Stacks of crisp, banknotes sat atop the front desk, untouched but glaringly obvious to everyone present. Even without counting, it was clear to all that Walter Miller had spoken the truth—there was easily two million in cash.
The sight stunned both Shandar Solis and the suppliers waiting to settle their accounts. Shandar's face darkened as he stormed up to the desk, grabbed a bundle of cash, and began inspecting it.
"Hey, what's your problem?" Walter sneered from the side. "Do you seriously think it's counterfeit? I just withdrew that from the bank an hour ago."
As Shandar examined the hundred-pound notes under the ultraviolet light, his face flushed with embarrassment under Walter's cutting sarcasm. Saying nothing, he tossed the cash back onto the desk, spun on his heel, and strode toward the elevator.
Seeing Shandar about to leave, a middle-aged man panicked and rushed forward, grabbing his arm. "Mr. Solis, you can't just walk away. If you leave, what are we supposed to do?"
Prompted by his words, the other suppliers snapped back to reality and closed in on Shandar.
"You were the one who told us to come pressure Ms. Solis for payment, remember? Now that things have turned out like this, you can't just abandon us!"
"That's right! What about that 10% deposit we were promised? Are you going to compensate us?"
"Not just that—we expect you to make good on all the other promises you made us too!"
With the crowd of suppliers now exposing his scheme out loud, Shandar's face turned red with shame. He didn't respond and, shielded by his men, hurried into the elevator and fled.
Watching Shandar escape without so much as a word, the middle-aged man exchanged glances with the others. Frustration was written across all their faces.
Still, they weren't ready to walk away empty-handed. While the 10% deposit might not mean much to them individually, what they truly cared about was the future benefits Shandar had dangled in front of them.
They could chase Shandar down later for those promises, but the deposit money—they weren't ready to let that go. The middle-aged man turned his gaze to Lyra Solis, his eyes flickering with calculation.
This woman just wants to save face, he thought. If I swallow my pride and apologize, maybe…
With that thought, he gave a subtle signal to the other suppliers. These were long-time associates; even if they didn't immediately grasp his plan, they knew how to read the room.
He quickly stepped up to Lyra and said with a fawning tone, "Ms. Solis, we were clearly out of line earlier. It was all because someone instigated us. We realize now that we were wrong. Could you be the bigger person and let this go?"
The rest of the suppliers caught on immediately. They stepped forward, bowing their heads and echoing the sentiment:
"Ms. Solis, we truly regret our actions. We hope you'll overlook this and continue working with us. Please don't dock the 10%."
"Yeah, Ms. Solis, we've learned our lesson. From now on, we're firmly on your side. Just treat us like fools and forgive us this once."
"We really messed up, Ms. Solis!"
Lyra looked at the same group of suppliers who had earlier treated her with such arrogance. A cold smirk played at the corners of her lips. "If apologies were enough," she said icily, "why would we need the police?"
The room fell silent. The suppliers had thought that a few humble words would appease her. They never expected such a ruthless comeback.
It was a brutal slap in the face.
The middle-aged man's expression soured. Straightening up slightly, he said with a cooler tone, "Ms. Solis, you may want to reconsider. We're major suppliers for Tempest Pharmaceuticals. If we stop delivering, your products will—well…"
"Hmm?" Lyra's eyes narrowed, and her voice turned to ice. "So what you're saying is, without you, Tempest Pharmaceuticals won't be able to source its ingredients?"
"N-no, of course not!" The man, identified as Mr. Zhang, forced a smile. "But the few of us here handle nearly 50% of the supply chain in this region. So…"
He gave her a smug glance and added, "It's in everyone's best interest to maintain a harmonious relationship. Let's not make trouble where none is needed."
"Hmph!" Lyra's fury exploded. "Oh, now we're talking about mutual respect? You were the ones who came here looking for a fight. Do you really think you're irreplaceable? I'd love to see if you can find that many people willing to turn their backs on money!"
With that, she stepped forward and addressed the entire room.
"As the CEO and Executive Director of Tempest Pharmaceuticals, I hereby revoke Mr. Zhang's supplier qualification. Effective immediately, his company is blacklisted. We will never do business with him again!"
She paused, then continued, her voice ringing through the hall:
"Furthermore, to accelerate our production expansion, I am announcing a 20% increase in procurement prices for raw materials—effective today!"
The double announcement sent shockwaves through the room. Most of the suppliers' faces lit up with glee. Tempest Pharmaceuticals had already been paying top-tier prices. An additional 20% hike meant they were offering the absolute highest in the market.
The excitement was obvious among those with large inventories to sell. Many even turned to Mr. Zhang with thinly veiled mockery in their eyes.
His face reddened—clearly stunned by Lyra's decisive and lavish offer.
But then, as if regaining his footing, Mr. Zhang stepped forward and addressed the room loudly.
"Don't let this girl fool you! A 20% markup means hundreds of thousands in extra expenses every quarter. Does Tempest Pharmaceuticals really have that kind of cash flow?"
He paused deliberately, letting the doubt sink in.
"She's making empty promises. A bluff. Don't fall for it!"
"Mmm… old Zhang might have a point."
"Now that he says it, it does sound a bit too good to be true…"
"Yeah, what if she is bluffing? Then we'd be celebrating for nothing."
The mood in the room shifted again, skepticism creeping back in as murmurs spread. Doubt settled around the question of whether Lyra and her company actually had the financial muscle to back her bold declaration.
Lyra didn't argue. She merely turned her head toward Walter Miller.
"Mr. Miller," she said, calm and composed, "could you tell everyone how much I ordered from your supermarket today, and how much I've already paid?"
Walter blinked, then quickly caught on. He gave her a discreet thumbs-up in his mind. Smart move, he thought. Instead of getting caught up defending herself, she's letting an outsider validate her credibility.
Eager to impress such a major client, he stepped forward.
"Hello, everyone. I'm the manager of PrimeMart Supermarket in Cambridge. Earlier this morning, Ms. Solis placed an order with us for goods totaling £10 million. She paid a 30% deposit—£3 million—upfront. I've got the contract right here if anyone wants to see."
As he spoke, he pulled out his phone and displayed a high-res photo of the signed agreement.
Of course, he didn't carry the physical contract with him. But he had taken a picture to report the good news to PrimeMart's owner. It was saved in his gallery.
The room fell into stunned silence again.
A £10 million order, and £3 million already paid up front? That kind of purchasing power left no doubt: Lyra Solis and Tempest Pharmaceuticals were the real deal.