Chapter 7
788words
The project manager was reporting on a critical overseas partnership that had reached its implementation phase. Due to the sudden illness and resignation of the VP overseeing it, serious handover problems had occurred—resulting in a potentially fatal oversight in a core supplier's qualification verification.
"Mr. Grayson, some of their qualification documents… appear to be forgeries we missed during initial review… The first shipment arrives at port soon. If problems arise, we're looking at tens of millions in direct losses, plus severe damage to our reputation and international standing…" The manager was sweating profusely.
The room fell deathly silent as everyone felt the storm brewing around Garrett.
"Why are we only discovering this NOW?!" Garrett's voice was glacial as his gaze swept across the executives before landing on Sylvia, who had just arrived. "Secretary Sterling, you handled early work on this project. Care to explain?"
He directed his attack squarely at Sylvia—partly to vent his anger, partly because he secretly hoped she would, as always, produce a miraculous solution.
Sylvia raised her head, her face betraying no panic whatsoever.
She spoke with perfect composure: "Mr. Grayson, before submitting my resignation, I transferred all materials to VP Wang following protocol. Regarding this supplier, I explicitly flagged their complex background and recommended secondary verification. I copied you and the entire project team on that risk assessment email."
As she finished, the project manager's face turned ashen. He'd clearly forgotten—or simply ignored—her warning.
Garrett remembered too. There had indeed been such an email; he'd been busy with an acquisition and merely glanced at the subject line, dismissing it as Sylvia being overly cautious without actually reading it.
A chill crept up from the soles of his feet.
So he had ignored her warning?
"What's the point of discussing this now!" Garrett interrupted irritably. "I need solutions! What do we do once the shipment reaches customs? We're finished!"
Everyone lowered their heads, despair hanging heavy in the air.
Tens of millions in losses plus immeasurable reputational damage could sink the project entirely and even impact their stock price.
Just then, Vivian, who had been silent throughout, suddenly seemed to remember something. With trembling hands, she pulled a plain white USB drive from her folder and spoke timidly:
"P-Mr. Grayson… Secretary Sterling gave me this USB drive a month ago when she first began her handover. She said if this project encountered a Category C crisis after she left—specifically regarding supplier qualifications—I should give this to the project manager…"
Every eye in the room locked onto that small USB drive!
Garrett's heart lurched! He stared at the drive as though it were a lifeline. "Bring it here! Connect it to the projector!"
Vivian rushed to comply.
The drive contained just one folder, labeled simply: "Plan B."
Inside were several meticulously organized files:
One contained a comprehensive background check and letter of intent from an alternative supplier!
Another held a detailed legal contingency plan and prepared PR statements for the current crisis!
There was even a strategic analysis on leveraging this crisis to negotiate more favorable terms!
Every document was impeccably organized, thoroughly researched, and targeted the core issues—a custom-built survival kit for this exact crisis!
The room fell into stunned silence.
Everyone was too astonished by the thoroughness and foresight of this "Plan B" to speak. Sylvia had anticipated this potential crisis a month ago and silently prepared a perfect solution!
Garrett stood frozen, staring at the text on the screen, feeling as though he'd been slapped across the face—a burning, stinging humiliation.
This slap stung far worse than the one at the summit!
He'd just been trying to blame her, to shift responsibility onto her shoulders. Yet the reality was that she'd already paved every possible escape route for him and the company.
It was his own arrogance and negligence—and his team's—that had brought them to this precipice.
Overwhelming shame and shock crashed over him like a tidal wave. He slowly turned to look at Sylvia, seated quietly at the end of the long table.
She sat there calmly, as if the crisis she was single-handedly averting had nothing to do with her.
She wasn't even looking at the documents—just gazing out the window, her profile appearing almost ethereal and detached in the light.
Garrett finally understood how catastrophically wrong he had been.
Sylvia's value was never just about finding files or remembering his allergies.
She was the true cornerstone—the indispensable brain—behind his entire business empire.
She had silently cleared every obstacle from his path while he'd strutted about, believing his own brilliance was driving their success.
Losing Sylvia meant losing far more than a secretary.
He was demolishing his own fortress.
