Chapter 8

When the bidding began, Brooks management presented a plan to cut forty percent of the workforce.

They wanted to lower costs as quickly as possible and sell a company they had already drained for the highest price they could get.

I closed the file.

“I will not accept this.”

One of the directors frowned.

“These employees belong to Brooks. You are buying assets, Miss Hale. You are not running a charity.”

“I am buying a business that can still create value.”

“I am not buying the empty shell you plan to leave behind.”

I placed a new restructuring list on the table.

The people who needed to leave were not the regular employees.

They were the executives who had buried complaints, manipulated promotions, and protected the Crown Club.

There were thirty-seven names.

Every one of them would be removed.

The conference room fell silent.

Julian sat across from me without making another offer.

After reading my plan, he looked at me with interest.

“Keeping all regular employees will add at least two years to the time needed to recover the investment.”

“I know.”

“And you still want to do it?”

“Brooks never had too many employees.”

“The problem was that the wrong people had been in charge for too long.”

Julian said nothing else.

During the second round of bidding, he did not raise the price.

Instead, he proposed a joint acquisition.

Mercer would provide its overseas sales network and supply chain.

Hale would hold the controlling interest and control the restructuring of management.

Some people assumed Julian was giving me favorable terms because our families knew each other.

He addressed that directly.

“Working together does not mean I accept every condition.”

“If Miss Hale cannot return the company to profitability within one year, Mercer will take control of the overseas operations under the terms of the agreement.”

I looked at him.

“Agreed.”

We signed the deal that day.

At the first management meeting of the new company, I ended every promotion process that had been handled behind closed doors.

Hiring decisions, permanent employment offers, and employee references would require approval from at least three people.

Employees could submit complaints directly to the independent center led by Noah.

No manager would be allowed to see the identity of the person who filed a complaint.

I also restored several women who had been pushed aside after refusing private events with executives, taking maternity leave, or reporting their supervisors.

One of them was Rachel.

She had been kept in a junior management role for five years.

I placed her in charge of the new company’s first overseas project.

After the meeting, a former Brooks executive stopped me.

“She just returned from maternity leave. This project requires constant travel. She is not suitable for it.”

Rachel stood nearby, her face pale.

I did not answer for her.

I looked at her instead.

“Can you handle the project?”

She raised her head.

“Yes.”

“Then do it.”

The executive tried to object again.

Noah entered the room and placed an investigation report on the table.

Over the previous three years, that executive had blocked eleven women from promotion because he believed marriage or pregnancy made them a business risk.

He was removed from his position that same day.

There was no argument.

There was no second chance.

Three months later, Rachel completed the overseas project.

The profit was twice the original target.

At the new company’s first all-hands meeting, she stood onstage and presented the results.

Many of the people in the audience had once believed she was not suitable for the role.

This time, no one dared interrupt her.

After the celebration dinner, Julian and I left the hotel together.

During that quarter, we had argued more than ten times about budgets and sales channels.

Twice, we went an entire week without discussing anything except work.

He opened the car door for me but did not get inside.

“We have another board meeting next week.”

“I know.”

“So tonight, I do not want to discuss work.”

Julian looked at me.

“Victoria, I would like to take you to dinner.”

“There will be no contracts and no arrangement between our families.”

I studied him for a few seconds.

“I will consider it.”

He smiled.

“All right. Take your time evaluating me.”