Then Valentina leaned back in her chair, crossing her legs as she locked eyes with Crawford sitting across from her. Her expression remained unreadable, but her voice was sharp, precise.
"Firstly," she began again, her tone leaving no room for argunt,
"you are not the director of Sterling Design. You do not dictate how this company operates, nor do you decide the kind of risks we should or should not take."
She watched as his jaw tightened, but he said nothing.
"Secondly," she continued, "based on everything you’ve just said, it’s quite clear to that even you are aware of your own guilt—whether you admit it outright or not. The fact that you feel the need to justify, explain, and dismiss these allegations tells that you know there’s weight to them. And if there’s weight, there will be consequences."
Valentina shifted forward slightly, her hands clasped together on the table.
"Let’s entertain a scenario where the court only fines you. Let’s say you escape imprisonnt. That still doesn’t change the fact that your reputation is in ruins. Your company’s credibility is already crumbling, and when the public loses trust, it doesn’t matter how much money you throw at the problem—your business is done."
She tapped the file in front of her.
"Sterling Design does not associate with companies whose reputations are stained. Because once a brand is marked as untrustworthy, it’s nearly impossible to recover. Custors will hesitate. Investors will withdraw. Partners will cut ties. You’ll beco a liability, and I don’t do business with liabilities."
Her voice was steady, unwavering, carrying the authority of soone who had already made up her mind.
"So no, Mr.Crawford. Again Sterling Design will not be proceeding with this deal. And if you were in my position, you wouldn’t either."
The air was thick with tension, the weight of her decision settling over the room.
Again Crawford clenched his fists, but he said nothing. Because he knew she was right.
Then with a cold voice he said.
"Did you can I’m here just to insult , and accuse just base on Allegations."
"Not just because of that, the reputation of your company is already bad," she stated plainly, her tone unwavering. "And with everything happening, it’s only going to get worse. Sterling Design does not take risks with companies on the verge of collapse, and we certainly do not invest in businesses whose integrity is questionable. I hope you understand now why this deal will not be moving forward."
Again Crawford clenched his jaw even more tighter now.
His nostrils flared as his fingers dug into the armrest of his chair. He didn’t say anything imdiately, but the way he looked at Valentina was filled with barely contained anger.
Seconds passed in silence.
Then, with a cold, calculating gaze, he finally spoke.
"Who exactly are you, what family are you from?" His voice was low, almost a growl.
Valentina arched a brow, unimpressed.
"I already told you," she answered evenly.
"I’m Valentina Raymond."
At that mont Crawford let out a dry, humorless chuckle, shaking his head slightly.
"No, I an—" he leaned forward, narrowing his eyes.
"Which family do you co from?"
Valentina held his gaze, unbothered by the question.
"That’s none of your concern." Her voice remained cool.
"We’re here to talk business. And as far as I can see, we’re done here."
She pushed her chair back slightly, signaling the end of the conversation.
"Are we?"
Said Crawford as his deadly gaze was still fixed on Valentina.
"The eting is over," she said, her voice firm and final. Without waiting for any response, she turned toward the door, her heels clicking sharply against the floor. She knew she had made her point, and now it was ti to move on.
As she walked out of the room, she could hear the hurried footsteps behind her. Both of the managers, Hudson and Camille, had caught up with her. Their faces were flushed with apology, their expressions sheepish.
"Mrs.Valentina!" Hudson called out, his voice a bit frantic.
"We’re sorry. We didn’t know. We didn’t do the proper background check on him. We didn’t see the allegations, the court cases, any of it. We completely missed those details."
Camille, standing beside Hudson, nodded earnestly. "We truly didn’t an to put Sterling Design in that position. We were just focusing on the deal. We were so eager to secure it that we didn’t check thoroughly. We should have—"
At that mont Valentina stopped walking but didn’t turn around. She stood there, silent for a mont, processing their words. She could tell they were genuinely sorry, but it didn’t change the fact that they almost made a costly mistake.
She finally faced them, her gaze direct but not harsh.
"I don’t have anything against either of you," she began, her voice calm and asured.
"But next ti, when you’re working on deals of this magnitude or any deal, do your due diligence. You cannot afford to miss sothing as important as that. Always check, always verify. Not just the numbers, but the person behind the deal, the reputation. We can’t afford to overlook things like this."
Then she turned around, and her eyes t theirs, and for a mont, it felt like an unspoken understanding passed between them. She wasn’t angry at them, but she was serious.
With a slight nod, she turned back toward the hallway, her stride purposeful. She had a company to run, and she wasn’t going to let anything stand in her way.
At that mont, both Hudson and Camille exchanged a knowing glance, their expressions laced with frustration. This wasn’t how things were supposed to go. They had assud Valentina was just a placeholder—a pretty face occupying the director’s seat while they continued running things from the shadows.
But from what they had just witnessed, it was clear that wasn’t the case.
However they couldn’t delete the thought of maybe it was a fluke, they reasoned. Maybe she had stumbled upon the information by pure chance. Or perhaps soone had fed it to her beforehand. But even if that was the case, the way she had confidently handled the situation, the way she had spoken with such authority—it irritated them.
Their plan had failed.
Reviews
All reviews (0)