I think you missed the point. Any negotiation, from the point of view of the author, was a negative and unfair outcome.

He had paid to rent the space for a particular purpose. He had already compromised by allowing a portion of the space to be less than ideal for his use. The other side was demanding “completely our way and nothing for you” given fabricated reasons.

He did not care to understand because he could tell the reasons were not legitimate.

No was the right answer and to call the manager’s bluff. He does t make the final decision, the owner does.