Chapter 5 - The Woman at Table One
Three weeks later, Victor Langford resigned from his firm.
Two days after that, investigators announced that several inspection documents from the Grand Alder project had been falsified.
Tessa was cleared completely.
Her designs were formally restored to her name.
She accepted Silas's offer on Monday morning.
On Monday afternoon, she nearly quit.
She entered his office without knocking.
“We have a problem.”
Silas looked up.
“Good afternoon to you too.”
“You changed my Riverside proposal.”
“No.”
“You approved twenty additional luxury units.”
“I approved reviewing them.”
“You wrote ‘consider expansion.’”
“Yes.”
“My engineers interpreted that as an order.”
Silas closed his laptop.
“Then your engineers need courage.”
Tessa stared at him.
“Excuse me?”
“If they think I'm wrong, they should tell me.”
“They're afraid of you.”
“That sounds inefficient.”
“You have two armed-looking men outside your office.”
“They're security.”
“They look like they eat consultants.”
Silas smiled.
“They don't.”
“You hesitated.”
“I was deciding whether honesty was appropriate.”
She threw a folder onto his desk.
“We aren't adding the units.”
“Why?”
“Emergency access.”
“Good.”
Tessa paused.
“Good?”
“You're the architect.”
“You aren't going to argue?”
“Should I?”
“I prepared an entire speech.”
“Save it. I'm sure I'll deserve it eventually.”
She narrowed her eyes.
“You're annoying.”
“I've also been called worse.”
Over the next four months, their arguments became legendary.
So did their results.
Silas gave her authority.
Tessa used it.
People stopped entering meetings with stolen ideas because Tessa asked one simple question every time.
“Who actually did this?”
Junior architects began receiving credit.
Engineers began challenging executives.
Silas encouraged it.
And gradually, Tessa discovered something about the feared man behind table one.
He remembered everyone.
Security guards.
Cleaners.
Assistants.
Drivers.
Not because he was pretending to be kind.
Because Silas believed information mattered, and people ignored by powerful men often knew more than powerful men did.
One evening, Tessa found him eating alone in the Grand Alder ballroom.
Table one.
Again.
She approached.
“You know there are smaller tables.”
“I like this one.”
“Because everyone can see you?”
“Because nobody sits here unless invited.”
Tessa pulled out the chair opposite him.
“Was that an invitation?”
“No.”
She sat anyway.
Silas looked amused.
“What are you eating?”
“Steak.”
“You own a hotel with a world-class chef and ordered steak?”
“Yes.”
“That's disappointing.”
“What did you order?”
“Fries.”
Silas looked at her.
“I'm reconsidering your position.”
She stole a piece of bread from his plate.
His phone buzzed.
He ignored it.
Tessa noticed.
“You usually answer that.”
“Not tonight.”
“Why?”
Silas looked at her.
“Because I'm having dinner.”
“With your employee.”
“Yes.”
“That sounds dangerous.”
“Very.”
Tessa smiled.
Then someone approached.
Madison Reeve.
Tessa stiffened.
Madison stopped several feet away.
“Can I speak with you?”
Silas looked toward Tessa.
Her choice.
Tessa nodded.
Madison approached.
She looked different.
No glittering entourage.
No cameras.
“I wanted to apologize again.”
“You already did.”
“I know.”
Madison swallowed.
“But I apologized because everyone was watching.”
Tessa said nothing.
Madison continued.
“I've thought about what you said.”
She looked embarrassed.
“The next person might not be able to walk away.”
Tessa's expression softened.
“I was awful.”
“Yes.”
Madison gave a nervous laugh.
“I probably deserved that.”
“Probably.”
“I've started volunteering with a hospitality employment program.”
Silas raised an eyebrow.
Madison looked at him.
“Don't look so shocked.”
“I wasn't.”
“You absolutely were.”
Tessa smiled.
Madison looked back at her.
“Anyway… thank you.”
“For embarrassing you?”
“For not becoming cruel when you had the chance.”
Tessa nodded.
“Good luck, Madison.”
After she left, Silas watched Tessa.
“What?”
“Nothing.”
“That's clearly something.”
He leaned back.
“You could have destroyed her that night.”
“I didn't need to.”
“Why?”
Tessa stole one of his fries.
“Because winning doesn't require leaving someone bleeding.”
Silas stared at her.
“That was my fry.”
“Now who's being dramatic?”
May you like
And this time, he laughed.
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