Chapter 191 - 189: Once, Twice, But Not Thrice
"You’re leaving?"
The man blurted out in surprise, then looked around and asked, confused, "Is there someone else with you?"
Timothy Rowe and the others instinctively looked at Cecilia Sterling. It was obvious they were waiting for her decision. Even though all three of them felt they should seize this opportunity, it was also a fact that they had been inexplicably slighted. The other party hadn’t offered a single word of apology or explanation, which was undoubtedly a humiliation for them.
They could disregard their own pride, but they couldn’t disregard Cecilia Sterling’s.
After all, it was Cecilia Sterling who had negotiated the collaboration with the Goodman Group.
Seeing everyone look at Cecilia Sterling, the man also instinctively turned his gaze to her. The young woman’s clothes and demeanor were completely different from the others, but a glance at her face was enough to tell she was still a university student.
Just as he was wondering to himself, he saw Cecilia Sterling suddenly take a few steps forward and stop in front of him. The man paused, about to speak, when he heard Cecilia Sterling ask in a cool tone, "Our appointment was for nine o’clock, wasn’t it?"
The man’s brow furrowed at her words. He could clearly detect the displeasure in Cecilia Sterling’s voice.
He feigned ignorance. "I wouldn’t know about that. My team lead just told me to come down and get someone, so I came down."
With an impatient expression, he sized them up before adding, "What? You’re mad because you had to wait a little while? Our project team is very busy. It’s easy to lose track of time sometimes."
"So, are you still coming up or not?"
His attitude was completely nonchalant, as if he would turn and leave without a moment’s hesitation if they said no.
’Is this the arrogance of employees at a big corporation?’
Cecilia Sterling couldn’t help but let out a cold laugh.
If this person had just said, "I’m sorry, we got busy and lost track of time," she would have given them another chance. But she had always been the type to yield to reason, not to force. Since that was the case, she had no intention of handing him a way out of this.
"Since your project team is so busy, we won’t go up and disturb you. When you have time, you can schedule another appointment with us—one you can be on time for."
After saying this with a composed expression, Cecilia Sterling turned and walked away, leaving the man staring in astonishment.
Seeing this, Timothy Rowe and the others followed her out without a word.
It took the man a long moment to snap out of his stupor. He snorted in contempt. "All ego and no talent. Don’t know how to cherish an opportunity when it’s right in front of you. You’ll regret this one day."
’Kids these days,’ he thought. ’So impatient and flighty.’
Back in the project team’s office, the group was testing a new set of data. Paul Hudson stood in front of a machine with his arms crossed. Seeing the man return alone, he asked with a puzzled look, "Where are they?"
"They got tired of waiting and left," the man said matter-of-factly.
"Left?"
"Yep. It seems the guy named Rowe isn’t the one in charge of their little project group. A really pretty young woman was there today. She said we should schedule another appointment with them next time—one we can be on time for."
Just like the other man, Paul Hudson instinctively snorted upon hearing this. "I’m so busy I don’t even have time to breathe. If the manager hadn’t forced this on me, I wouldn’t bother dealing with some amateur-hour troupe with delusions of grandeur."
"So... so are we going to reschedule with them?"
Paul Hudson shot him a glare. "Reschedule my ass. We gave them a chance. Whose fault is it if they didn’t take it? Do they really think the Goodman Group’s team has nothing better to do?"
In the plaza outside the tower, Cecilia Sterling looked at the dejected expressions on the three faces before her and said softly, "I know you think it’s a shame, but I believe people need to have principles and bottom lines. I refuse to believe a company this large is usually so unprofessional about punctuality when discussing business with partners."
"As far as I’m concerned, whether they slighted us on purpose or neglected us by accident, I won’t accept it without an apology."
"We desperately need to partner with them, but we can’t do it by groveling. If we can’t hold our heads high today, they’ll just see us as even more of a pushover."
Hearing this, Paige pressed her lips together. She hesitated for a moment before saying, "Cecilia, but you worked so hard to get this partnership. If we just walk away like this, doesn’t that mean all your previous effort was for nothing?"
Maverick nodded as well. "Knowing the attitude of these big corporations, I doubt they’ll contact us again."
Timothy Rowe added, "The Goodman Group is the leading AI company in the country. It’s inevitable that their team is a bit arrogant. I was actually somewhat prepared for it."
But Cecilia Sterling shook her head. "There’s nothing wrong with being flexible, but you can’t always be the one to bend. It’s fine to be humble and lower your stance when you’re seeking a partnership—I said plenty of nice things to get Mr. Goodman to give us a chance. But today is different. We had a scheduled appointment for project testing. We were already in the process of reaching a preliminary agreement. That being the case, they owe us a basic level of respect. If we’re expected to tolerate waiting for an hour, there will only be more for us to tolerate down the line."
"I know you’re worried about what happens next, but don’t be. I will definitely secure a deal with another company." Cecilia Sterling made this solemn promise to prevent the day’s events from shattering the team’s morale.
Everyone understood what Cecilia Sterling meant. Big businesses often bully their customers, and the Goodman Group’s behavior today was indeed hard to accept.
"We trust you," Timothy Rowe said with a nod. He didn’t want to dwell on it any longer; he just felt that listening to Cecilia Sterling was always the right call.
Maverick and Paige nodded in agreement. "Right. The Goodman Group isn’t the only AI company in the country. If not them, there are others. We’ll definitely find another company that’s interested."
’Forget the Goodman Group?’
Cecilia Sterling didn’t think so. She looked up at the imposing Goodman Tower, her expression profound as she said in a low voice, "Not necessarily. As long as our project achieves its expected results, it won’t be long before the Goodman Group comes back, begging us."
Director Lawson’s court case had already started. Not wanting any further delays, Cecilia Sterling told Rowe and the others to go back and wait for news while she hailed a cab to the courthouse.
On the way, Cecilia Sterling once again dialed the number from Randall Jennings’s business card.
This was the third time she had called this number.
The first two times, his assistant had answered. The first time, the assistant said Director Jennings was unavailable. The second time, he said Director Jennings was on a business trip in Frostfall and that he would get back to her about matters in Lorcain after he returned.
Both times, she only managed to say her surname was Sterling before being summarily dismissed, without even a chance to properly introduce herself.
For some reason, she always felt a strong sense of guardedness from the assistant on the other end of the line. She wasn’t sure if it was just her imagination.
Having been brushed off twice already, Cecilia Sterling was determined not to let it happen a third time. She decided to try a different approach.
Based on their previous encounter, Cecilia Sterling believed that Randall Jennings was someone who repaid his debts. So, when the call connected, Cecilia Sterling got straight to the point: "Hello, please tell Chairman Jennings that Jasmine Sterling, the person who saved him once in Veridia City, needs to speak with him."