39 That's A Grave Mistake
My boots clicked off the floor of the Red Phoenix Bank's lobby as I walked in. I was here for the last important thing I needed to do before zooming off to Monaco. Get my loan.
I walked up to the receptionist who greeted with a rehearsed smile before pointing to the appropriate floor where Mr. Smith's office was located.
Mr. Smith was the comrcial loan officer I would be eting today.
I gave her a polite nod before moving to the elevator. As it climbed upward, I checked myself out on the reflective surface in front of .
Right now, I look like one of those spies from Hollywood movies. I had co dressed in a fitted suit and had a briefcase with . Inside the briefcase were all the docunts I'd prepared for this eting.
I had the Cooper Real Estate's financials, my proof of collateral, Sunset Inn's business plan and so more. Everything was in order. All I needed was the cash I needed to turn Sunset Inn from concept to concrete.
I reached Mr. Smith's office floor and walked in to find his secretary working at her desk.
"Ah, Mr Voss. Welco." His secretary greeted . "I'm afraid you'd have to wait a bit before the appointnt. Mr. Smith is in an urgent eting."
"Of course." I smiled at her. "I'll wait."
"Thank you, sir. You can have a seat." She said, gesturing to the waiting area. I sat, checking my watch. I had indeed arrived a few minutes early. At least their seats were very comfortable.
I waited patiently till the scheduled ti for my eting ticked by. Still no Mr. Smith. I glanced at his office door frowning while wondering what this urgent eting could be about.
Before long it was five minutes. Then it was ten, then fifteen. I don't know about you but my patience was gradually wearing thin. It wasn't like I was here for a routine visit. I was here to bring my ideas to life, to bring Sunset Inn one step closer to reality. I glanced at the secretary, clearing my throat. "Is Mr. Smith available yet?"
She looked apologetic and on her face was the exhaustion of soone who'd had to deal with questions like mine all morning. 15:31
She looked apologetic and on her face was the exhaustion of soone who'd had to deal with questions like mine all morning. "I'm terribly sorry, Mr. Voss." She said. "Mr. Smith's eting is running longer than expected. It's a very urgent matter. I'm afraid he'll need you to wait just a bit longer."
I clenched my fist, holding back my irritation. It was unprofessional, yes, but I'd give Smith a final chance. I settled back, deciding to wait a little longer. But as the minutes dragged on, fifteen minutes turning to thirty and thirty turning to forty, my patience dried up. My ti wasn't ant for sitting in lobbies, waiting to be rembered. This wasn't how business was supposed to be conducted.
I stood up to cancel my appointnt. It would be better to take my business elsewhere. But then I paused. What if Smith had actually been in a eting where his job was on the line?
My mind went back to a day I'd had a eting with an investor but had been delayed by a bug that threatened to end my app before it even began. I had sweated to fix it but by the ti I got to the eting, the investor was gone.
That day, I'd lost both users and investors, leading to the failure of my app. Due to my experience, I decided to give Smith the benefit of the doubt.
Just as I was about to tell the secretary to reschedule, the office door opened. Smith walked out, laughing jovially with none other than Wang Tae Bin, the rising tech sensation and founder of Walk Shop. I recognized him instantly. It would be hard not to when the man's face was plastered in every business magazine worth their salt.
His company, Walk Shop, was pioneering the AI scene, dominating markets with algorithms that crafted personalized recomndations for every corner of the web, be it shopping, news, holiday hotspots, etc. His company was currently valued at twenty-three billion and climbing while his net worth was currently a whopping seven billion dollars.
Smith and Wang shook each other's hands outside the door laughing like they were close buddies. "You made the right choice, Mr. Wang." Smith said. "Red Phoenix Bank is honored to finance your new private jet. You get to keep your cash liquid for your other business opportunities plus the tax benefits from accelerated depreciation on business aircraft."
Wang grinned, his voice carrying easily over the secretary's desk. "Nothing like having the best of both worlds, eh, Roy?"
I exchanged an incredulous stare with the secretary who kept her face blank.
Roy Smith noticed then and his eyes widened in realization. "Oh, Mr. Voss." He said, checking his watch. "We had an appointnt didn't we?" Wang noticed , too, looking up and down before dismissing . Unlike , he was wearing casual clothes. Hoodies and jeans. He smirked, his eyes narrowing in smug amusent. "Well," he chuckled, giving Smith a playful nudge, "it's not a bad thing for him to wait, is it? After all, we both know where the real priority is."
Smith laughed along with him but I could see a flicker of discomfort in his eyes as he looked my way. But he didn't disagree. That laugh grated against like sandpaper.
At that mont, I was actually impressed with my self control. It took everything I had to stay composed. I felt a fire ignite in , burning hot beneath the calm face I was putting on. I had been ignored, cast aside because a billionaire wanted a private jet and needed a loan for tax benefits?
My fists were clenched painfully tight, my nails digging into my palm. At this point, I don't think the anger was just because of this.
No. It was an accumulation of the anger I felt from being deed as being of lesser importance my whole life. Not just this life of being Nico Voss but also the life I've lived back on earth.
"Mr. Smith." I said. Both Smith and Wang took a half step back from the look in my eyes.
"If this is how Red Phoenix Bank treats its custors, then I'd rather take my business elsewhere. No custor, not even a holess person, should be kept waiting because of a misplaced sense of importance."
Wang stared at for a mont before laughing as if a man like speaking up in the presence of a billionaire was so sort of personal joke. He smirked and he gave Smith a look that practically scread, 'Who does this guy think he is?'
But Smith didn't argue. He didn't apologize, either. He simply looked at with a passive expression, one that told everything I needed to know about my standing in his eyes.
I gave him one last look then turned on my heel and walked out of the office. The fire inside kept burning, reminding of why I was here in the first place. One father and seven step sisters. I had to climb over them.
I ntally added Wang Tae Bin to the list. One day, I'd make him realize that the one who laughs last, laughs best. He'd learn firsthand that underestimating soone on their way up was a grave mistake.
Reviews
All reviews (0)