The Merciful Female Boss Chapter 02
I hung up and let out a dry, self-deprecating laugh.
When I first joined the team last year, their eyes lit up when they saw my gear.
“Sophia, these soles are insane. The grip looks legendary!”
“Whoa, your rope is way lighter than mine, but it feels ten times stronger. How?”
Kevin looked at his own setup and let out a heavy sigh.
“My kit cost me nearly three grand, and yours probably ran you over ten, didn’t it, Sophia?”
“Whatever. Can’t even be jealous. My paycheck can barely keep up with this one.”
After spending some time with them, their passion for climbing got to me.
I offered to get them the same gear I used for just twelve hundred.
I told them I owned a shop and could get it at cost.
But the truth was, I was the head of the Moretti family. I loved climbing so much I just bought Apex Gear, the biggest outdoor equipment manufacturer in the country.
The first competition after we switched gear, we took first place.
Before that, we couldn’t even crack the top three.
From then on, sponsors actually started looking for us. Everyone was making money while doing what they loved.
To help them perform even better, I took their physical stats and started making custom-made sets.
Custom gear isn’t a factory line job. It needs a technician monitoring and tweaking every detail.
My actual factory cost was twelve thousand a set.
Mike warned me about subsidizing them like this.
I waved my hand dismissively. It didn’t matter. They were friends, we all loved the sport, and a little money was nothing.
I didn’t expect the slap in the face to come so fast.
Another message from Kevin popped up.
“Send our physical data to Chloe right now. Don’t slow us down!”
“OK.”
I forwarded the team’s data files to Chloe.
A few minutes later, she replied.
“Sophia, you really love to put on a show, don’t you?”
“Gear sizes are fixed. What the hell do you need physical stats for?”
“Is all this fluff just to make it easier to scam people?”
I didn’t bother replying.
There was no point explaining anything to someone willing to sell gear for under two hundred bucks.
Then, the group chat pinged again.
Chloe: [Sophia just wanted your stats to look like a pro so she could rip you off. These numbers are completely useless.]
Nick: [We didn’t know any better. We just believed whatever she said.]
Kevin: [If it weren’t for Chloe, I don’t know how much longer we would’ve been played.]
Lily: [Thanks, Chloe. You’ve been so real with us since the moment you joined. Unlike some people… yikes.]
I muted the group chat and scrolled down to an unread message on WhatsApp.
It was from Renzo, the captain of a rival team.
They used to be undefeated until I joined Kevin’s team and provided the gear. Since then, Renzo’s crew had been stuck in second place.
Renzo had reached out to me dozens of times.
“Sophia, I’ve looked everywhere and I can’t find the gear you guys use.”
“Can you give me a lead on where to buy it? I won’t let your help go unrewarded.”
Yesterday, he somehow found out I was the majority shareholder of Apex Gear.
“Miss Moretti, could you make a few sets of that gear for us too? Name your price!”
I hadn’t replied then.
Custom orders were time-consuming and exhausting. If I took theirs, I wouldn’t be able to finish my own team’s gear in time.
I opened Renzo’s chat.
“Nineteen thousand a set. You in?”
Renzo replied instantly. “I’ll take seven!”
Seconds later, an orange transfer notification appeared. A hundred and forty thousand dollars.
He was incredibly polite. He even added a tip.
I thought about the seventy-two hundred I just refunded Kevin. It wasn’t even enough to cover the tip Renzo sent.
Back in the team chat, Kevin tagged me.
“Sophia, why haven’t you paid Chloe for the gear yet?”
“The competition is almost here. Don’t screw this up for us!”
I replied: “I have my own gear. I don’t need hers.”
Chloe sent a “pouting” emoji.
“Is Sophia mad at me for taking her business?”
“Even if you’re mad at me, you can’t let it affect the team. We’re a unit. It’ll look wrong if you’re wearing something different from everyone else.”
Kevin sent a final message:
“If you’re only going to think about yourself and have zero team spirit, you might as well leave.”
Before I could say a word, Kevin kicked me from the group.
