CEO Calls The Waitress A Liar About Speaking 9 Languages — Until Three Words Leave Him Silent
Chapter 14
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He leaned forward, his hands flat on the granite. "I am offering you a position, Elara. Not as a translator—that would be an insult. I am creating a new division: the Department of Strategic Communication. You would be its head. You would report only to me. You would have oversight on all international ventures. Your compensation..."He named a figure that was not just life-changing; it was dynasty-building. It was a number designed to overwhelm, to obliterate any possible refusal. It was the key to a kingdom she had never even dreamed of entering. It was Leo's future, secured forever. It was the ultimate vindication.And as she looked into his intense, expectant eyes, she heard Adler's parting words whisper in her ear:"Don't let him buy you for the price of glass."He was offering her a golden cage, however comfortable."No," she said.The word was quiet, but it landed with the force of a physical blow. Julian Sterling, a man who could move markets with a single phone call, stared at her, utterly nonplussed. For the second time in twenty-four hours, she had rendered him speechless."No?" he finally managed, his voice a hoarse whisper. "Did you misunderstand the number?""I understood it perfectly," she replied, and for the first time, she allowed a small, sharp smile to touch her lips. A surge of exhilarating power, pure and clean, coursed through her. "But you seem to be operating under a misapprehension, Mr. Sterling. You believe this is a transaction. You think you can assuage your guilt and acquire my talent in a single line item on your budget. But my forgiveness is not for sale, and my skill set is not for hire. Not in that way."She stood up, gathering her things with a deliberate calm. She was his equal in this room, and they both knew it."I will not be your employee. I will not be a part of your corporate hierarchy, subject to the politics and the paranoia that you yourself just described. If you wish to retain my services, you will do so on my terms."A dangerous light returned to his eyes—the familiar glint of a predator faced with a challenge. "And what are your terms?"