She stormed out the door ignoring him banging it so hard that it cracked and shattered. She did not look back. The sound of glass spilling onto the ground gave her a satisfying feeling. Jackie smirked as she walked away, hoping she never had to see his face again. She pressed the down button on the lift and tapped her foot whilst scrolling her phone. Her breathing uneven. Her heart breaking. Because deep down. She was afraid he might be right. The lift dinged and opened. She stepped in not realising that someone was coming out. They bumped into each other.
"Sorry!" she said as she got in not sparing him a glance.
Daniel fumbled with his phone for a moment. Making sure he had a hold of it, he looked back just as the lift doors were closing. Damn. Too late. He thought he had seen the woman before. But he couldn't be sure. All he caught was a quick glimpse. Turning around he made his way to the office. As he got closer, he saw shards of glass all over the floor and stopped.
"Mr Lombard." Sanders's secretary said. "Please wait there. We're just waiting for all the glass to get cleaned up."
"Lombard!" Sanders said as he approached. He stopped just inside his door where the glass shards ended.
"Thank you for coming. Sorry about the mess," pointing at the glass, he added with a wry smile, "Daughters."
With a raised brow Daniel looked from the glass to Sanders "No problem."
"Do you mind waiting in the boardroom while we get this cleared?"
"Of course."
Daniel made his way to the boardroom. Settling into his seat he wondered about the mystery daughter who caused the chaos in the foyer. Amused, he smirked glad someone was able to get one in on Lombard.
Daniel was glad that the day was over. All the videos had been taken down. It had taken some persuasion from Sandy. A chunk out of their bank account and three NDAs later. It was done. A few people had watched the footage. But no downloads.
The vultures were circling. He didn't need any bad publicity derailing his plans. He couldn't afford that especially with the merger he's been working on with Adolph industries. James Adolph was a traditional man. Who knows how spin could affect the merger.
He walked towards his car having forgotten about the dent until he saw it again. After the day he had. He was surprised to catch himself smiling as he looked at it.
"She is one feisty lady."
He got into his car and drove out of his parking spot. Exiting the building, he wondered if he'll ever see her again.
Jackie got into her apartment throwing her keys onto their bowl. Taking her jacket off, she hung it in the coat cabinet. And took off her shoes. She whirled around and let out a scream.
"Unbelievable!"
Walking up and down, she felt wetness on her face. She reached up to wipe her face. Only to realise that her hands were shaking. The sight made her drop to her knees in tears. After some time, her tears faded, and in their place, resolve set in. Getting up, she went to her worktable and opened her laptop. She had work to do.
"No," she said aloud. "I built this. I'm not losing it like this. He took my money," she muttered. "Not my brain." Her business wasn't just built on capital but instinct, relationships, persistence. And she wasn't giving that up.
Her first call was to Maria.
"Jackie?" Maria sounded surprised. "I thought-"
"I know the payment got reversed," Jackie cut in quickly. "But I can pay cash. Half now, half on delivery."
"You have cash?" Maria asked carefully.
"Yes," Jackie said, grabbing her bag. "Give me two hours."
"…Alright. I'll hold a smaller batch."
Relief flooded Jackie so fast it made her dizzy.
"Thank you," she breathed. Glad she had withdrawn some cash and stashed it for a rainy day.
Two hours later, she walked into the warehouse with cash in hand. Not her usual volume. Not ideal. But enough. A start.
"I knew you'd figure something out," Maria said as she handed over the inventory.
Jackie managed a small smile.
"I always do."
And it felt good. By midday, she had listed the items online and promoted aggressively. Her phone buzzed within hours. Orders.
"Yes," she whispered. "Yes, yes!"
By week's end, she had sold almost half the stock. Not perfect. But it was progress.
"Take that," she muttered, a spark of defiance returning. Her father wasn't invincible.
At week two she had expanded. Reached out to smaller suppliers and independent sellers. People her father didn't care about. Or so she thought. Deals came through slowly and by week three, her business had stabilized. Not thriving but surviving.
Jackie sat back one evening, staring at her laptop with tired satisfaction.
"You don't control everything," she said quietly. For the first time, she felt like she might actually win.
Her phone rang. Unknown number. And she almost ignored it, but something made her answer.
"Ms. Sanders," the voice said. "This is Jeremy from Vista Insurance."
Her stomach tightened.
"Yes?"
"I'm calling to inform you your policy has been suspended."
Her victory cracked.
"What? Why?"
"Payment reversals flagged your account."
She exhaled sharply.
"Fine," she said. "Thank you for letting me know."
It was a setback, but not a fatal one.
She focused on her work and by months end, she had made enough money to breathe.
Then her phone rang again. Maria. Jackie smiled slightly as she answered.
"Don't tell me you have more stock-"
"Jackie…" Maria's voice was tense.
Her smile faded.
"What happened?"
"Jackie… I can't continue supplying you."
Her chest tightened.
"Why?"
"I've been… advised."
There it was. Jackie's grip on her phone tightened.
"Thank you for letting me know." She whispered as her throat tightened.
"I'm sorry." Maria whispered sadly and the phone cut.
By the beginning of the second month her supply chain was shrinking. Her earlier confidence fading.
"He waited," she whispered. Her father hadn't rushed. He had watched and let her build momentum. Then started cutting it away piece by piece. Her small victory didn't feel like a win anymore. But she wasn't going to let this set back take her down.
Robert Sanders stood in his office, looking out over the city with quiet satisfaction. Mike stood behind him, tablet in hand.
"She's still holding on," Mike said cautiously. Robert smirked faintly.
"For now."
He didn't turn around. Didn't need to.
"She needed to believe she could win," he continued calmly. "Otherwise, she would have resisted longer."
Mike shifted slightly. "And now?"
Robert's gaze remained fixed on the skyline.
"Now she understands."