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“Rogers is here to discuss that new patent.” She takes another step through the door, as though to tell a secret. “He looks kind of mad.”
“Rogers…? Quad-fold doors with the magnetic lock system?”
She nods.
“Send him in; I’ll take care of it.”
Dipping her chin, she lets her astronomically long lashes kiss her cheeks as she backs out to summon Tasker Rogers. He’s a stubborn man, a young engineer with an innovative brain, but an old-man thought process.
Clicking away from the screen in front of me –Sophia Solomon; an interesting study, and a problem for later– I rest my elbows on my desk and steeple my fingers as the door opens again.
My assistant walks through with confidence, leading a scruffy man almost a whole decade younger than me to the center of my office. He’s young, but he’s brilliant. If he’d set his ego aside, he’d get a job offer and a salary he could never dream about. But Griffin Industries has no room for egos. We have no room for a single man on a mission.
Except, of course,mymission.
Without waiting for me to speak, Tasker thrusts a sheet of paper into my face as Annaliese lets herself out and closes the door. The paper floats to my desk and leaves a pregnant pause hanging in the air, growing thicker and thicker the longer I stare into his eyes and press the tips of my steepled fingers to my lips.
The most powerful weapon in business is not being good in debate, or being the smartest, the loudest, the wittiest.
Silence… silence will break every man, if you let it hang long enough.
I learned long ago to never be the first to speak. To never be the first to make an offer. To never be the first to utter a dollar amount. Silence is powerful, and the longer it lasts, the faster they crumble.
“You misinterpreted the bill I sent you.” Unable to handle the pressure, he surges forward and snatches up the invoice he expected me to fetch. “I sent this yesterday, but you read it wrong.”
With slow movements, I lift a brow and extend a hand until he places the paper in my palm with some fucking respect. I unfold the abused sheet, scan what I’ve already seen, and let it drop again. “It says you want a hundred and forty-seven thousand dollars for your door patent.”
“Right!” He flattens the paper on my desk with a huff and stabs it with his pointer finger. “You sent an email mentioning two-twenty-two like I’m ripping you off. My invoiceclearlysays one-forty-seven.”
“You’re partially correct; the invoice says one-forty-seven, but I’ve already deposited seventy-five grand into your account. Seventy-five, plus your outstanding one-four-seven implies a two-twenty-two purchase price. Tell me I’m wrong.”
“You’re wrong! The invoice says one-forty-seven.”
“Outstanding. One-forty-seven… outstanding. So where the fuck is my seventy-five, Rogers?”
“Where… I…” He swallows when the simplest shit finally clicks in his brilliant brain. “No, I…”
“We discussed this last week. You had your assistant send your banking details to mine.”
“That was Darla,” he blusters. “She’s no longer working for me.”
“Your staffing problems have nothing to do with me. Your assistant provided the banking details, Annaliese sent the deposit over. We’ve had this discussion already, haven’t we? You couldn’t find the money, I showed you the details Darla provided us with. You located your money. The problem here lies within your faulty accounting system and inability to look outside of your ass.” I wait and let the pause build. “Did I misinterpret your invoice, Tasker? Or did you misallocate my money, and you’re too weak to admit fault?”
“It was the wrong account,” he blunders. “I forgot…”
“I don’t care which account it’s in. Do you or do you not have access to that money?”
“I do,” he chokes.
“And was ityourcompany representative that provided mine with those details, or did I pull them out of my fuckin’ asshole?”
“D-D-Darla sent them over.”
“Right. So walk back out my door, knock again, come back with an updated invoice for the remaining seventy-two grand and an apology for being an arrogant prick. I’ll be waiting.”
He turns on his heels and darts across the room. I stop him again when his hand wraps around the door handle.
“Our contract stipulates that you’ll make delivery this coming Wednesday with the full drawings and DWGs. You on time, Tasker?”
