Loan Deal I Go Independent, She Rues

The shipment had been sitting in the warehouse for a month. We were on the final day of the payment window, and our companys finance department still hadn't released the funds.
I had chased them countless times. Finally, the finance director snapped.
The money is tied up in a short-term investment! Every day it's out early, we lose a hundred dollars! If I pay for your shipment, who's going to compensate the company for that loss?
She waved a dismissive hand. "Just tell them we'll be a little late. As soon as the investment matures, we'll pay them."
I tried to explain that our supplier didn't do credit; they wouldnt release the goods without payment.
She gave me a slow, condescending look from head to toe. "Aren't women in sales supposed to sweet-talk their way into a deal? Go bat your eyelashes a little, and I'm sure they'll give you the goods. Don't play the saint with me."
I just stood there, stunned. Then I turned around, walked out, and mortgaged my brand-new apartment.
The shipment was worth half a million dollars. I could double that on the resale.

I wasn't even back from my annual leave when I got the call from Mr. Carter, the owner of our supplier, Carter Tech.
"Mina, I'm at my wit's end here!" he said, his voice strained. "These parts have been sitting in my warehouse for two months. Your payment still hasn't arrived. If this continues, it's going to cause a serious cash flow problem for me."
"That's impossible," I said instinctively. "I confirmed it with finance before I left. They promised to make the payment on the first day back. Can you have your people double-check their accounts?"
He sighed heavily. "You know there's a line out the door for our components. I've been working with your company for this long purely out of respect for you, Mina."
"I can give you three more days. If the money isn't here by then, don't blame me for what happens next."
Before I could say anything else, the line went dead.
I immediately called my colleague in procurement, Tanya. After what felt like an eternity, she answered, her voice immediately hostile.
"What do you want? Can't you see I'm busy?"
"The Carter Tech payment"
She hung up on me.
Next, I tried the intern, Leo. He sounded apologetic. "Mina, I've asked them so many times. Kim in finance is going to kill me if I ask again."
I tried calling the finance director, Kimberly "Kim" Vance, directly, but it went straight to voicemail.
My gut told me this was more than just a simple delay.
I canceled the rest of my vacation and booked the next flight home.
The moment I walked into the office, another sales rep, Mark, cornered me.
"Our buyer has already paid the 10% deposit," he said, his face grim. "Your components haven't even hit the factory floor. If we miss the delivery deadline, the penalty clauses are going to be brutal."
My brow furrowed. I headed straight for the finance department.
Kim looked up, surprised to see me. "What are you doing back?"
I forced a smile. "Hi Kim. Carter Tech says they still haven't received the payment. I tried calling, but you must have been busy. Could you give me the payment confirmation so I can have them trace it?"
She rolled her eyes, annoyed. "There was no payment, so there's no confirmation."
I froze. "No payment? But we agreed before the break that it would be sent the day we got back. Why hasn't it been paid?"
She ignored me, turning to bark at a new accountant. "I asked you for the accounts payable report yesterday! Is it so hard to get it done? Do you even want to pass your probation?"
The young woman flinched, muttering apologies.
I placed a small gift bag from the airport duty-free on Kims desk. She finally glanced at it.
"I appreciate you following up on this," I said, keeping my voice level. "Today is the final deadline. The payment absolutely has to be sent before the end of the day."
I spent the entire afternoon on edge at my desk, but no payment confirmation ever came.
As Kim started packing up to leave, I shot out of my chair and blocked her path.
"You said the Carter Tech payment would be made today. Why hasn't it been sent?"
"I never promised you I'd pay it," she said flatly.
Her attitude was so infuriating I almost laughed. I dropped the polite act and laid out the facts.
"Delaying this payment will jeopardize our future business with them. If the company loses millions because of you, do you think you can handle the fallout when the partners start asking questions?"
That hit a nerve. "Don't you dare try to pin this on me!" she snapped. "It has nothing to do with me!"
"The money is tied up in a short-term investment! We lose a hundred dollars for every day it's out early! If I pay for your shipment, who's going to compensate the company for that loss?"
"Just tell them we'll be a little late. As soon as the investment matures, we'll pay them!"
Tanya leaned against the doorframe, a stack of expense reports in her hand. "Mina, Kim has made her point. Why don't you just give her a break? Besides, you and Mr. Carter are so close. I'm sure if you ask him nicely, he'll agree."
I ignored her, my eyes locked on Kim. "Carter Tech doesn't do credit. No money, no components."
"I followed the standard payment procedure. Every manager signed off on it. If you're not going to pay, you need to give me a valid reason."
I expected some bureaucratic excuse. Instead, she exchanged a look with Tanya, then gave me that same condescending, head-to-toe scan.
"Aren't women in sales supposed to sweet-talk their way into a deal? Go bat your eyelashes a little, and I'm sure they'll give you the goods. Don't play the saint with me."
I was speechless.
Instantly, the way everyone in the office looked at me changed.
Our company processes high-precision instrument components. Six months ago, the head of procurement, Grant, had resigned. Procurement is usually a coveted position, but our industry is different. The profit margins on our finished products are huge, which means the price of raw components is constantly skyrocketing. There are only a handful of suppliers, and getting a contract depends entirely on relationships.
