Chapter 3 - THE VERDICT AND THE PRIVATE INVITATION
For several agonizing seconds,
nobody in the room spoke a single word.
The silence stretched out like a taut rubber band.
Then Alexander Sterling stood up slowly from his chair.
The movement commanded immediate attention from everyone present.
“Thank you,
Miss Vance,
” he said calmly.
“The board will deliberate for ten minutes.
Please wait in the executive lounge down the hall.
”
I nodded stiffly,
gathered my belongings with shaky fingers,
and hurried out of the conference room under the weight of multiple evaluating stares.
The executive lounge was a masterpiece of modern interior design.
Floor-to-ceiling windows offered a breathtaking panoramic view of the cold Boston skyline dusted with fresh snow.
I paced back and forth across the plush wool rug,
my mind replaying every single word of my presentation.
Had I sounded too aggressive?
Had my valuation models been too conservative?
And above all,
would Alexander use my airport humiliation as leverage to reject me?
Ten minutes felt like ten grueling hours.
Just as I reached for a glass of ice water,
the polished glass door opened quietly.
It wasn't a junior HR representative who walked in.
It was Alexander Sterling himself.
He closed the door behind him with a soft click,
shutting out the rest of the corporate world.
He walked toward me with measured,
deliberate strides,
stopping just a few feet away.
Up close,
without the barrier of the mahogany table,
his imposing presence was magnetic.
“You’re shaking again,
Eve,
” he noted quietly,
using my first name with effortless familiarity.
“I’m just.
.
.
anticipating the board's decision,
Mr.
Sterling,
” I replied defensively,
crossing my arms.
A faint,
rare smile touched the corner of his lips.
“The board voted unanimously to offer you the senior analyst position,
” he revealed smoothly.
I gasped,
my eyes widening in genuine shock.
“Unanimously?
”
“Unanimously,
” he confirmed.
“Not because you cried on my suit at JFK three days ago,
but because your financial model for the European expansion is the most thorough and innovative proposal we have received all quarter.
”
Heat rushed to my cheeks,
a mixture of pride and mortification.
“So you remember that.
”
“It is not every day a brilliant woman uses my bespoke Brioni suit as a tissue,
Eve,
” he murmured,
stepping a fraction closer.
“I have a very good memory.
”
“I can apologize again if it helps,
” I muttered,
looking down at my shoes.
“No apologies necessary,
” he said,
his voice dropping an octave.
“Welcome to Sterling Capital,
Eve.
Your office is on this floor,
May you like
right next to mine.
”
