CEO Calls The Waitress A Liar About Speaking 9 Languages — Until Three Words Leave Him Silent
Chapter 8
Theme:
Font Size:
24px
"Clearly," Adler said dryly. He looked back at Elara Vance. "Your intervention has potentially saved my firm from financial ruin. I find myself in your debt."Richard Thorne, finally grasping the magnitude of what was happening, saw his opportunity to deflect blame. "This is an outrage! This girl has violated your privacy! She should be arrested! Julian, do something!"Sterling shot Thorne a look so venomous it could have curdled milk. "Be quiet, Richard."He stood up, his 6'3" frame seeming to shrink under the weight of his public misjudgment. He walked over to the investors' table, stopping a respectful distance away. He did not look at Adler; he looked at Elara."Miss Vance," he said, and the arrogance was gone, replaced by a raw, unfamiliar note of humility. "I owe you an apology. I was arrogant, dismissive, and profoundly wrong. My behavior was inexcusable."The public apology, delivered in front of his peers and a room full of strangers, was a powerful gesture, but Elara was not ready to absolve him. She simply met his gaze and held it, her silence more potent than any words.Sterling swallowed, then turned to Adler. "Mr. Adler, my company, Sterling Industries, is also in the AI integration space. We are CyberCore's chief competitor. I believe we can offer you a partnership built on transparency and integrity—qualities your current prospective partners clearly lack. And I can assure you, our contracts have no hidden insolvency risks."It was a brilliant, audacious move: turning a moment of personal humiliation into a massive business opportunity.Adler considered him for a long moment, his expression unreadable. "Your timing is opportunistic, Mr. Sterling," Adler said. "But your greatest asset at this moment is not your technology. It is her."He nodded toward Elara."I will agree to a preliminary meeting tomorrow on one condition: Fräulein Vance must be present as a consultant for my firm. We will, of course, compensate her at a rate appropriate for someone who can prevent a nine-figure disaster."The room, which had been buzzing with whispers, fell silent again. A waitress hired on the spot as a high-level consultant—it was the stuff of fantasy.Elara felt a dizzying wave of vertigo. Her life was tilting on its axis. An hour ago, she was worried about a $700 physical therapy bill; now, a German billionaire was offering her a consulting fee that was likely more than her annual salary.