08
After hanging up, I sat in silence.
I wasn’t surprised by Maddie’s call; I’d anticipated this ever since hearing about Denol Tech’s
failed IPO.
I was always the type to give everything for love and to clear every obstacle for the person!
loved.
For years, I poured my heart and soul into Leonard’s success while he acted as nothing more Athan a figurehead. Every triumph he claimed had been built on my tireless efforts behind the
benes.
Without me, Leonard would be the same lost young man from ten years ago. He would be grieving his parents, overwhelmed by debt collectors and utterly directionless.
If Rachel had been competent, perhaps Denol Tech could have weathered my absence. But
she was nothing more than an empty shell, and with her at the helm, the company’s collapse
was inevitable.
The thought that my hard work was about to be ruined broke my heart. However, I never
expected the doomsday of Denol Tech would arrive so soon.
A month later, headlines erupted online: a heavily promoted organic milk product by Denol
Tech was linked to widespread food poisoning incidents.
At first, Leonard and the manufacturer dismissed the claims as malicious slander from
competitors. They hired PR teams to flood the internet with positive spin. But as more cases emerged, including a fatality, the situation spiraled out of control.
In a world where human life is paramount, this was a catastrophic scandal.
The news dominated every channel, both online and offline. Denol Tech, the face of the
product’s promotion, became the public’s scapegoat, vilified and condemned.
The company, already teetering due to Rachel’s incompetence, lost its remaining clients as
they rushed to terminate their contracts.
Leonard was hounded by public outrage and couldn’t return home or contact friends or
family.
A few days later, Maddie called again, her voice trembling with tears. “Cecilia, it’s over for
Leonard. He’s doomed.”
Denol Tech had been built by our old team who worked tirelessly through the hardest of times. Seeing it collapse was unbearable, even for me.
I stayed quiet for a long moment before replying softly, “Don’t be so pessimistic. You’re in marketing, not production. The manufacturer bears the primary responsibility. Once the storm passes, there might still be a chance to rebuild.”
Maddie’s voice hardened. “You don’t know the whole story, Cecilia. That bast**d Rachel was a plant from the manufacturer. After everything blew up, she and their executives took the money and fled abroad!”
Mroze. So that’s why everything unraveled so diecrtrouely Rachel bad never intended to bålp.
12:09 Mon, 16 Dec M.
Leonard. He’s doomed.”
Denol Tech had been built by our old team who worked tirelessly through the hardest of
times. Seeing it collapse was unbearable, even for me.
I stayed quiet for a long moment before replying softly, “Don’t be so pessimistic. You’re in marketing, not production. The manufacturer bears the primary responsibility. Once the storm passes, there might still be a chance to rebuild.”
Maddie’s voice hardened. “You don’t know the whole story, Cecilia. That bast**d Rachel was a plant from the manufacturer. After everything blew up, she and their executives took the money and fled abroad!”
I froze. So that’s why everything unraveled so disastrously. Rachel had never intended to help Denol Tech; she’d come to use it as a shield.
Anger and helplessness swirled inside me, but mostly, I felt a deep, aching sadness. Denol Tech wasn’t just Leonard’s; it was the product of ten years of my own blood, sweat, and tears.
A few days later, Leonard came to find me.
Gone was the polished, self–assured man I once knew. His hair was unkempt, his eyes loodshot and his face gaunt and pale. His appearance alone spoke volumes about the hell ne’d been living through.
He grabbed my arm with a desperation I hadn’t seen in him before, his voice shaking. “Cissy, please save Denol Tech. I’m begging you.”
I pulled my arm away and shook my head, my voice cold and resolute.
“It’s too late. I can’t save it.”
It wasn’t a refusal out of malice. The damage was irreversible. The manufacturer’s executives had fled, and Rachel had been their accomplice. All the liability now fell squarely on Denol Tech’s
shoulders.
But Leonard, his eyes red with emotion, wouldn’t give up. “No, you can save it!” he insisted. “Ten years ago, things were worse than they are now, and we brought the company back from the brink. Why can’t we do it again?”
His tone shifted as a realization dawned on him. “You’re still angry about Rachel, aren’t you? About me making her VP and forcing you out of the company?”
I won’t make excuses. It was all my fault. I’m sorry, Cissy. Truly.
I’ll give you whatever you want: the VP position, the GM position, shares… Whatever it takes.
Cissy, we spent ten years building Denol Tech together. Ten years of sweat, tears, and sacrifice. It’s not just my company. It’s yours too. You can’t let it die like this….”
