“Miss. Carolina Molina, as in company lawyer, Miss. Molina?”
“Yes. She left instructions to let her know when you arrived.”
That explains it.Lizzie’s mood darkened. She was about to demand they page Mr. Pemberley directly when she saw Carolina’s shiny blonde head gliding toward her.
Carolina’s heels clicked like a metronome keeping pace coldly. “Come on, come on, we arequite busytoday,” Carolina said by way of greeting, already moving, not waiting for Lizzie to catch up. Lizzie followed her into the building, up the elevator, and down what felt like the most convoluted path imaginable.
“I can imagine,” Lizzie said. “Surprisedyou’reescorting me with such a demanding schedule.”
“Well, we don’t want to bother anyone else—especially with Alisa and the Reed Medical team visiting today.”
Lizzie smiled at the obvious flex. “Certainly not,” she said, feigning concern.
They finally reached procurement—a room full of staff who didn’t seem busy at all. Carolina called over Jim, whom Lizziehad met before, and issued strict instructions:no wandering unescorted, no bothering the executive team.Then she turned on her heels and all but ran.
Jim looked apologetic as he showed Lizzie her desk. “Has the plan for this week changed?”
“Changed from what?”
“We got the agenda two weeks ago—your schedule, slotted for this week, with directions from Mr. Pemberley to give you whatever you needed. Something likea direction from Lizzie may as well be a request directly from him.Then, on Friday evening, Carolina sent a vague email saying all changes should pass through her.”
Lizzie’s heart rate spiked. Her internal temperature rose. Cubans called someone who was meddlesome and messed with things that didn’t concern themMetiche.Lizzie had thought Carolina wasMetichebefore, but now she felt thatMetichedidn’t begin to cover it.
She shot Jim a reassuring look—he was mild-mannered, clearly sensing tension, worry streaking his face. “Don’t worry, Jim. The schedule hasn’t changed. I’m with you and your team this week. Follow whatever direction you were given. Any push back, you let me handle it.”
Jim exhaled in relief. Lizzie wondered if Will was somewhere in this building, cowering under Carolina’s pressure just like Jim.No matter,Lizzie thought.Results would be the best revenge.
“Okay,” she said, clapping her hands together as if to banish the tension. “Let’s talk procurement.”
The rest of the day went smoothly. Lizzie’s preparation paid off—she was systematic, methodical. The software installation camefirst. Then training: how to use AI to audit past purchases, flag unclaimed rebates, and dishonored discounts.
“Most companies find their first round of savings in the rear view,” she told the team. “Let’s start there.”
They dove in, calling out wins like a game:
“I got a $100 rebate on the Cox order!”
“Double delivery on Perkins—$768 back!”
“Wrong charge code on Shiner—another $208!”
With each shout, Lizzie wrote it on the whiteboard and cheered them on. The room grew animated, competitive, alive.
Then the mousy girl—quiet until now—gasped. “Oh my God.”
Lizzie walked over. “What’s up?”
“I think I found abigone,” she whispered, eyes wide.
“How big?”
“If I’m reading this right, our contract with Reed Medical includes a 30% volume discount.”
Lizzie nodded. “And?”
“We had a massive order this month. The discount wasn’t applied. We were overcharged by$200,000.”
“Nice! That’s not a bad return on half a day’s work. Flag it. Jim—send it up the chain.”
