A new client

A new client
A few days later, the morning had barely settled into its usual rhythm when Natalie appeared in Catherine's office carrying a thin blue folder.

"I think you'll want to see this."

Catherine looked up from the Hamilton reports spread across her desk.

"Good news or complicated news?"

Natalie smiled.

"I'm leaning toward both."

She placed the folder on the desk before taking the chair opposite her.

"A Dutch technology company is looking for a strategic partner to support its expansion into North America."

Catherine opened the folder. The executive summary immediately caught her attention.

Vandervoort Technologies.
Headquarters: Eindhoven, The Netherlands.
Specialized in intelligent warehouse automation.
Profitable for twelve consecutive years.
Family-owned.
Seeking a long-term strategic partner rather than an acquisition.

She turned another page.

"This fits us."

"That was my first thought too."

Natalie nodded.

"They're not looking for the biggest investor. They're looking for someone who understands sustainable growth."

Catherine continued reading.

Revenue projections.
Market analysis.
Expansion plans.

The further she read, the more convinced she became that this was exactly the kind of company Revenir had been built to support.

"They've already approached us?"

"They've approached several firms."

Natalie folded her hands.

"We're one of three finalists."

Catherine looked up.

"Who are the others?"

"One American investment group."

"And?"

Natalie hesitated for a fraction of a second.

"Their lead investor is Moretti Capital."

Catherine's eyes returned to the page. There it was. Lead Investor: Moretti Capital. She remained quiet long enough for Natalie to notice.

"Will that be a problem?"

Catherine closed the folder.

"No."

Natalie studied her.

"You're sure?"

"We've already worked together professionally."

"Not directly."

"No."

Catherine thought briefly of the fountain pen that now rested in the drawer of her desk, used almost daily without another thought.

"This is business," she said. "We keep it that way."

Natalie smiled.

"I'll let Thomas know we're moving forward."

Five days later, the first introductory meeting filled the largest conference room at Revenir. Thomas sat beside Catherine while Natalie prepared the presentation on the large screen. Across the Atlantic, representatives from Vandervoort Technologies appeared one by one.

Their managing director.
Their operations manager.
Their chief financial officer.

The final window remained black for another few seconds before connecting.

Juliano Moretti.

"Good morning," he said.

His voice carried the same calm confidence Catherine remembered from Milan.

"Ms. Lane."

"Mr. Moretti."

Nothing more.

The meeting began immediately. For nearly an hour the discussion remained focused on strategy. Vandervoort wanted to establish distribution centers across the eastern United States within eighteen months. Thomas reviewed Revenir's proposed implementation structure while the Dutch management team outlined their expectations. The conversation moved smoothly until the managing director leaned forward.

"We've discussed something internally."

Everyone looked toward him.

"If market demand develops as expected, we'd like to accelerate the second phase by another six months."

Thomas exchanged a quick glance with Catherine.

"That would certainly increase market share," he said.

Before anyone else could respond, two voices spoke almost simultaneously.

"No."

The conference room fell quiet. Catherine looked toward Juliano. For the briefest moment, surprise crossed his expression before it disappeared. He inclined his head slightly.

"Please."

She understood he was inviting her to continue. Catherine turned back toward the screen.

"It would increase market share," she agreed. "It would also increase operational risk."

She reached for the digital timeline.

"Your current structure works because every new distribution center supports the next one. Compressing that timeline means hiring faster, training faster, and expanding leadership before your existing teams have stabilized."

The operations manager nodded slowly.

"We could recruit externally."

"You could."

Catherine smiled politely.

"But then you wouldn't be scaling your company."

She paused.

"You'd be rebuilding it."

Silence followed. Juliano rested one elbow on his desk. When Catherine finished, he spoke for the first time in several minutes.

"I agree."

The managing director looked from one screen to the other.

"You don't think we can grow that quickly?"

"I think you probably can," Juliano answered.

"The question is whether you'll still recognize your own company when you arrive."

No one spoke for several seconds. Then the managing director smiled.

"I hadn't considered it that way."

The conversation continued from there. By the end of the meeting, the original timeline remained unchanged. The first contracts would be drafted within two weeks. After the final introductions, participants began disconnecting one after another.

Thomas gathered his papers.

"I'll coordinate with Legal."

"I'll join you in five minutes."

He nodded before leaving the conference room with Natalie. Catherine closed one folder before noticing that one participant remained connected.

Juliano.

He was reading something on the desk in front of him. When he finally looked up, he seemed almost surprised to find her still there.

"I thought everyone had left."

"They have."

A faint smile appeared.

"So they have."

Catherine reached for the button to end the meeting.

"Ms. Lane."

She looked back.

"Congratulations."

She frowned slightly.

"For what?"

"You were the only person in today's meeting who questioned assumptions instead of projections."

She considered the remark.

"I thought that's what they hired us to do."

"They hired you to help them grow."

His expression remained composed.

"You chose to protect what they've already built."

Catherine rested her hand on the conference table.

"I don't believe growth means much if you lose yourself getting there."

For the first time since the meeting began, Juliano's smile reached his eyes.

"I suspected you'd say something like that."

She couldn't help smiling in return.

"Is that a compliment?"

"It's an observation."

He closed the file in front of him. Before Catherine could respond, he gave a small nod.

"I'll see you in the Netherlands."

The screen went dark.

For several seconds she remained seated in the now quiet conference room. The conversation replayed briefly in her mind. She found herself appreciating that someone else in the meeting had cared as much about the people behind the numbers as she did. She gathered her notes and returned to work.

Several thousand miles away, Juliano stood beside the windows of his Milan office overlooking the city. His assistant entered with the morning briefing.

"How did the meeting go?"

"Better than expected."

"The client seemed pleased."

"They were."

She handed him the first draft of the investment schedule.

"I'll arrange the meetings in the Netherlands."

Juliano nodded without looking away from the skyline.

"Please do."

His assistant hesitated.

"Anything else?"

He was quiet for a moment. Then he answered.

"Ms. Lane is exactly who Vandervoort Technologies needs."

His assistant smiled.

"I'll let them know Revenir remains our preferred recommendation."

Juliano finally turned from the window.

"Good."

He picked up the next file waiting on his desk. The meeting had confirmed what he had already suspected in Milan. Catherine Lane saw businesses differently. And for the first time in many years, Juliano found himself looking forward to the next meeting before the current one had fully ended.