Single Dad Was Hired as a Temp Driver — Then the CEO Heard Him Talk to Foreign Investors
Chapter 3
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The temporary Driver badge rested against Daniel's gray jacket. The three investors were watching him with respect. Grant looked as though the morning had suddenly stopped following the schedule he had prepared.Victoria took one slow step toward Daniel. "Mr. Carter," she said, "what exactly did you just say to them?""I told them that a contract can define responsibility, but it cannot force people to trust each other," Daniel said.Victoria Bennett held his gaze, waiting for more. Daniel glanced toward Chairman Watanabe before continuing: "They are not preparing to leave because of the financial terms. They believe your company has misunderstood what they have been asking for."Grant Mercer stepped forward. "Victoria, with respect, we should take this upstairs. The advisers are waiting.""Were they planning to leave?" Victoria asked Daniel. The question was quiet enough to make Grant stop talking.Daniel did not exaggerate. "They were discussing leaving before noon."Victoria turned to Watanabe. "Is that true?"Watanabe gave a measured nod. "It was our intention."For several seconds, the noise of downtown Chicago seemed strangely distant behind the glass walls. Victoria had spent months preparing an $800 million partnership, yet the first person to tell her it was collapsing had been hired to drive a Lincoln Navigator."Come upstairs with us," she said.Grant blinked. "Victoria—""That was not a suggestion."Daniel looked toward the vehicle. "I am supposed to remain available for transportation.""You are available," Victoria replied. "Just 38 floors higher."The elevator ride began in silence. Daniel stood near the back while Victoria watched the numbers climb above the doors. At the 21st floor, she finally asked, "Where did you learn Japanese?""I spent time overseas.""Doing what?""Different work.""That is becoming your favorite answer."Daniel almost smiled. "It has been useful this morning."Victoria studied him, but she did not push. There was something unusual about a man who clearly knew more than he wanted anyone to know; most people around her worked hard to make their accomplishments visible, while Daniel seemed to have spent years doing the opposite.When the elevator opened on the 38th floor, a long conference room waited beyond a wall of glass overlooking Lake Michigan. Twelve executives sat around a polished walnut table beside legal advisers, translators, and neatly arranged folders. Grant moved toward his usual chair; Daniel remained near the door."Mr. Carter stays," Victoria said.One attorney looked confused. "The driver?""The man who understood our guests when we did not."Daniel felt every eye move toward the temporary badge on his jacket. He had learned long ago that rooms could judge a person before hearing a single sentence; he had also learned that arguing with those rooms rarely changed them.Victoria opened a thick contract binder and turned several pages. "There is one governance provision our advisers have been discussing with Chairman Watanabe's team for three weeks. Every translation has been checked. Every legal definition has been reviewed. They still say we are missing the point." She pushed the binder across the table.Grant lowered his voice. "This is confidential material."