Chapter28 You're stronger than you think
Chloe
The rest of the afternoon passed in a productive haze after my lunch with Julian—I'd buried myself in spreadsheets and financial models, determined to prove I belonged here on merit alone.
I was reviewing a tech startup's financials when my desk phone rang—the internal line. My stomach tightened. Only senior management used these.
"Chloe Harrison speaking."
"Ms. Harrison, this is Emma from the executive floor. Mr. Astor requests your presence in Conference Room A on the 38th floor at 3:30 PM. He'd like you to present preliminary findings on the Meridian deal."
My mind went blank. "I... I'm sorry, did you say present?"
"Yes. Thirty minutes. He specifically requested you."
The line went dead.
I stared at my screen, pulse hammering. The Meridian deal was Madison's project—I'd only been doing background research. Why would Julian ask me to present?
Unless this was a test. Or worse, Madison's trap.
Ryan noticed my expression. "You okay? You look like you've seen a ghost."
"I have to present to the CEO in thirty minutes."
His eyes widened. "Holy shit. On what?"
"The Meridian acquisition. But I'm not the lead analyst—Madison is."
"That's... weird." He leaned closer. "You think it's a setup?"
"I don't know." I pulled up my files, hands shaking slightly. "But I need to prepare."
The next twenty-five minutes were a blur.
I compiled my research notes, cross-referenced financial projections, rehearsed key talking points. My coffee went cold. My phone buzzed with a text from Julian: "Breathe. You know this material."
How did he even—right. He probably arranged this whole thing.
At 3:28, I took the elevator to 38. Conference Room A was all glass walls and intimidating minimalism.
Through the windows, I saw Julian at the head of the table, Madison to his right, and the leadership team—David Christopher, Managing Director; Patricia Watts, General Counsel; Marcus Reid, Head of Investment Banking; and Rachel Chen, my direct supervisor, looking as sharp and efficient as always.
Emma intercepted me at the door. "Ms. Harrison. You'll be presenting the competitive analysis and risk assessment. Fifteen minutes maximum. Questions after."
"Wait, I thought—"
But she was already opening the door.
Julian's eyes found mine immediately, expression unreadable. "Ms. Harrison. Please, take a seat."
I sat across from Madison, whose smile could cut glass. Rachel gave me a brief, encouraging nod. David Christopher watched with measured interest. Patricia Watts had her pen poised over her notepad. Marcus Reid was, predictably, checking his phone.
Julian didn't waste time.
"Ms. Harrison joined us from Goldman Sachs last week. I asked her to provide a fresh perspective on the Meridian acquisition, independent of the existing analysis. Ms. Harrison, whenever you're ready."
My throat was dry, but I stood and connected my laptop to the screen. The first slide appeared—clean, professional, exactly how I'd learned at Goldman.
"Thank you, Mr. Astor. I've identified three primary risk factors in the Meridian deal that warrant additional due diligence..."
I fell into the rhythm. Numbers, projections, competitive threats. My voice steadied. I caught Madison's expression shifting from smug to surprised to something darker. Rachel was taking notes, nodding occasionally.
Because my analysis contradicted Madison's. Not dramatically, but enough to matter.
She'd projected 18% growth; I was showing 12-14% as more realistic given market saturation.
She'd dismissed regulatory risks; I'd flagged two pending FDA reviews that could derail their flagship product.
When I finished, the room was quiet.
David Christopher leaned forward. "Ms. Harrison, you're suggesting we renegotiate the valuation downward by approximately 15%?"
"Based on these risk factors, yes sir. Or structure the deal with performance-based earnouts to mitigate downside."
"That's a significant departure from Ms. Blake's recommendation." He glanced at Madison. "Care to respond?"
Madison's smile was tight. "Ms. Harrison raises valid points, though I believe her projections are overly conservative. The FDA reviews she mentioned are routine—"
"Routine reviews don't typically take eighteen months," I interjected, then immediately regretted it. You didn't interrupt a VP in front of the CEO.
