Chapter 4 Still Waiting for Elena

On the private jet, Matthew called me for the third time.

It went straight to voicemail again.

He stared at the notice HR had forwarded to him, still open on his screen.

"I'm being admitted to the hospital tonight. I won't be available for company matters during my surgery or recovery, and I did not agree to take on any additional handovers. Please make other arrangements."

Matthew read it once more, his irritation growing.

"Is she seriously doing this right now? How dare she shut off her phone, dump everything back on everyone else, and disappear on us like that!"

He tossed the phone onto the table.

"What does she expect me to do? Turn the plane around and rush back because she's upset?"

Beside him, Bianca ran her fingers over the bracelet on her wrist.

"My luggage is still at the office," she said quietly. "She made the driver unload everything and took the car."

Then, she gave a small shrug. "It's fine. I can wait. I'm more worried about the vendors. Weren't they expecting the reconciliations today?"

Matthew flipped his phone face down. "She wants me to chase after her. Well, she can deal with that mess once the surgery is over tomorrow and the vendors start calling."

She asked, "Are you sure?"

An arrogant smile tugged at his mouth. "I know Elena. She gets angry, makes a point, and then she gets over it and does what needs to be done. She always does."

Bianca nodded.

Matthew reached over and squeezed her hand. "I've already arranged another car for your luggage. Don't worry about it. Once the credit closes, I'll have Finance settle the balance on the gowns and jewelry."

That brought a smile back to Bianca's face, and she slipped her arm through his.

A flight attendant approached to let Matthew know they were ready to close the cabin door.

He was about to nod when his phone rang.

It was the CFO.

"Yeah?"

"Mr. Westbrook, we have a problem with Harrington."

Matthew straightened in his seat. "What problem?"

"The funds have been terminated. The signing after Christmas has been canceled too."

Matthew went still. "The entire 80 million?"

"Yes."

He went dead silent for several seconds. Then, he grabbed the travel folder, flipped it open, and pulled out the letter of intent.

"Who told you this? They were still confirming the funding conditions with us last week, and I've already given our vendors payment dates."

The CFO spoke quickly, "Everyone who was supposed to attend the signing received a cancellation notice. Two vendors have already called asking if they're still getting paid after Christmas.

"I also called the bank, but they wouldn't provide any details. They just said the formal notice still stands."

Matthew stared at the Harrington Bank logo printed across the top of the letter. His expression darkened.

Bianca set down her champagne. "What happened?"

He covered the phone with one hand. "They're saying Harrington pulled the 80 million."

Her smile disappeared.

Just then, Matthew gave a cold laugh. "Of course, they did. Right before Christmas too, when they know we've already made payment commitments."

He leaned back in his seat. "They're trying to pressure me."

Then, he looked at Bianca and ordered, "Call Gabriel. Find out what's going on."

Bianca quickly found the number and called.

Someone from Harrington Bank's executive office answered.

She introduced herself and explained that she was calling from Westbrook Group regarding the credit facility.

The response was brief.

They were to refer to the formal notice.

Then, the call ended.

Matthew watched her. "Well?"

Bianca tightened her grip on the phone for a moment. Then, she smiled again and slipped her arm through his.

"It's Christmas week. Half of their senior staff is probably already out of the office. The person who answered doesn't even handle our account, so of course they weren't going to tell me anything."

She pulled up the documents on her phone and held the screen toward him. "Look. This is the letter of intent they sent last week, and here's the invitation to the gala. Their representatives told us everything would move forward after Christmas."

She scrolled through the messages. "If they were really going to cancel the deal, wouldn't they contact us first? Why would we hear about it from vendors before anyone at the bank even spoke to us?"

Matthew took the phone and looked through the documents. "So, you think they just changed the signing date?"

"That's probably all it is." Bianca lowered her voice. "Maybe this is exactly what they want. They want you to panic. You're only going to give them the leverage they want if you lose your nerve now."

He leaned back slowly in his seat. "You're right. They're using the money to pressure me into giving up more on the revenue split."

His expression hardened again as he added, "That's exactly why I left Elena behind. She was supposed to handle situations like this. Instead, the vendors are calling me while she shuts off her phone and disappears."

Bianca carefully slid the letter of intent back into the folder. "Don't blame her. She usually just handles the numbers. Maybe having all those vendors calling at once was too much. And you know Elena. The more you push her, the more stubborn she gets, especially when she's upset."

Matthew looked at her and complimented, "You've been with me for just one month, while Elena's been by my side for five years. Yet, you know how to support me better than she does."

He picked up his phone, opened the company group chat, and tagged Elena.

"I want every vendor to be reassured by tomorrow morning. Tell them the signing has been postponed. That's all they need to know.

"What do you expect me to do if you can't even do something so simple? Walk you through it myself?"

A third message followed.

"I've already approved your half day off. You're having a piece of shrapnel removed, Elena. Do you seriously expect the entire company to stop until you're fully recovered?"

He hit send.

The CFO called him again seconds later.

"Mr. Westbrook, I really think we should wait. We still haven't received all the documentation, and until we know exactly why the bank—"

Matthew cut him off, saying brusquely, "We're not waiting. If we start canceling plans now, everyone will assume we're in trouble. Have Elena handle it. She knows who to call."

He ended the call and raised a hand toward the flight attendant. "We're ready."

Soon, the cabin door closed.

Bianca silenced her phone and settled closer to him as the flight attendant poured the champagne. "We only get a few days away," she said. "Let's not let work ruin our fun."

Matthew looked at her. Then, he smiled. "You're right."

Bianca raised her glass. Her phone still lay face up on the table, and the screen hadn't gone dark yet.

A vendor group chat lit up.

Then, another one.

Then, a third.

The same message appeared in every chat.

"Harrington Bank has formally terminated its 80 million financing agreement with Westbrook Group."