Grant had secured our deal with Carter Tech because he was a distant relative of Mr. Carters. It was the only reason we were getting components below market price.
After Grant left, headquarters sent a team to assess the situation. When they learned Grant had been my mentor, they transferred me from sales to take over procurement, hoping Mr. Carter would extend me the same courtesy. If I could keep the supply chain running smoothly, a promotion to Vice President was on the table for next year.
Realizing tomorrow was the final, non-negotiable deadline, I stormed into the General Manager's office.
Mr. Shaw was on the phone. Seeing me, he quickly wrapped it up.
"Mina, have a seat."
I poured out the entire storyKim deliberately withholding payment, the condescending remarks, my growing panic.
He listened patiently, then took a slow sip of tea. "Kim already spoke to me about the payment."
He set his cup down. "And she has a point. She has her own considerations. You need to be more understanding."
I just stared at him, my mind refusing to process what I was hearing.
"Mina, let me be frank," he said. "Take the Carter Tech payment. Why can't we just pay them after we've processed the components, sold the final product, and received payment from our own client?"
"That cash, which would have been paid out, can be earning interest in our account. Over a few months, that adds up to a nice little profit. Why do we always have to dance to someone else's tune?"
My head was spinning. "But... Carter Tech doesn't allow that! The industry standard is cash on delivery. You know that rule!"
He slammed his tea mug down on the desk. Hot tea splashed onto the back of my hand, stinging.
"If you're going to run procurement, you need to deliver results! Letting Carter Tech lead you around by the nose is not a result. Don't forget, you work for Apex Industries! You are our procurement manager!"
Mr. Shaw had been in his position for five years. He knew the industry inside and out. He was saying this for one reason: headquarters had chosen me, Grant's protg, for the VP track over his own preferred candidate, Jason.
He was playing dumb to make my life difficult. I decided to be direct.
"Mr. Shaw, if we lose this shipment because of non-payment, the company will suffer a catastrophic loss. Who is going to take responsibility for that?"
His face hardened. "Is that a threat?"
"No, sir," I said quickly. "It's a statement of fact."
He dropped the pretense, a cold sneer on his face. "If you fail to secure those components, the responsibility will be yours and yours alone. You're on the brink of a major promotion, Mina. Don't let the company down."
I walked back to my desk in a daze, the signed contract with Carter Tech feeling like a lead weight in my hands. Mr. Carter couldn't wait, the company wouldn't pay, and I was caught in the middle.
Shaw and Kim were deliberately trying to ruin me.
I wasn't going to let them. I refused to be their scapegoat.
The next morning, I drafted a detailed report of the situation to send to headquarters.
On my way to pick up a package from reception, I passed Shaw's office. I heard Kim's unrestrained laughter from inside.
"That little bitch, dripping in designer clothes, she's definitely skimming off the top! If I don't teach her a lesson, she'll think she can walk all over me!"
Shaw chuckled, a nasty, wheezing sound. "Once we push her out, your nephew can take over as head of procurement."
"You promise! Don't let that little fox whisper a few sweet words in your ear and make you go soft!"
I stood frozen outside the door, my nails digging so deep into my palms I thought I might draw blood.
Reporting them to corporate would be letting them off too easy.
They wanted to block my payment? Fine. Let's play.
Back home, I pulled out the deed to my apartment. I had poured my entire life savings into buying this place. My parents had even given me their retirement fund. It was the result of a decade of hard work. What was one more gamble?
What Shaw and Kim didn't know was that in that moment, I decided the rules of the game were about to change.
In a small, discreet office on a financial side street, a man was scrolling through his phone, looking bored.
"Ma'am, looking for a mortgage loan?"
I placed the deed on his desk. "1,500 square feet, brand new, fully furnished. No existing loans. I need half a million. Not a penny less."
He took the document, typed a few things into his computer, and nodded. "Done."
"Interest is one percent a month. If that works, we sign."
"Make it two percent," I said. "I need the cash now."
He stepped out, made a few calls, and came back to draw up the contract.
Two hours later, $500,000 was sitting in my bank account.
I called Mr. Carter. Before I could speak, he started pleading.
"Mina, don't do this to me! I haven't even charged you the late fees for warehouse storage! Today is the absolute final deadline!"
"Mr. Carter, that's not why I'm calling," I said quickly. "Apex breached the contract by not paying. You've already been more than patient. We'll proceed according to the contract's penalty clauses."
I took a breath. "I'm calling because I want to know... can you sell that shipment to me?"
There was a long silence on the other end, then the sharp click of a lighter.
"You mean, to you personally?"
"Mina, this shipment is worth over two hundred thousand dollars. Are you sure you have that kind of money?"
A small smile touched my lips. "If you agree, we can sign the contract right now. The money will be in your account in ten minutes."
He hesitated. "As a thank you," I added, "I'll give you a 5% commission."
A 5% commission was high. It was better than the hassle of finding another reliable buyer.
Just as I predicted, he chuckled. "Alright, Mina. I trust you."
After signing the contract with Mr. Carter, I casually strolled back into the office.

First, search for and download the MotoNovel app from Google. Then, open the app and use the code "285663" to read the entire book.