Chapter 3
Marlon chuckled softly on the other end of the line, "What's wrong? Did you get pushed around and now you're calling to vent to your uncle?"
Malia's expression instantly turned icy as she huffed. Marlon had hit the nail on the head, but it stung more than she'd like to admit.
"Alright, alright, I was just messing with you," Marlon reassured warmly. "Tell me what's going on so I can help you straighten things out."
Marlon, only ten years her senior, shared an especially close bond with Malia. She quickly recounted how Yahya had betrayed her after she had been pivotal to their startup's success.
"You know," Marlon said with a hint of sarcasm, "you could have stayed the prized client, but instead, you decided to chase after Yahya, that charmer, and launch a venture. Now, after three tough years, he’s shown you the door. Quite the reality check, huh?"
Malia pursed her lips, blaming herself for being naive and eager to prove her worth. She muttered, "You better not tell my dad! I don't want him ridiculing me."
"Alright, alright," Marlon agreed promptly. "Should we pull the plug on the SONDER project with Blue Horizon?"
Malia rolled her eyes. "Of course, it needs to stop. That's my project!"
At the mid-year meeting, Malia had managed to pressure Yahya into dismissing some highly credentialed executives by promising that she would make up for lost progress in the latter part of the year, hitting at least 80-90% of their annual targets.
She had secured the $30 million SONDER project from Blue Horizon thanks to Marlon's network. Without her influence, Yahya's fledgling company wouldn't have had the credentials to bid on such projects.
To support her, Marlon had even arranged for the finance team to release an advance payment. Malia preferred to keep her family's involvement under wraps and was used to flying under the radar.
This discretion, however, led Yahya to believe his company had secured the SONDER project solely because of its own capabilities. They had no idea that by dismissing her, they'd be cutting off a crucial support.
Without Malia, she was curious to see just how Yahya and Harper would manage to push the project forward.
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