Chapter 3
That night, Emily typed in the group chat: [Great news! We finalized the deal with Southland Machinery. The equipment is quoted at 660 thousand, 600 thousand dollars cheaper compared to the original plan.]
Emily: [The money we saved will go toward performance bonuses for the department for the second half of the year. Let's keep up the great work.]
Within seconds, a dozen celebratory emojis popped up under her message. The group chat went wild. Fire emojis, clapping hands, and hype stickers flooded the feed for two whole pages.
Emily sent another message: [Special thanks to Sophia for laying the groundwork earlier. That freed me up to make some improvements.]
On the surface, it sounded polite, but every word was a jab. The real message was clear: "You couldn't do it, but I could."
Linda Brooks, a friend from work, messaged her privately: [Sophia, she's throwing shade again. How much more of that is she supposed to put up with?]
I replied simply: [No rush. Wait.]
Linda: [Wait for what?]
Me: "[Wait until the equipment arrives at the factory.]
Linda sent a question mark.
I didn't reply. Some things, no matter how much I explain, no one would believe me anyway. I had to let the facts speak for themselves.
*****
The next morning, Anna Clark, Louis's secretary, came to me. "Mr. Pace wants to see you in his office," she said.
When I walked in, Louis was staring at a group chat on his phone. As soon as he saw me, he flipped his phone over and set it face down on the desk. "Sophia, have a seat," he said.
I sat down across from him.
His tone was calm, but I could feel the pressure underneath. "Emily sent me the final proposal this morning. Southland Machinery, 660 thousand dollars. That is 600 thousand dollars less than your plan.
"Saving money on equipment is good. But I need a reasonable explanation for that 600 thousand dollar difference."
I looked at him, and my heart sank.
I had been working with him for six years. When he started building the precision division from scratch, I was the one who went from supplier to supplier, building the entire supply chain from the ground up.
Last year, when the production line broke down, I stayed in the workshop with the supplier's engineers for two days and two nights, only going home after the problem was fixed.
And now, he was asking me to explain myself.
I took a deep breath. "Mr. Pace, CoreTech Precision's quote of 1.26 million dollars covered a lot of hidden costs: custom software systems, on-site training by engineers, five years of comprehensive maintenance, and modifications to fit three production lines.
"All those extras add up to more than 40 thousand at market rates. Southland Machinery's 660 thousand dollars is for the equipment only. No extras included."
He frowned. "Are you sure about that?"
"I'm sure. The regional manager from Southland Machinery called me this morning. If we want the full package, the price jumps to 1.4 million dollars."
Louis was quiet for a few seconds and then waved his hand. "Emily says the contract she signed covers all the supporting services. 660 thousand dollars, all inclusive. She studied supply chain management, so I doubt she would miss something so basic."
I tried to say more.
But he cut me off. "That's enough. We're done here. The equipment purchase is Emily Shaw's responsibility now. It's not your business anymore. Focus on your own projects."
He looked me in the eye and added, "Sophia, let the past stay in the past. I won't hold this against you, so don't dwell on it."
I stayed silent. But inside, something had broken.
I knew exactly what he meant. He thought I was wrong, but he was being the greater guy here to let it go.
*****
As I walked out of Louis's office, I ran into Emily in the hallway. She was hugging a stack of contracts, and she could not hide her smugness.
She flashed a smile, all innocent with those little dimples. "Sophia, I just finished signing the contract. Southland Machinery says they'll deliver in three months.
"Oh, and Mr. Pace told me he's moving me to the strategic procurement team. I'll be handling all the big equipment deals for the company.
"If I get stuck on something, I might need to pick your brain. You're the expert around here, after all."
"Congrats," I said. "But remember, once the equipment arrives, it still needs to be inspected. Don't get caught up in signing papers."
"No worries." She tapped her chest. "I went through the contract word by word. It's all there in black and white, every clause checked."
She looked so sure she had already won. I smiled, "Glad to hear it."
*****
As soon as I stepped out of the office, I pulled out my phone and texted Frank: [Hey, let's grab dinner this weekend.]
Frank replied almost instantly: [Dinner is cool, but so you know, that girl from your company called me today. She asked about the 730 thousand dollars for the machine only, no extras, and I gave her the quote.]
Frank: [Then she wanted to know if I could do 660 thousand dollars with everything included, and I told her she was dreaming. She said she had already gotten a 660 thousand dollar quote from Southland Machinery and hung up.]
I stared at his message and replied: "Take a guess. What do you think is actually written in Southland Machinery's 660 thousand dollar contract?"
Frank sent back a question mark.
I locked my phone and left it at that.
Once the equipment showed up in three months, everything would be clear.