"I Need a Translator Now!" the Panicked Billionaire Yelled — But the Maid Surprised Him!
Chapter 2
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At exactly 10:00, Kenji Moriyama walked in. He was small and slightly stooped, with white hair and a dark suit, and he walked with a carved wooden cane. Beside him was his granddaughter, Yuki, who spoke some English, and two family advisers. Mr. Moriyama himself spoke only Japanese.The meeting began politely. Yuki translated simple greetings. Conrad smiled, shook hands, and slid the contract across the table. He spoke confidently about expansion, investment, and modernization.Mr. Moriyama listened without expression. Then he opened the Japanese version of the contract and began to read: slowly, page by page.The room was silent for almost ten minutes. Conrad tapped his pen against the table.Then Mr. Moriyama stopped reading. He set the pages down very gently. He said something quietly in Japanese to his granddaughter.Yuki's face changed. She answered him, and they spoke back and forth for a minute, low and serious. One of the advisers began gathering his papers."Is there a problem?" Conrad asked.Yuki hesitated. Her English wasn't strong enough for what her grandfather was saying. "My grandfather says," she began carefully, "this would be very difficult."Conrad relaxed slightly. "Difficult? Fine. We can work through difficult. Let's talk about the numbers."Then he did something he would regret for a long time. He leaned forward and said, loudly and slowly, as if volume would cross the language barrier, "Tell him we can increase the offer by 50 million."Mr. Moriyama looked at him. Then he picked up his cane. His advisers stood.Yuki looked miserable. Conrad's lawyer whispered, "Conrad, I think they're leaving."Conrad's composure finally broke. He stood and slapped his hand on the table. "I need a translator now! Somebody find me a translator who can tell me what is going on!"The room went silent.And from the corner, behind the coffee cart, a quiet voice said, "Sir, he isn't talking about money."Every head turned.Hana Wilder stood very still, holding a coffee pot, her cheeks bright red.Conrad stared at her. "What did you say?"Hana set down the pot and took a small step forward. "Mr. Moriyama didn't say the price was difficult. In Japanese business culture, saying something would be very difficult is often a polite way of saying no. He's not negotiating, sir. He's leaving. And it's not about the money."Conrad's lawyer frowned. "And how would you know that?"Hana took a breath. Then she turned to Mr. Moriyama, bowed deeply, and spoke to him in Japanese: not simple, careful phrases, but fluent, formal, respectful Japanese, the kind used to address an elder.The old man's eyebrows rose. He looked at her for a long moment. Then he answered her.They spoke for almost a minute. Yuki stared at Hana with her mouth slightly open.