The man’s playful grin froze the moment Gray’s words landed. His hand, that still held out across the table, trembled slightly before he quickly pulled it back.
"What?" His voice cracked. "What the hell did you just say?"
Gray stayed calm. He smiled with calmness laced in his expression.
"I asked if you’re on drugs. Because I can’t make sense of how you’re handling this meeting."
The man’s face darkened. His wrinkled suit looked even more out of place now as his chest puffed up.
"Y-you dare insult me like that? Me? I came all the way here, sweating my ass off, rushing through traffic just to meet you, and this is what I get?"
He slammed his hand on the table again, making Mara flinch this time. His oversized glasses slid even lower down his nose, but he didn’t bother fixing them. His crooked teeth were on full display as he sneered.
"If you don’t want the deal," he snapped, his voice rising, "then we don’t need you! I’ve got plenty of other clients lining up for my services. You think you’re special? Hah!"
Gray leaned back in his chair, completely unbothered. His arms folded across his chest, and his gaze stayed steady. The man’s outburst didn’t shake him—it only confirmed what he already knew.
"You’re wasting my time," Gray said flatly.
That was it.
The man pushed his chair back with force and stood up. He fanned himself with his handkerchief one more time.
"Fine! Forget this. You’ll regret passing up on me," He spat out the last word like he was threatening Gray that if he didn’t accept this deal, then it would be his big loss.
"Alright, go away then." Gray just smiled and brushed off his threats. That doesn’t work on Gray. He has heard more convincing threats than that one. He would probably rank it the lowest, compared to all he had heard his entire life.
"Tsk..." Without another word, the man turned on his heel and stormed out. The door slammed shut behind him, the sound echoing in the quiet conference room.
For a long moment, silence filled the space. The ticking of the wall clock was the only thing they could hear.
Then Mara slowly let out a breath.
Gray did too.
The sighs weren’t heavy with disappointment. They weren’t even frustrated about it. Instead, their sighs were full of relief.
"Damn... what was that?"
Gray leaned back in his chair, tilting his head toward the ceiling for a moment. His jaw loosened, his shoulders relaxed.
"God," Mara also muttered, sinking into her seat. She closed her laptop, dragging a hand down her face.
"That was... a nightmare."
"Yeah. It was." Gray chuckled lightly under his breath.
Both of them sat there for a while, letting the scene unfold on their memories again.
"I swear," Mara said, shaking her head, "the second he started spilling water all over the table, I already knew this was a mistake. But the way he acted... God, it was like watching a walking red flag."
Gray smirked faintly, eyes drifting toward the empty chair across from him.
"If we signed with him, it would’ve been a disaster. Can you imagine? Construction delays every week, permits are done through shady channels, and he just laughs it off."
"Or worse," Mara added, her lips pressing together. "He’d start and then disappear. Leave us with an unfinished site and excuses."
Gray exhaled slowly, his smirk fading into something softer. "
At least we dodged a bullet. I’ll take relief over regret any day."
"Exactly." Mara nodded firmly. She knew that dropping this meeting was better than having a deal with that shady man and the company behind him.
"Well... back to the drawing board, then." Gray leaned forward, resting his elbows on the table and rubbing the back of his neck.
Mara glanced up, her tired expression lifting just a little.
"Yeah. I guess we can just look at other firms. There has to be someone better. I guess we can’t cut corners on this one."
"Yeah, I guess so," Gray hummed in agreement. "We’ll just take our time and do this right. I realized now that rushing won’t do us any good."
"Yup. I agreed," Mara said, her voice was definitely more cal now. She opened her laptop again and tapped the screen awake. "Do you want me to start calling others? We can line up a few more meetings, just to cover all bases."
"Yeah. Do it. Make sure we filter harder this time. Make them send a proposal first before scheduling a face-to-face meeting." Gray nodded and sighed.
"Yeah, I know," Mara muttered, "I don’t ever want to sit through something like that again."
Gray chuckled quietly, "Neither do I."
They had wasted an afternoon, but at least they hadn’t wasted their future.
Gray straightened his tie, stood from his chair, and gathered his notes.
"Come on. Let’s get back to work."
Mara quickly followed. As they walked out of the conference room, the weight of that ridiculous meeting slowly disappeared. It was then replaced by relief and determination.
Sometimes, losing a deal was the best win you could get.
The rest of their afternoon was spent in front of their screens, typing email and making some calls.
Mara worked with her laptop open, scrolling through list after list of construction firms.
Some looked decent, but the more she checked, the more red flags popped up, especially on the low-cost ones. There were different poor reviews, lawsuits, projects left hanging in the middle of nowhere.
Gray sat across from her with his arms folded. The two of them worked together.
By the time evening shadows crept through the windows, Mara finally set her laptop down with a tired groan.
"This is impossible. Everyone either overcharges, cuts corners, or has some kind of stain on their record."
Gray leaned back in his chair, letting out a long breath. His tie hung loose around his neck now, his sleeves rolled up. He rubbed his temples slowly, thinking. This thing was making his head, ache.
"Yeah... I noticed too."
Silence stretched between them. The kind of silence where both knew what they were thinking but didn’t want to say it out loud.
They definitely this would take them some time. And somehow, they couldn’t afford to wait for that long.
"So what now? Do we keep searching tomorrow?" Mara was the first to break the silence.
Gray lowered his hand and looked at her. His eyes were calm, but behind them, a decision was slowly forming. Suddenly, he had an idea. He didn’t know if it was good or not, but for him, it was an idea that was worth doing.
"We’ll keep looking," he said in a confident manner. "But if things don’t move... I might have to ask Conrad."
"Conrad?" Mara blinked at him.
"Yeah." Gray nodded slowly. "Not as a business partner, though. Just... as an elder. He knows people. He’s been through this. Maybe he can point me in the right direction."
Mara leaned back in her chair, chewing the inside of her cheek. She didn’t argue, because she knew he was right.
Sometimes, experience was worth more than pride.
"Alright," she muttered. "If you trust him, then it might be worth it."
Gray gave her a faint smile.
"Trust isn’t the word. But... I’ll take guidance where I can."
- - -
That night, Gray found himself standing outside Selina’s door.
The hallway of their floor was quiet, the lights dimmed to a soft glow. He stared at the wooden door in front of him for a long second, his hand hovering just above the handle.
He wasn’t the type to come asking favors, especially like this.
’...’ He didn’t know how to start it.
After some time, he knocked on the door.
"Who is it?" A muffled voice came from the other side.
"It’s me," Gray replied.
There was a short silence. Then the sound of footsteps followed. Soon after, the door cracked open, and Selina appeared. Her eyes widened a little when she saw him.
"Gray? It’s late... what’s going on?"
Gray let out a small breath and gave a half-smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes.
"Sorry for coming unannounced."
Selina tilted her head, concern flickering in her gaze.
"No, it’s fine. You just... don’t usually knock at my door like this."
He didn’t answer right away. For a moment, he just looked at her.
"Can I ask for your help, Selina?"
Selina’s brows rose slightly, surprise flashing across her face. She had seen Gray handle business with calmness, confidence, even stubborn pride. But now, hearing that he needed her help, made her feel some certain feelings
"What do you mean?" she asked softly, opening the door wider. "Help you with what?"
Gray stepped in, leaning a little against the door’s frame.
"I need advice. Guidance, maybe. I’m stuck, and I can’t figure this out alone."
Selina’s lips parted, but no words came out at first. She studied him for awhile and saw something she hadn’t seen before. Behind his steady composure, Gray looked as if he was in deep trouble.
Finally, she gave him a small smile, warm and reassuring.
"Of course. Come in."