My Bully Mocked Me in Front of the CEO So I Destroyed Her in Seven Languages Chapter 03

My Bully Mocked Me in Front of the CEO So I Destroyed Her in Seven Languages Chapter 03

Monday morning, translation department meeting.

I wasn’t invited, but my desk is right next to the conference room. Through the glass wall, I could hear every single

word.

Wendy scribbled a list of info about East Ridge Group on the whiteboard.

“Caleb Sterling is fluent in German and French, and his assistants cover Spanish and Japanese. We’re discussing a supply chain partnership in the Middle East. They’ll handle the Arabic side, so we just need to nail the German and

French coordination.”

Julian nodded. “You sure about this?”

“Of course. I spent three years studying in Germany. A business negotiation like this is a walk in the park.”

I kept my head down, proofing the files in front of me.

Wendy’s German is actually decent-fine for casual conversation.

But I’ve seen her previous drafts.

Her business German has a fatal flaw: she relies way too much on literal translation and completely ignores the complex hierarchy of honorifics required in formal German correspondence.

In a casual chat, it’s no big deal, but if the client is someone obsessed with detail…

Whatever.

None of my business.

The meeting wrapped up, and Wendy walked out.

As she passed my desk, she spotted the stack of East Ridge files.

“Finished organizing?”

“Yeah.”

I handed her a twenty-page summary, categorized by project type, partnership history, and key stakeholders.

She skimmed through a couple of pages.

“It’ll do.”

She took it and left.

At four in the afternoon, Joseph suddenly showed up in the translation department.

He rarely makes an appearance down here.

“Wendy, East Ridge moved the meeting up. Caleb arrives tomorrow afternoon. Are you ready?”

Wendy stood up. “Moved up? I’ve reviewed all the materials. No problem at all.”

“Good. Take someone with you tomorrow for on-site translation support.”

Wendy scanned the room. “I’ll take Jake. His German is okay.”

“Jake is still on leave.”

Wendy’s brow furrowed as she scanned the room again.

Her eyes landed on me.

“Hazel, you’re coming with me tomorrow.”

I looked up. “Me? I only know French.”

“You’ll just handle the notes and serve the coffee. I’ll take care of the professional stuff.”

Joseph glanced at me. “Her?”

“Don’t worry, Joseph. She’s perfect for the grunt work.”

And just like that, I was dragged along to the East Ridge Group negotiation.

To do the grunt work.

The next day at 2 PM, we arrived at the East Ridge Group headquarters.

A forty-eight-story skyscraper with a lobby paved in black marble and four receptionists in matching black uniforms.

Wendy was wearing a brand-new designer suit and four-inch heels, trying her hardest to look powerful.

I wore my company-issued button-down and carried a canvas tote.

The receptionist gave us a once-over.

“Global Trade Solutions?”

“Yes. I’m Wendy Miller, the translation lead. This is my assistant, Hazel Levis.”

I didn’t correct her.

The receptionist made a call. “Please wait. Mr. Sterling is still in a meeting.”

We sat in the lounge for fifteen minutes.

Wendy spent that time reapplying her lipstick twice and fixing her hair three times.

“Hazel, once we’re in there, just sit to the side and take notes. Don’t speak, don’t make a sound. You got that?”

“Got it.”

“Also, use formal address when speaking to Mr. Sterling. Don’t let your eyes wander. Men at his level hate unprofessionalism.”

“Okay.”

The elevator doors opened.

Caleb’s assistant stepped out-a man in his thirties wearing gold-rimmed glasses.

“Ms. Miller? Mr. Sterling will see you now.”

We took the elevator straight up to the forty-sixth floor.

The moment the conference room doors opened, I saw Caleb.

Thirty-two, around six-foot-one, in a charcoal suit, no tie, top button undone.

His expression was cold.

Not the “trying-to-look-cool” kind of cold, but a bone-chilling indifference.

He was reviewing a file, not even looking up.

“Sit.”

He said exactly one word.

Wendy sat down.

I sat beside her and opened my laptop, ready to take notes.

Beside Caleb sat two others: his legal counsel and a very young-looking woman.

The woman had a translation device set up in front of her.

Five seconds of dead silence.

Then Caleb suddenly looked up and spoke.

He spoke in German.

“In your company’s last proposal, three sets of tariff data were cited from 2021 standards. It is now 2024. What is the meaning of this?”

His delivery was fast, his phrasing sharp.

Wendy froze for two seconds.

She understood him, but she clearly didn’t expect him to open like that.

“Mr. Sterling, that proposal was a preliminary draft-”

She answered in English.

Caleb cut her off.

Still in German.

“I asked in German. Please answer in German. I don’t want to waste time with translations.”

Wendy’s face flushed instantly.

She switched to German: “That proposal was a draft. We will update the data-”

“Update it? Has anyone on your team studied the 2024 Middle East import policy for the EU? Amendments to clauses three and seven directly impact fifteen percent of your pricing margin. Were you aware of that?”

Wendy’s mouth hung open.

She had no clue.

I knew.

Because that policy change was mentioned in the background materials, and I had specifically highlighted it in the

summary.

But Wendy obviously hadn’t read my summary carefully.

“That… I’ll need to double-check that back at the office.”

Caleb put down his pen.

“You didn’t do your homework before coming here?”

“I-”

“You’ve used the wrong German honorific three times. I let it slide the first time. I let it slide the second time. Do you have any idea what it means to repeatedly misuse honorifics in a business setting?”

“It means you either don’t respect me, or you’re incompetent. Which is it?”

Wendy’s face turned from red to ghostly white.