Chapter 10
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A major overseas partnership—nearly two years in planning—hit a serious roadblock at the final signing stage.
The partners not only changed terms and raised prices at the last minute but also cited "instability" in Grayson's senior management (clearly referencing Sylvia's resignation), aggressively questioning the company's execution capabilities and risk management.
Garrett personally led the negotiation team, but the other side came perfectly prepared, hitting every weakness. The Grayson team's proposals were torn apart, forcing them into continuous retreat.
The atmosphere in the conference room plummeted to freezing, with the opposing representatives already wearing victorious smiles.
Garrett's face turned ashen, his knuckles white around his pen.
If this project collapsed, not only would years of investment be wasted, but investor confidence would be severely damaged. He could already envision tomorrow's stock market bloodbath.
Could it be… that Sylvia's departure would trigger the collapse of his entire empire? A helplessness he'd never known gripped him.
Just then, a soft knock came at the door. Vivian peeked in, face pale: "Mr. Grayson… Secretary Sterling is here. She says it's urgent."
Everyone froze. Sylvia's resignation was nearly complete—she was only coming in for formalities these last few days. Why would she appear now?
Garrett frowned. What was she doing here now?
"Tell her to wait!"
"But… she mentioned…" Vivian's voice quavered, "something about this project… an 'X variable'…"
"X variable"? Garrett's heart lurched! There was indeed an obscure risk factor codenamed "X" in this project that Sylvia had identified during initial due diligence. The probability seemed so low it wasn't included in formal reports—only he and Sylvia knew about it.
"Let her in!" Garrett immediately reversed his order.
The door opened and Sylvia entered with measured steps, wearing a crisp black suit. Without acknowledging anyone, she went directly to the projector. "Please connect my laptop."
Her entrance made the tense atmosphere even more electric. The opposing representatives studied this unexpected woman with evident curiosity.
Sylvia opened a presentation and launched directly into fluent English without preamble:
"Ladies and gentlemen, pardon the interruption. I'm Sylvia Sterling, one of the core architects of this project's early phases. Having observed your discussion, I'd like to address several key concerns that have been raised."
She advanced through slides displaying data and charts no one had seen before!
"First, regarding implementation stability concerns. Here's a three-year comparison of our core team's retention rates versus industry standards, plus our dual-backup contingency system for any personnel changes. Our stability metrics significantly exceed industry benchmarks."
The charts were crystal clear, the data irrefutable.
"Regarding risk factors, I'd like to highlight an overlooked 'X variable'—your country's upcoming environmental protection legislation next quarter. Article 17B will impose stringent emissions standards on your primary production facilities. Based on our intelligence, your current technological upgrades appear insufficient to meet compliance."
The opposing representatives' expressions transformed instantly!
Sylvia pressed on without pause: "Anticipating this, we've already partnered with leading European laboratories to develop alternative clean technology, now past pilot testing. This solution not only resolves your compliance issues but reduces production costs by approximately 8%. Here's the validation report and partnership framework."
She slid a thick document across to the lead negotiator.
"So," Sylvia scanned the room calmly before locking eyes with the lead negotiator, her tone steady and confident, "who truly faces greater uncertainty and risk? And who possesses both the solution and genuine partnership opportunity? I believe the answer is self-evident."
The conference room fell into stunned silence.
The opposing team stared at the technical report in disbelief, then looked between Sylvia and Garrett with shocked expressions.
Their strongest leverage point and hidden vulnerability had been completely exposed by a soon-to-depart employee who had already prepared perfect countermeasures!
Garrett stared at Sylvia in amazement. She stood tall, her gaze razor-sharp, her words precise as a surgeon's blade.
She was no longer the quiet secretary in his shadow but a brilliant strategist commanding the entire negotiation!
When had she prepared all this? Hadn't she already checked out mentally? Why would she deliver this game-changing solution at the eleventh hour?
Did she still have feelings for him?
No, Garrett immediately dismissed this foolish thought.
He couldn't detect a hint of personal emotion in her eyes.
She'd done this purely from professional integrity—she couldn't watch a project she'd invested in fail for non-technical reasons.
She was giving her career a perfect, dignified conclusion.
In that moment, Garrett's understanding of Sylvia reached unprecedented depths. And the regret and inadequacy in his heart reached its zenith.
He wasn't worthy of her. He never had been.
