Words Betray Meaning
Reign Jamisal
She was so strong that no one could ever break. A woman whose foundation is herself — cold, smart and always ten times ahead, meet a charismatic, logical and impossible to outsmart guy she never imagined.
When people around them find them "perfect imperfect couple" which they were trapped in a wit of game, pride & calling found themselves in a match made in heaven.
Not every puzzle is meant to be solved. They are meant to fall in love.
Chapter 10: The Set-Up
My train of thought was violently shattered as the line went completely quiet. The soft hum of the video link suddenly felt suffocating as a cold, authoritative voice cut through the digital channel. It was the Assistant Vice President.
"I'll be waiting for your strategy this time, Matt,"
the AVP stated, his tone flat and completely devoid of warmth. "We're making heavy investments here, so we need hard numbers. Let us know if we still need to sign a contract with you—or if we should just choose other partners instead."
The rest of the boardroom grid seemed to freeze. To a lower-level associate, it might have sounded like a routine executive inquiry about resource management. But to me, those words betrayed an unmistakable, cutthroat threat. The AVP wasn't asking for an update. He was holding a knife to our operations, letting me know that our entire account, our contracts, and our future on this floor were actively on the chopping block.
I felt the muscles in my jaw tighten, but I kept my gaze fixed perfectly on the camera lens. I couldn't afford to show a single second of weakness. Not in front of the executives, and certainly not with Gabriel sitting right beside me.
The meeting ended.
I laid it out clearly. I told Reese directly that I needed to see immediate, aggressive results from her floor. Turning to Gabriel, I demanded a clear breakdown of what operational assistance his training team required, and whether they would need an extra extension on their transition timelines.
I closed the message frame and waited.Outwardly, I was just a Senior Operations Manager sending a routine alignment check to his team leaders. But beneath the corporate jargon, the gears were turning.
I had just given Gabriel the perfect operational excuse to pierce through Reese's armor, and I had given Reese the exact high-stakes challenge she needed to prove her worth to the upper management.
I leaned back in my executive chair, my eyes tracking the silent flashing icons on my monitor.
The warnings had been issued.
The boundaries had been crossed.
The battlefield is now open.
"I'll be waiting for your strategy this time, Matt,"
the AVP stated, his tone flat and completely devoid of warmth. "We're making heavy investments here, so we need hard numbers. Let us know if we still need to sign a contract with you—or if we should just choose other partners instead."
The rest of the boardroom grid seemed to freeze. To a lower-level associate, it might have sounded like a routine executive inquiry about resource management. But to me, those words betrayed an unmistakable, cutthroat threat. The AVP wasn't asking for an update. He was holding a knife to our operations, letting me know that our entire account, our contracts, and our future on this floor were actively on the chopping block.
I felt the muscles in my jaw tighten, but I kept my gaze fixed perfectly on the camera lens. I couldn't afford to show a single second of weakness. Not in front of the executives, and certainly not with Gabriel sitting right beside me.
The meeting ended.
I laid it out clearly. I told Reese directly that I needed to see immediate, aggressive results from her floor. Turning to Gabriel, I demanded a clear breakdown of what operational assistance his training team required, and whether they would need an extra extension on their transition timelines.
I closed the message frame and waited.Outwardly, I was just a Senior Operations Manager sending a routine alignment check to his team leaders. But beneath the corporate jargon, the gears were turning.
I had just given Gabriel the perfect operational excuse to pierce through Reese's armor, and I had given Reese the exact high-stakes challenge she needed to prove her worth to the upper management.
I leaned back in my executive chair, my eyes tracking the silent flashing icons on my monitor.
The warnings had been issued.
The boundaries had been crossed.
The battlefield is now open.
Chapter 10
— Chapter 10: The Set-Up of 11