@stefano
Wow. That manager’s behavior is beyond unacceptable. Sorry you had to deal with that.
If the owners are coming to you hat in hand, you can probably ask for some considerable concessions and assurances, like that guy being fired, even if you end up deciding not to renew, but still, it’s a bad outcome. People like that just ruin things around them, often for themselves, too.
I hope it all works out for the best.