Chapter 4
Andrew didn't come looking for me.
He sent Nina to deal with the extra paperwork for the bank.
That didn't surprise me at all.
To him, Nina was smart, elegant, and the kind of woman who understood him perfectly.
And Me? I was just the one stuck at my laptop at three in the morning, fixing typos in his credit reports.
Nina was at the bank first thing the next morning.
Right before she left, she posted a tweet on her own Twitter account.
[Feels good to actually be useful. It makes coming back worth it.]
Her post got a ton of likes.
Andrew liked it.
So did a bunch of people from the company.
But Lia from finance department didn't give it a like.
She sent me a message on Whatsapp.
[Charlotte, Ms. Hughes went to the bank today.]
I replied: [Alright.]
Lia then texted again: [She wanted the cash flow forecast you did earlier.]
I replied: [Go ahead and give it to her.]
Lia: [But that's from six months ago.]
Seeing that single sentence, I let out a small laugh.
And I replied: [If she actually knew what it meant, she wouldn't just use it straight out.]
In the bank conference room, Nina handled herself with confidence right from the start.
She was all smiles as she shook hands with Mr. Carter, saying the company's brand upgrade was going smoothly, the market response was strong, and there was lots of potential for future growth.
Andrew sat next to her, occasionally nodding in agreement.
After listening, Mr. Carter flipped through the documents.
"Ms. Hughes, which clients are the main sources of repayment for this loan renewal?" he asked.
Nina glanced down at the spreadsheet.
She flipped to the second page, then the third.
"Mainly from a few of our regular clients," she replied.
"Which ones, exactly?" Mr. Carter pressed.
Nina hesitated for a moment.
Andrew looked over at her.
Nina's smile became strained.
"Our finance team keeps a detailed report on that," Nina replied.
Mr. Carter nodded.
"And what about your biggest client? They delayed payment in the fourth quarter last year. How did you resolve that?" he asked.
Nina didn't say a word.
Andrew's expression soured.
That was always my question to answer.
Our biggest client delayed their payment last year because their internal approval process got changed up.
I went back and forth to their office three times, broke down the payment milestones, renegotiated the terms, and finally made sure the money hit our account before the year was over.
Andrew only cared that the money showed up.
He never bothered to ask how I actually got it back.
Mr. Carter closed the folder.
"Ms. Hughes, you can add more paperwork if you want, but this cash flow forecast is a bit out of date. The client numbers here just aren't lining up with your company's latest payment records."
Nina flushed with embarrassment.
"Maybe finance gave me the wrong file," she said, trying to play it off.
Mr. Carter didn't call her out.
"Back when Ms. Lane used to handle the paperwork, she'd always separate the client changes, payment milestones, and loan usage explanations. That way, it was much easier to assess the risks," he said.
Andrew sat beside her, his face growing darker by the minute.
After the meeting at the bank, Andrew just sat in his car for ages, staring out the window.
Nina spoke up, her voice careful and hesitant.
"Did Charlotte do this on purpose? She knew full well the company needed the loan renewal, and she just bailed at the last minute," Nina said, her voice tinged with frustration.
Andrew stared out the window.
He remembered what Mr. Carter had said.
'Back when Ms. Lane used to handle the paperwork.'
'Back when.'
Funny how now, whenever people talk about the company, everything starts with 'back when she was here.'
Nina tried again, "Maybe I could reach out to some of my contacts? I know a few investors from overseas."
Andrew rubbed his temples.
"No need," he said.
"Andrew, I really can help you," Nina added, her voice gentle, almost pleading.
Andrew shot her a look.
"Just head back to the office," he said, sounding distant.
Nina's face went pale.
She understood exactly what he meant.
For the first time, Andrew didn't just go along with whatever she wanted.