Tit For Tat Chapter 06
Ten minutes later, Sloane deleted her apology.
Cole Capital also announced that her branding consultant access had been suspended pending an internal investigation.
When Adrian called, I was in the company conference room.
The Harbor Dock project needed new mezzanine financing. Without Cole Capital, we had to rebuild the cash-flow model and explain the delay risk to our municipal partners.
I answered on speakerphone, continuing to flip through the file in front of me.
“Evelyn,” Adrian said, his voice tight with anger, “you made the backend records public. Are you trying to destroy Sloane’s career?”
Every executive at the table looked up.
My tone remained level.
“Mr. Cole, it’s business hours.”
He paused.
“You won’t even take my call in private now?”
“There is no longer an engagement between us that requires private handling.”
“Sloane’s apology was incomplete. I merely supplemented it with verifiable facts.”
His breathing grew heavier on the other end.
“You never used to be this ruthless.”
I laughed.
“I used to be the one cleaning up your messes.”
“This time, I’m simply not deleting the evidence for you.”
There was a long silence.
When he spoke again, his voice had dropped.
“I never should have sent that email.”
“People were drinking. Sloane showed the page to a few guys in the room first, and they were all laughing. I thought we could just switch the page back to the formal one in the morning.”
“I didn’t think the bank would suspend the project.”
I held my pen, and that one sentence felt more honest than any excuse he could have offered.
What he hadn’t expected was the bank suspending the project.
Not that I would be hurt.