CEO Calls The Waitress A Liar About Speaking 9 Languages — Until Three Words Leave Him Silent
Chapter 7
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The silence in Aurelia was a living thing, thick and heavy. Every eye was on Elara. Mr. Dubois had stopped dead in his tracks, his mouth a perfect 'O' of horror. Richard Thorne stood half-risen from his chair, his face a mottled patchwork of confusion and fury.But Elara's attention was fixed on the two epicenters of the blast she had just detonated: the table of German investors and Julian Sterling.The lead investor, Mr. Adler, was the first to recover. He slowly placed his napkin on the table, his eyes never leaving Elara's. He spoke to her in German, his voice low but carrying the clear authority of a man used to making billion-dollar decisions: "It appears we have something important to discuss."He gestured to an empty chair at their table.This was an unprecedented breach of restaurant etiquette, but the rules of Aurelia no longer seemed to apply. Elara gave a slight nod, her heart hammering against her ribs. She was operating on pure adrenaline. She walked the few steps to their table and sat, her back straight, a surreal sense of calm settling over her.From the corner of her eye, she saw Dubois make a move to intervene, but a sharp, almost imperceptible shake of the head from Mr. Adler stopped him cold."You have an advantage over us, Fräulein..." Adler prompted."Vance. Elara Vance.""Fräulein Vance," he continued, switching to flawless, lightly accented English for the benefit of the room. "You have overheard our private concerns regarding a deal with CyberCore. Concerns our own advisers assured us were unfounded." He exchanged a dark look with his partners. "You understood not just our words, but their context, the urgency. Tell me, what is your position at this fine establishment?"The question was a test. He knew she was a waitress; he wanted to see how she would answer."Tonight, sir, I am a server," Elara replied, her voice even. "But my profession is language."A flicker of deep respect appeared in Adler's eyes. "Indeed." He turned his gaze toward Julian Sterling's table. It was a look that could freeze fire. "Mr. Sterling, my name is Klaus Adler of Adler-Schmidt Investments. We were scheduled to sign a half-billion-dollar technology integration deal with your competitor, CyberCore, tomorrow morning. A deal, it now appears, that contains catastrophic hidden liabilities."Julian Sterling finally found his voice. It was strained, tight. "Mr. Adler, I... I was unaware."