it. He thought about what Randy had taught him. On one hand, he wanted to make a decision that would keep him from having any moral regrets later in life, but he also knew that $7 million would change his life completely. He could retire, travel, and spend time with his family, like his older brother. Matt's heart pumped fast at the prospect of having that type of money, but he also felt extreme anxiety about being involved in a scheme like this.

As Matt left Tony's office, Tony's receptionist said that the president of Thrive Airlines was very excited that they reported passing scores and would be flying back in with her engineering team in a few days to witness it for themselves. It usually took weeks before an entire team came to visit for the evaluation of a new technology, but this was such an important deal, it was their number one priority. Matt was proud and nervous all at the same time.

Three days later, Matt arrived at work at 4:30 a.m. Thrive Airlines was due to arrive at 9 a.m., and the team had a lot of preparation to do. Matt sat quietly in his office and thought long and hard about what was happening. He realized he would have to show the members of Thrive Airlines the engines with confidence, knowing that they had yet to pass regulatory tests.

Just as Matt began considering the idea of calling Jerry to let him know what was going on, Tony walked in. “Hey! Let's go downstairs. We need to go over a few things before they get here.” Matt followed Tony downstairs and they talked through scenarios. Tony said, “If they ask to see test results today, let them know that we are still waiting on the final document to be sent to us, but that we've been given verbal approval. Just tell them we're still waiting on it.”

“Got it,” Matt replied. Matt was a natural salesman and his high emotional intelligence helped him finish deals. He could read others like a book and knew how to please the people he was selling to. When the Thrive Airlines team arrived, Matt was prepared. He knew the Turnbow engine inside and out as well as all the other engines in his industry. He was confident that Thrive Airlines would move forward with their new product.

“Welcome to Turnbow!” Matt exclaimed as the Thrive Airlines management team walked into the building. “We are excited you are here!” Matt showed the team around the facility and introduced the engineers from both teams to each other. All the Thrive Airlines employees looked delighted. One of them spoke of their excitement to be the first in the industry to have this technology. It could save them millions if they were the first airline to roll it out effectively.

The team was in the building for more than ten hours that day, performing tests and screenings on the engines. Both the president and the engineers were amazed at the performance of the new engines. As Matt walked the Thrive Airlines team out of the building, Jade turned to Matt and said, “You'll be hearing from me soon.”

At 5:30 the following morning, Matt got a call from Jade. He expected to hear from her soon, but not this soon. He picked up his phone and left the bedroom.

“Sorry for the early phone call. Are you awake?” asked Jade.

“I am now,” Matt replied in a light tone. “Did your flight make it safely?

“Yes, it did.” Jade took in a deep breath as Matt tried hard to conceal his yawn. “I have some great news for you.” Matt started to feel sick. Jade said, “Our board has agreed to the two hundred fifty‐two million dollar price. We are ready to move forward in getting this deal done!” Matt's stomach dropped.

“That's great news!” Matt replied, almost not wanting it to be true.

“Well, it's a no‐brainer for us. We're all excited to be the first airline to implement this. Have your team get all the necessary paperwork ready, and your team can come to Thrive Airlines headquarters next week to sign everything and make it official. Our investors, board, and legal team agreed that as long as we have a copy of passed test results, we can move forward.”

“Great!” Matt replied, punching the air. “We'll have all of the paperwork ready by next week.”

Jade laughed. “Let's make history!”

Matt couldn't believe what had happened. His heart raced. Sweat poured from his forehead. He stared at the blank wall for a few minutes as thoughts raced through his mind. He had waited for a moment like this his entire career. It was all happening so fast.

Not sure what to do next, Matt woke Kendra and told her the news that he might be closing a really big sale. Kendra was excited for him, but something didn't seem right. “You don't look good,” she said. “Are you feeling okay?”

“Yes, I'm terrific,” Matt replied. “I'm just tired and this deal is really stressful. There are some decisions I'll have to make that might not be the best, but they'll bring in a lot of money for our family.”

Kendra stopped Matt quickly and said, “I don't care about money. I'd rather you be there for the kids. I want you to do the right thing, so you can sleep at night. Please don't make a decision based only on money. I love you.” Kendra rolled over and drifted back to sleep. Matt stayed wide awake for the 30 remaining minutes until his alarm went off.

Later that morning, Matt burst into Tony's office.

“Do you like the smell of money?” Tony said, pressing a $20 bill to his nose.

Matt nodded slowly, and sat down.

“Good. Let's go get rich!” Matt was shaking, again. “What's wrong?” Tony wondered. Matt found it difficult to respond.

“I don't know if I can do this deal. I'm having second thoughts.” Matt stared at the floor. “What would my grandpa think?”

Tony pulled up a chair next to Matt. “Your grandpa is a businessman. He's had to make tough decisions in order to keep this company afloat.” Tony put his large bear paw of a hand on Matt's shoulder. “If you make this deal, your grandpa will be proud of you. After all, you're bringing in a lot of money. This will be huge for your career and for the company.”

Matt was stuck. He didn't know what to say. All he could muster was that $7 million was a lot of money.

“Exactly. Now let's do this darn thing!” Tony said.

Matt conceded, and a few hours later his team boarded a plane to head to Thrive Airlines headquarters. During the entire flight, Matt worried about what he should do. He considered his grandpa. What would he think of him? Even though Matt didn't see his grandpa as often as he would like, he couldn't think of a better person to emulate, and he wanted to make him proud. Somewhere deep down, despite the promise of all that money, he knew that his grandpa wouldn't do this. Then Matt thought about his family. Legally, if he were to get caught doing this, he could be in serious trouble. What would that mean for his family? He could be arrested for fraud—for participating in a scheme to falsify testing data—and worse yet, for jeopardizing the lives of the airlines’ future passengers. Even worse, what if he made the sale and a plane crashed because of falsified test reports? Matt thought back to all the times he had met with Randy. Randy challenged him to make decisions that he would be proud of 20 years from now. Matt knew that he would not be proud of his actions if he went along with the plan, even if he was set for life financially. As the plane landed, Matt came to a decision.