Chapter 40: Negotiating the
Price
What I said was the truth, but Fletcher’s brow furrowed tightly.
Just then, the elevator door opened. I walked out calmly, but suddenly, I felt a tight grip around my wrist–Fletcher had followed me, his hand gripping me firmly.
“Charlene, repeat yourself.” His voice was urgent, almost hoarse, and strangely, there was an undertone of something like hurt in
- it.
I took a deep breath and replied, “I’m just stating the facts. Did I say something wrong, Mr. Lynton?”
“You..”
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“Letch”
Davina’s voice cut through, and Fletcher paused for a moment, then immediately released his hold on me.
The young woman hurried over and affectionately linked her arm with his. “I just texted you, didn’t you see it?”
Fletcher responded calmly, the anger from moments ago had vanished entirely, and his expression seemed as if the confrontation had never happened at all–perhaps it had only existed in my mind.
“What were you and Charlene talking about so seriously?”
The conversation shifted suddenly to me.
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I met Davina’s innocent gaze, keeping my tone neutral. “Oh, nothing much. Just discussing the profundity of the English language.”
“Really?” Davina lifted her eyes to Fletcher. “Fletcher, you’re interested in something like that?”
“Lena, I finally found you!” Just then, Kaitlyn appeared in the doorway, sending me a subtle look.
Grateful, I quickly made my way toward her office.
“What’s going on? The golden goose seems to be in a bad mood today.” Kaitlyn leaned over, eager for gossip.
Her intuition was always sharp.
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I sighed and said, “It’s my fault for being too much of a teacher.”
“Huh?”
“Yesterday, Mr. Lynton taught me a bit of economics, and today I returned the favor by sharing a few refined points of English,” I said, downplaying it.
Kaitlyn sighed, pouting, “Is this how you academic types usually communicate?”
It seemed like the conversation was drifting further off course.
Seeing that I had fallen silent, Kaitlyn swiftly handed me a dark red, gold–embellished invitation.
“Leon is hosting a business cocktail party at the Vienna Hotel the night after tomorrow.
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Many big names in the industry will attend.” She paused for a moment and then added, “And Stack, the one you like, will also be there.”
I was a little surprised and asked, “The world–renowned software engineer Stack?”
“Yes.” Kaitlyn smiled at me and asked, “So, how do you feel now? A bit better?”
My heart skipped a beat, and I was too excited to speak.
Stack was a software engineer I’d admired since university. What was most amazing about him was that he didn’t need a debugger; with just a glance at the code, any errors would immediately reveal themselves.
To be able to converse with such a genius was something I could only dream of.
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spent the entire night organizing the
technical questions I wanted to discuss with Stack.
However, the news of the cocktail party somehow reached Davina, and the next morning, she tagged Kaitlyn in the work group chat.
“Kaitlyn, I heard we also received an invitation from Rogers Group. Can I join in on the fun at tomorrow night’s party?”
She added a playful tongue–out emoji, making her tone sound a bit coquettish.
Kaitlyn wasn’t the type to hold grudges, but the invitation clearly stated that only one key staff member from each company could attend.
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Rogers Group was a major corporation, and they valued rules and regulations. Since they had made it clear, it meant that the guest list for tomorrow’s event was strictly controlled. Because of this, Kaitlyn couldn’t bring Davina along.
She called both Davina and me into her office and laid it out.
“Davina, I’m sorry, but you can’t go to the party this time. Don’t worry, there will be many similar events in the future, and we’ll attend together next time.”
Davina lowered her eyelids, murmuring softly, “Then I’ll follow your lead, Kaitlyn.”
She exited the office with a dejected look on her face.
I thought that if Fletcher saw her like this,
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Kaitlyn noticed it too and, looking troubled, said, “I’m afraid this isn’t over yet.”
I looked at her, and as our eyes met, Kaitlyn added, “Davina mentioned this in the work group chat, don’t forget that Fletcher is also in the group chat.”
I understood what Kaitlyn meant–she thought Davina was doing this on purpose.
A vague sense of unease began to settle in
- me.
But sometimes, the things you fear seem to come for you. As the end of the workday neared, Kaitlyn sent me a screenshot of her conversation with Duke.
Duke: Ms. Hayes, Mr. Lynton want you to find
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a way to bring Ms. Bates to tomorrow night’s party.
Duke’s words were subtle, but the implication was clear to both Kaitlyn and me.
The event only allowed two people from each company to attend, and Fletcher insisted that Kaitlyn choose between me and Davina.
Kaitlyn was furious, growling, “It’s one thing to not differentiate on a regular day, but tomorrow night’s party is a big deal. She’s just a girl who hasn’t even graduated yet- what right does she have to attend? Fletcher must be out of his mind!”
Kaitlyn rejected Duke’s suggestion, “The company is mine. I’m the boss here, and I can make this call.”
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I knew she was standing up for me, but I also understood that if this was Fletcher’s idea, he wouldn’t stop until he got what he wanted.
I worried he might take out his frustration on Kaitlyn, so I took the initiative and called him.
“Ms. Grande, is there something you need?”
I hesitated for a moment before asking, “Mr. Lynton, would it be possible for us to meet briefly? I’d like to discuss tomorrow night’s event with you.”
There was a brief pause on the other end, and I heard Fletcher ask, “Address.”
It was short and to the point–he clearly didn’t want to say more.
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I picked the café where Daphne had suggested we meet the day before.
Thirty minutes later, I sat across from Fletcher, who wore a serious expression, rejecting the menu I offered. Without wasting time, he said, “I only have ten minutes. I need to go with Vina to pick a dress afterward.”
The mention of “picking out a dress” left me momentarily speechless.
So, Fletcher, was there no room for negotiation?
“What’s the matter?” Fletcher asked, seeing me silent, his brow furrowed. “Ms. Grande, what is it you want to say?”
I tried to remain calm and reasoned, “Mr. Lynton, with your status and ability, it surely
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wouldn’t be difficult for you to get Davina into the party, would it?”
“I’ve already told you” Fletcher replied coldly, “I don’t want her to be the subject of gossip.”
I gripped my cup tightly, forcing myself to stay composed, and said plainly, “So, Mr. Lynton, you’ve made up your mind. You want me to give up my chance to attend the event for Davina, right?”
Fletcher emphasized, “It’s not about giving it up. Ms. Grande, you should understand that who gets the opportunity is decided by the person in charge.”
The person in charge–he meant himself, didn’t he?
I thought to myself that if Kaitlyn and I resisted, Fletcher could likely find hundreds
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of ways to force us into submission.
And I wasn’t about to risk the company’s future over something like this.
I raised an eyebrow, forcing a smile and said, “Mr. Lynton, since you’ve made up your mind, shall we talk about the price?”
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