A Female CEO Made a Single Dad Pick Up Her VIP Guest—and Then the VIP Asked, “Why Isn’t He the One Running Your Company?”
Chapter 2
The ride to Sterling Industries took thirty minutes.
Charles spent most of it asking questions.
Not personal questions.
Business questions.
How many vehicles Sterling operated.
How often shipments were delayed.
Which warehouses had the highest maintenance costs.
How drivers were scheduled.
Whether the security systems were centralized.
Ethan answered every question.
Not because he wanted to impress Charles.
Because he knew the answers.
He had built the transportation dashboard himself after the company’s old software failed.
He had redesigned emergency routes.
He had cut overtime waste by nearly twenty percent.
And he had once prevented a warehouse shutdown by spotting a recurring refrigeration problem that the engineering team had missed for three weeks.
But Victoria rarely noticed details like that.
She noticed numbers.
Deadlines.
Quarterly goals.
She didn’t notice the people keeping those numbers alive.
They reached the Sterling headquarters.
Charles looked up at the glass tower.
“Impressive.”
Ethan parked.
Before opening the door, Charles asked:
“One more question.”
“Yes?”
“Do you want her job?”
Ethan laughed.
“No.”
“Why not?”
“Because I have enough responsibility.”
Charles looked amused.
“You’re the first person I’ve met who says that.”
Ethan shrugged.
“I have a daughter.”
“Ah.”
“She’s eight.”
Charles smiled.
“Then you understand real management.”
Ethan opened the door.
Charles stepped out.
“You may be more interesting than this company.”
Then he walked inside.
Ethan watched him disappear.
His phone buzzed.
Lauren again.
“Where is he?”
“Inside.”
“Good. Bring the car around.”
“I thought I was done.”
“You’re not.”
“What now?”
“Ms. Sterling wants you upstairs.”
Ethan frowned.
“Why?”
“I don’t know.”
He parked the sedan.
Then took the elevator to the executive floor.
When the doors opened, Victoria Sterling was standing outside her office.
She was wearing a cream-colored suit.
Her dark hair was pulled back.
She looked calm.
Powerful.
Controlled.
But Ethan noticed the tension in her jaw.
“You’re late.”
He looked at his watch.
“By thirty seconds.”
“You were supposed to bring him directly here.”
“I did.”
“He’s already inside.”
“Yes.”
She stared at him.
“Did you talk to him?”
“Yes.”
“What did you discuss?”
“Traffic.”
Victoria frowned.
“Traffic?”
“He had questions.”
“What kind?”
“Business.”
Her expression changed.
“What did he ask?”
Ethan thought.
“Mostly how the transportation system works.”
Victoria looked annoyed.
“Did you say anything inappropriate?”
Ethan laughed.
“No.”
“What did he think of the company?”
“I have no idea.”
“You spoke to him for thirty minutes.”
“He asked questions.”
“And?”
“I answered.”
Victoria stared at him.
Then she sighed.
“Fine.”
She turned.
“Come inside.”
Ethan followed.
Charles was standing by the window.
He turned.
Victoria smiled.
“Charles, you remember Ethan.”
Charles nodded.
“Very well.”
Victoria gestured toward a chair.
“Ethan, you can leave.”
He nodded.
But as he turned, Charles said:
“Actually, stay.”
Victoria looked surprised.
“Charles?”
“I’d like him here.”
Ethan stopped.
Victoria forced a smile.
“Of course.”
Ethan sat.
The meeting began.
Victoria presented Sterling’s new logistics division.
Revenue projections.
Expansion plans.
Technology upgrades.
International growth.
Charles listened.
Then asked one question.
“How much does your current infrastructure cost you every year?”
Victoria answered.
“Approximately forty-two million.”
Charles nodded.
“And what percentage is avoidable?”
Victoria hesitated.
“Less than ten.”
Charles looked toward Ethan.
“Do you agree?”
Ethan froze.
Victoria stared at him.
“I asked him a question,” Charles said.
Ethan cleared his throat.
“Closer to twenty.”
Victoria’s face tightened.
Charles smiled.
“Why?”
Ethan explained.
Vehicle downtime.
Vendor duplication.
Emergency freight premiums.
Underused warehouse space.
Unnecessary overtime.
Charles listened.
Then asked:
“Why hasn’t this been fixed?”
Ethan glanced at Victoria.
“Because the operations team doesn’t control the budget.”
Silence.
Charles looked at Victoria.
“Is that true?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
Victoria leaned back.
“Because strategic decisions belong to senior management.”
Charles nodded.
Then looked at Ethan.
“You were invited into this meeting because Ms. Sterling trusts you?”
Victoria answered before Ethan could.
“He’s a senior employee.”
Charles smiled.
“Interesting.”
The meeting continued.
But Victoria’s attention was no longer on the presentation.
It was on Ethan.
And every time Charles asked him a question, Ethan gave an answer that Victoria couldn’t dismiss.
After an hour, Charles closed the folder.
“I’ve heard enough.”
Victoria smiled.
“I hope you like what you saw.”
Charles stood.
“I saw something I didn’t expect.”
Victoria’s smile faded slightly.
“What?”
Charles looked at Ethan.
“Competence.”
Then he looked back at Victoria.
“And that’s precisely what concerns me.”
Victoria frowned.
“I don’t understand.”
Charles pointed toward the door.
“Why isn’t he the one running your company?”
The room went silent.
Ethan looked at Victoria.
She looked at Charles.
And for the first time since becoming CEO, Victoria had no immediate answer.
