“He thinks you aren’t taking the deal seriously, and this is your way of expressing how little regard you have for the business relationship.”
“Wait, wait, wait,” I say. “Hold on. I never heard about this.”
“How is that possible? His assistant called and spoke directly with yours. Mr. Park does not make mistakes. He wouldn’t have been at Hae Min for so long as my dad’s right-hand man.”
“What did he say was my assistant’s response?” There has to be some kind of miscommunication. Maybe Julio mishandled it while Bianca was out of the country.
“She told him it’s not happening. Without any explanation.” Yuna sounds insulted.
She?“Maybe he misunderstood,” I say woodenly as my thoughts spiral out of control, trying to piece together what must’ve happened.
“He doesn’t misunderstand. He speaks four languages, and his English is excellent.”
My whole body starts shaking. I prop my elbows on the desk and press the heels of my hands against my pulsing temples. She’s right about Mr. Park. I met him, along with Eugene and a few others, when I visited their headquarters. The Hae Min employees take their work more seriously than a heart attack.
Yuna isn’t finished. “Dad is fuming, and Eugene isn’t thrilled, either. They think you’re jerking them around, because you don’t respond to the group’s emails in a timely fashion. And when you do, it’s often with ambiguous wording or not what was agreed upon. Like insisting on using Gabriella Ricci.”
I jerk my head up.
“Wouldn’t it be awkward to work with your husband’s previous girlfriend? Especially when the gossip sites claimed you stole him from her? I can’t imagine a situation like that. And it isn’t like she’s the only acceptable model out there.”
Blood roars in my head. This is the exact opposite of what Bianca told me.
Yuna continues, “It wasn’t a big topic in Korea because there was a juicier scandal at the time. But if this collaboration launches with Gabriella Ricci as the brand ambassador, the media therewilltalk about the three-way relationship involving you, her and your husband, and itwillcreate a negative brand image.”
Nausea wells. A bitter-sour tang coats my mouth.
“Eugene is ready to cut ties and sue both Peery and Sebastian Jewelry.”
Holy mother of God…Dread pours over me. The shareholders’ meeting is two days away. A lawsuit from our overseas partner would be the final nail in my coffin.
“But I told him I needed to talk to you before he did anything. Because what he said doesn’t jibe with what I know.”
I squeeze my eyes shut, struggle to breathe…and think. “Okay, I… That isn’t how I understood the situation.” My voice is shaking, and I stop and inhale. I can’t afford to get emotional.Project calm leadership—and see what can be done to salvage all this.“First of all, my assistant should never have said that, assuming there was no miscommunication or misunderstanding. We’re always happy to do custom work, and I already told my design team to come up with special gifts to celebrate the partnership. Maybe she didn’t articulate the situation well. As for Gabriella Ricci, my understanding was thatHae Minwanted to use her.” Bianca said Chul-Su wanted Gabriella, but would he have said that knowing Eugene would have the same concern that Yuna just voiced? “But like we discussed before, I’d prefer that we use a local celebrity with the right image and fanbase.”
A silence. “What’s going on, Lucie?” Yuna asks. Her tone’s softer now, concerned.
“I don’t know,” I say, although my churning gut says I do. But I simply can’t imagine my best friend doing all this when she knew how much her actions would hurt. She has nothing to gain by lying like this between me and the Hae Min Group. There has to be another explanation. “I’m going to have to look into this. I want to understand how so many mistakes were made.”
“If your assistant isn’t doing her job, you’re going to have to let her go,” Yuna says quietly. “She’s cost you and Hae Min a lot of trouble and time.”
“She’s my best friend. She’d never do anything that could harm the company. Or my reputation.”
“Lucie. I think she already has.” Yuna isn’t unkind, but that makes me feel more like a failure. The worst judge of character.
I clench my trembling hands.
“I hope you can safeguard your company. I’ll speak to my brother, and see what we can do. But if this issue isn’t resolved immediately, he won’t work with you.”
“I understand.” I choke out the words, then clear my throat. “Thank you for letting me know, Yuna.”
“It’s not a problem. And Lucie…good luck.”
We hang up. I bury my face in my hands. If it hadn’t been for Yuna, the Hae Min Group would’ve terminated everything and sued. What a disaster that would’ve been.
But now that I know what the problems are with the collaboration, I have to address them as soon as possible. Everything points to Bianca, but it doesn’t make any sense. We’ve been friends even before we started preschool.There has to be another explanation for this.
I hit the intercom to ask her to come in, but I can’t say the words. My throat is scratchy and raw, like it’s full of little splinters. If Bianca sees me like this, she’s going to know something’s wrong. I don’t want her to think I suspect her.
