“I—I didn’t do anything,” Celia said, her voice shaky. Her fingers curled into the fabric of her sleeve. “I just told him we were happy to sign a deal with him and—”
Before she could finish, Jerry exploded.
“Talk to him about signing the fucking deal?” he roared. “Are you fucking kidding me?”
His face flushed a deep, ugly red. The thick mustache above his lip twitched violently as he shouted, spit flying from his mouth. His chest heaved with each furious breath.
“How the hell did you offend him?” he thundered. “Do you think we’re the only ones begging for Empire Group’s attention? It took me five goddamn years to secure that deal. Five years, Celia!”
His voice thundered through the room. “I sentyouso we could leave a good impression and instead, you offended him?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Celia whispered, her throat tight. Her eyes burned, tears pooling despite her effort to hold them back. “I didn’t do anything.”
“Then why the hell did he cancel it?” Jerry shouted.
The walls seemed to vibrate with his voice.
“We got a call from his people” he continued, pacing like a caged animal. “They saidyoutold him we don’t want this deal!”
He spun back to her, eyes blazing.
“Are you fucking insane?”
Celia flinched as his voice boomed through the office. Her knees weakened, her hands trembling at her sides.
The next second, Jerry stepped closer.
He leaned down until his shadow swallowed her whole, his finger jabbing inches from her face. His voice dropped, low and deadly.
“I don’t care how you do it. I don’t care what you have to crawl to or who you have to beg. I want that damn deal back!”
“T-Then why don’t you ask Willow to—”
She didn’t get to finish.
“And if you don’t,” he cut in sharply, “I’ll disown you.”
Celia froze.
“I don’t need a useless daughter,” he went on cruelly. “I can adopt a thousand children smarter than you. I’ll give them my company instead. I’d rather hand everything to a stranger than to someone this goddamn stupid.”
Celia’s face drained of color.
Her lips parted, but no sound came out at first. Her chest tightened painfully as she whispered, barely audible, “Dad… it’s not that serious.”
Her eyes shimmered, tears slipping free.
“Why are you doing this to me?”
“Get out,” Jerry growled.
His voice was low, rough, edged with pure rage. “And don’t even think about coming back to this company unless that deal is back in place. Do you hear me?”
Celia shivered.
Her shoulders shook as she slowly nodded, her chin dipping toward her chest. “O-Okay,” she whispered.
Turning around, Celia walked out of the office in silence, her footsteps light but unsteady, as if she might collapse the moment the door closed behind her.
