"Don't be afraid, Max. As long as I'm here, no one can fire you." Her gaze swept the room. "You will always be a part of the Henson Group."
Jade turned, ready to lead Max out of the office like a protective mother hen.
Rage boiled through my veins. My hands trembled as I roared, "Jade! Are you joking? He's incompetent! He doesn't meet the baseline requirements. What kind of message does this send to the other employees?"
She stopped. Turned slowly. Ice filled her eyes.
"I said what I said. I will personally take him to the Zhou Group negotiations."
Her chin lifted in defiance. "And when this deal closes, he will replace you as the top salesperson of the year."
Jade had it all calculated. She wanted to groom him. Unfortunately, Max Pruitt was mud—you couldn't build a wall with him no matter how hard you tried.
She took him to the client meeting, but Max treated the business trip like a vacation. Social media check-ins. Photos of food and scenery. Zero preparation for the actual negotiation. They ate, drank, played—completely ignoring the contract.
The clients at the Zhou Group were insulted. They had never seen such an arrogant vendor.
Furious, they canceled the order.