“Eventually.”
“Tom hesitated.”
“Molly watched through glass.”
“Two salespeople stood inside.”
Charles looked toward them.
Amara continued:
“Nobody came out.”
Vanessa seized the opening.
“So now everyone is responsible?”
Amara looked toward her.
“No.”
“You are responsible for what you did.”
“They are responsible for what they chose not to do.”
Vanessa folded her arms.
“That sounds dramatic.”
Amara smiled faintly.
“So did wiping down my seat.”
Vanessa's face reddened.
Charles said:
“Amara—”
She looked at him.
“This matters beyond my car.”
He understood immediately.
The partnership.
Wilson Meridian had been negotiating with Sterling Automotive Group, the parent company Charles helped operate, for almost six months.
Not for one vehicle.
For a corporate mobility and advanced manufacturing agreement.
Wilson Meridian’s industrial division had developed lightweight composite components for high-performance automotive systems.
Sterling Automotive wanted supply exclusivity.
Estimated first-stage value:
$118 million.
Potential expansion:
More than $300 million.
Amara personally insisted on visiting retail operations before signing.
Not secret shopping exactly.
Cultural due diligence.
How did the brand treat people when executives were absent?
Charles knew that.
Vanessa did not.
Charles’s face lost color.
“Amara.”
She removed her sunglasses completely.
“I came early because I was excited about the car.”
She looked toward the red X9.
“That part is still true.”
Then:
“But I was also curious.”
Charles swallowed.
“About?”
“Your stores.”
He knew.
Amara continued:
“You want Wilson Meridian materials inside future Sterling production vehicles.”
“Yes.”
“You want my company tied to your retail brand.”
“Yes.”
“Then I need to know what that brand actually is.”
Charles nodded slowly.
Vanessa looked between them.
“What partnership?”
Nobody answered her.
Amara turned toward the car.
“I’ll take delivery.”
Charles looked surprised.
“You will?”
“I bought the car.”
“I love the car.”
“The engineers who built it have nothing to do with this.”
Charles exhaled.
“But the corporate agreement?”
Amara looked at him.
“Paused.”
One word.
Charles looked as if he had been struck.
“For how long?”
“Until I know whether today was one employee behaving badly.”
“Or one employee expressing what the company already rewards.”
Vanessa scoffed.
“That’s absurd.”
Amara looked toward her.
“Is it?”
Vanessa crossed her arms.
“I sell more premium vehicles than anyone in this region.”
Charles looked away.
Wrong sentence.
Amara caught it.
“How?”
Vanessa frowned.
“What?”
“You sell more.”
“Yes.”
“How are your leads assigned?”
Silence.
Ethan looked toward the ground.
Amara noticed.
“Interesting.”
Vanessa said:
“Performance-based.”
“Who decides which walk-ins are qualified?”
“I do.”
“Who decides who gets premium leads?”
“I oversee assignments.”
“Who reviews complaints?”
“Management.”
“You are management.”