He Paid Half My Mother’s Surgery, Now I Own Half His Company Chapter 09
Representatives from Fleming Group showed up
for the bid review. Linda sat beside me. Henry led
the solution demo.
These were people whose careers Antony could make or break with a single word. Now they were the client team whose approval he badly needed
to win.
Antony’s gaze swept over the familiar faces
across the conference table, his expression darkening. “Jessie, you have gutted Aventis Innovations‘ entire project department.”
I flipped open the bid document and corrected him
evenly. “Mr. Fleming, people work for whoever
treats them with respect and pays them fairly.”
Antony’s eyes locked onto mine. “You doubled
their pay and promoted everyone. You’re pouring
resources just to get back at me.”
Before I could reply, Linda cut in. “Mr. Fleming, Jessie offers us far more than just money. Here,
credit goes to the person who actually builds the
solution. Nobody gets forced to take the fall for
someone else’s mistakes.”
Silence settled over the conference room.
Antony’s stare stayed fixed on me.
I ignored the personal jab and pointed out flaws in their proposal. “Fleming Group’s bid is twelve
percent above market rate. With your core team departed, you also cannot guarantee reliable
project timelines. We can’t accept this proposal.”
Antony’s voice dropped low. “Is there no room for
negotiation?”
“There is.” I slid the documents back toward him.
“Resubmit a revised bid. Rebuild your team. The
same standards apply to every bidder.”
In the end, Fleming Group lost the contract.
Over the next three months, Aventis Innovations
lost five major clients in rapid succession.
New hires lacked hands–on industry experience. All those impressive performance metrics Selena
had taken credit for couldn’t translate into real,
workable deliverables.
Worse still, to patch up failing projects, Aventis
Innovations had to divert funds straight from the
Fleming Group.
When one business division collapsed, countless other cracks surfaced: suppliers pressed for
overdue payments, banks tightened credit lines, and shareholders began questioning Antony’s leadership.
Fleming Group looked imposing from the outside,
but it was rotting from within. Aventis Innovations‘
fall was merely the first domino to topple.
When Antony came looking for me, he hadn’t slept
in days. “Jessie, we need to talk.”
I glanced down at my watch. “If this is business,
have your secretary schedule a formal appointment. If this is personal, I don’t have time
to spare.”
Antony stepped in front of me. “You know exactly
how bad Fleming Group’s situation is right now.
Return the former team to me, and the company
might still be salvageable.”
His words struck me as absurd. “They are human beings, not possessions you can trade or dispose
- of. Whether they stay or leave is their own choice.”
Antony’s Adam’s apple bobbed. “Do you really
want to watch Fleming Group crash and burn?”
I looked straight at him, perfectly composed. “Fleming Group did not collapse because I hired
away your staff. It fell because you let
hardworking, honest people be treated unfairly,
while letting people who made mistakes reap all
the rewards.”
“They would have left sooner or later. I simply
offered them a better path when they were ready
to walk away.”
He had no retort.
As I started to walk past him, he murmured
quietly. “Jess… let’s start over.”
I kept walking.
Antony hurried after me. “Selena is gone for good. I changed the phone passcode back to our
wedding anniversary.”
I finally turned around. “Mr. Fleming, my consulting time is billed by the hour. If you keep wasting it,
Fleming Group might not even be able to afford
my rate. Finalize the divorce agreement and send it over to me as soon as possible.”
He froze where he stood.
Once I would wait up for him all night long. Now that he was finally willing to make amends, I wouldn’t spare him a single minute.