But Julian's expression didn't change. "Ms. Harrison, elaborate."
I pulled up a supplementary slide I'd prepared but didn't think I'd need.
"Meridian's lead compound has been in Phase III review for eighteen months, which is triple the average timeline. That suggests complications. If the FDA requires additional trials, it delays market entry by at least two years, which fundamentally alters the revenue model."
Rachel spoke up, her Wharton training evident in her crisp analysis. "The earnings model Madison presented assumed market entry by Q2 next year. If we're looking at a two-year delay, the NPV drops significantly."
David nodded slowly. "How did we miss this?"
Madison's jaw tightened. "We didn't miss it. We assessed it as low probability—"
"Based on what data?" Patricia Watts cut in. "Because if Ms. Harrison found this in a week, we should have flagged it months ago."
Even Marcus Reid looked up from his phone now, interest piqued.
The temperature in the room dropped ten degrees.
Julian closed his folder. "Thank you, Ms. Harrison. Excellent work. Ms. Blake, please coordinate with Ms. Harrison and Ms. Chen to integrate these findings into the updated analysis. I want a revised proposal by Friday."
"Of course," Madison said through clenched teeth.
"That's all. Ms. Harrison, please stay. Everyone else, dismissed."
The executives filed out.
Madison's glare could melt steel as she passed me. Rachel paused at the door, giving me a subtle thumbs-up before leaving. David offered an approving nod. Patricia mouthed "well done."
When the door closed, I was alone with Julian.
He didn't speak immediately, just watched me with those unreadable amber eyes. Then: "Sit."
I sank into the chair across from him, adrenaline still buzzing.
"That was a setup," I said quietly.
"Yes."
"You wanted to see if I'd contradict Madison publicly."
"I wanted to see if you'd tell the truth even when it's uncomfortable." He leaned back. "You did. You also just made an enemy."
"I already had one."
His mouth curved slightly. "Fair point. But now she knows you're a threat, not just an annoyance."
"Is that what you wanted?"
"What I wanted," he said, "was to watch you prove you belong here. Not because you're my wife, but because you're good at this job."
He stood, walked to the window. "Madison's been coasting on seniority for years. She needed a reminder that competence matters more than tenure."
I processed this. "So you used me to send her a message."
"I gave you an opportunity. What you did with it was entirely up to you." He turned. "You could have softened your findings, avoided contradicting her, played it safe. You didn't."
"Because the analysis was wrong."
"Exactly." He crossed back to me, and suddenly we were too close, the conference room feeling smaller. "You're going to face a lot of pressure to compromise your standards, Chloe. From Madison, from clients, from people who think their title means they're always right." His hand lifted, almost touching my face, then dropped.
"Don't. The moment you start compromising your integrity to make others comfortable, you lose what makes you valuable."
My breath caught. This wasn't Julian the husband speaking. This was Julian the CEO, and somehow that made it more intimate.
"I should get back to my desk," I whispered.
"You should." But he didn't move, and neither did I.
His phone buzzed, breaking the spell. He glanced at it, jaw tightening. "Go. Before I do something inadvisable in a glass-walled conference room."
I fled.
Back at my desk, my hands were still shaking. Ryan wheeled over immediately.
"How'd it go? You were up there forever."
"Fine. Good, I think."
"You think?" He grinned. "Dude, Madison just stormed past here looking like she wanted to murder someone. What did you do?"
"My job."
His grin widened. "Respect."
Rachel appeared at my desk, her expression neutral but her eyes warm. "Good work in there, Chloe. That FDA analysis was solid. Madison won't be happy, but you did the right thing."
"Thank you," I managed.
"Just keep your head down for the next few days. And if she tries anything, come to me first." She glanced toward Madison's office. "I've been waiting for someone to call out her sloppy due diligence for months."
She walked away, leaving me slightly stunned. I had an ally.