She Hired a Poor Mechanic to Fix Her Car… Then Discovered He Was a Billionaire!
Chapter 2
Emma arrived at Reynolds Development with three minutes to spare.
She rushed into the conference room carrying her presentation folder.
Her father, Richard Reynolds, looked at his watch.
“Cutting it close.”
“My car broke down.”
He frowned.
“Again?”
“It was a battery connection.”
“You should replace that car.”
Emma sat down.
“Dad, it works.”
He sighed.
“That’s not the point.”
The meeting began.
Representatives from several investment groups sat around the table.
The proposal involved transforming an abandoned industrial district into a mixed-use development.
Hotels.
Apartments.
Retail space.
A technology campus.
The projected investment exceeded $600 million.
Emma presented confidently.
For forty minutes, she answered every question.
When she finished, the room was silent.
Then one investor nodded.
“Impressive.”
Her father smiled.
Emma finally relaxed.
But halfway through the discussion, a senior executive asked:
“Your environmental assessment assumes the old factory site is structurally sound. What evidence supports that?”
Emma opened her folder.
“We conducted preliminary inspections.”
“Preliminary?”
“Yes.”
“So you haven’t completed the structural survey?”
“Not yet.”
The executive frowned.
“That could be a serious liability.”
Emma knew.
She had hoped no one would focus on it.
The meeting ended without a decision.
Outside the conference room, her father pulled her aside.
“You should have had the full report.”
“I know.”
“We may lose this contract.”
“I’ll fix it.”
“How?”
Emma didn’t answer.
Her phone buzzed.
Unknown number.
She ignored it.
Then another message.
Your battery terminal was damaged before it came loose. Someone had tampered with it.
Emma stared.
She called the number.
Daniel answered.
“Hello?”
“How did you get my number?”
“You left your business card in the glove compartment.”
Emma remembered.
She had.
“Why are you telling me someone tampered with my car?”
“I noticed tool marks around the terminal.”
Her stomach tightened.
“Are you sure?”
“Yes.”
“Could it have been accidental?”
“No.”
Emma looked toward the conference room.
“Why would someone do that?”
“I don’t know.”
“Can you prove it?”
“I can take a closer look.”
Emma hesitated.
She had no reason to trust him.
Yet she did.
“Can you come to the office?”
Daniel paused.
“Now?”
“Yes.”
“Give me thirty minutes.”
He arrived wearing the same work clothes.
Several employees glanced at him.
One receptionist whispered something to another.
Emma ignored them.
Daniel inspected the car.
After five minutes, he looked serious.
“Someone loosened this deliberately.”
Emma’s face went pale.
“Can you identify who?”
“No.”
He pointed toward the parking lot.
“But there’s a camera.”
Emma looked.
The camera faced the entrance.
“Security footage?”
“Maybe.”
She called security.
They promised to review it.
Daniel packed his tools.
“Anything else?”
Emma shook her head.
“No.”
He turned to leave.
“Daniel.”
He stopped.
“Thank you.”
He smiled.
“You’re welcome.”
Emma watched him walk away.
Then her father appeared.
“Who was that?”
“A mechanic.”
Richard looked suspicious.
“A mechanic?”
“He fixed my car this morning.”
Her father looked through the window.
“Why is he here?”
“He noticed someone tampered with the battery.”
Richard’s expression changed.
“Did he?”
“Yes.”
For the first time, Emma noticed something strange.
Her father looked frightened.
