Chapter 4 - The Corporate Desperation
To understand the absolute, unadulterated panic suddenly gripping Julian at the table, one had to understand the house of cards he had built.
Julian’s tech firm was secretly thirty million dollars in debt. He had lied to his investors, lied to the board, and lied to his wife about their financial stability. The only thing that could save him from federal prison for corporate fraud was winning the new Department of Defense contract for drone navigation systems.
He had begged Brooke to use her high-society connections to get them VIP seats at this specific gala, knowing the military brass would be in attendance. Julian had assumed the woman in the green dress was just a civilian plus-one taking up valuable networking real estate. He had actively encouraged his wife to bully her away from the table.
Now, sitting just two feet away from the woman who possessed the sole authority to approve or deny his multi-million-dollar lifeline, Julian’s dark blue suit suddenly felt like a straightjacket.
Brooke stood frozen in the aisle, her hands trembling as she clutched her sparkly purse. She desperately tried to formulate an apology, to laugh it off as a terrible misunderstanding.
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But Colonel Mercer didn't lower his arms to relax. He remained standing at attention, his face tight with intense, urgent severity.
👉 Brooke prepared to grovel for forgiveness, but the Colonel was about to drop a bomb that had nothing to do with her bad manners.
