Five years ago, you borrowed money from three friends to subsidize your company's domestic growth and your global expansion. You made an agreement (contract) with them stating that you will repay them over the course of 10 years. They are concerned that the employee lawsuits will hurt your company's reputation and profitability. They tell you that you need to accelerate your repayment plan to them and get them paid within the next 18 month, which is 3 years early.