Chapter 46: The Deal Maker
The black sedan rolled to a smooth stop in front of a seven-story office building. The sign above the entrance read
HARPER LINGUISTICS.
Liam looked up at the building through the windshield. Compared to Lawson Technologies or some of the larger corporations he’d visited recently, Harper Linguistics wasn’t particularly impressive.
It was modest. Professional. The kind of company that had survived by quietly doing good work rather than making headlines.
Monica switched off the engine but didn’t immediately get out. She took a slow breath. "They’re already here."
Liam followed her gaze. Two foreign men in tailored navy suits were stepping out of a luxury Mercedes parked near the entrance, speaking rapidly in French, while another woman carrying a leather briefcase checked something on a tablet.
The delegation.They’re early," Monica murmured.They’re punctual," Liam corrected. "In business, there’s a difference."
Monica smiled despite herself. "You really aren’t nervous."
Liam simply opened the door. "Let’s not keep them waiting."The moment they entered the reception area, they were greeted by controlled chaos. Employees hurried between offices carrying folders.
Printers hummed nonstop. Phones rang one after another. The atmosphere felt less like a company and more like a ship trying desperately to stay afloat before a storm.
A man in his early thirties rushed toward them almost immediately. He wore a wrinkled white shirt with the sleeves rolled to his elbows, and although he had clearly tried to maintain a professional appearance, the exhaustion beneath his eyes gave him away.
"Monica!" Relief flashed across his face. "You made it." Then his eyes landed on Liam. His smile froze. "Where’s the interpreter?
Monica gestured toward Liam.
This is him."
Silence. Luke looked from Monica, to Liam, then back again. The hopeful expression he’d been wearing disappeared almost instantly. "You’re serious? I am.
Luke lowered his voice. "Monica. This isn’t the time for jokes."Luke stared at him. "This meeting determines whether my company survives the year."I know.
"And you’re telling me the interpreter is a young mam?"Monica folded her arms. "If I didn’t trust him, I wouldn’t have brought him."
Luke rubbed his forehead. He trusted Monica. She wasn’t the type to gamble with someone else’s business.
But this was insane. Professional interpreters spent years mastering business terminology.
Even experienced translators struggled during international negotiations. Yet Monica had brought a teenager.
Before Luke could say anything else, a receptionist hurried over. "Mr. Harper. The French delegation has arrived."
Luke closed his eyes briefly. For one fleeting moment, he considered calling the meeting off. But it was too late. He had no backup. No replacement. No choice. He looked at Liam one last time. "If this goes badly"
"It won’t."
Liam’s calm answer left him momentarily speechless. There wasn’t the slightest trace of arrogance.Come with me."
Liam nodded. Without another word, the three of them walked toward the conference room.
As Liam reached for the door handle, a familiar blue screen briefly shimmered across his vision.
[Mission in Progress]
Objective: Secure the partnership agreement.
Current Success Rate: 34%
His eyes narrowed slightly. Thirty-four percent. Still low. But not impossible.
He pushed the door open and stepped inside.
The conference room was spacious without being extravagant. A long walnut table occupied the center, surrounded by high-backed leather chairs.
Floor-to-ceiling windows overlooked the city’s business district, sunlight spilling across neatly arranged documents and untouched cups of coffee.
Three foreigners sat on one side of the table. The man in the middle looked to be in his late fifties, silver streaks lining his dark hair, a pair of rimless glasses resting neatly on his nose.
Though he wasn’t particularly imposing physically, there was an unmistakable authority about him. People like him didn’t waste words.
As Luke entered, the older man stood. "Bonjour, Monsieur Harper."
Luke forced a smile. "Good afternoon..." Then his expression stiffened. He had absolutely no idea what the man had just said.
Fortunately, Liam stepped forward naturally. "Bonjour, Monsieur um...the man smilled Dubois." Liam nodded he continued His French flowed effortlessly.
Je vous prie d’excuser notre léger retard. Nous apprécions sincèrement votre patience."
The room fell silent. The three members of the French delegation looked at Liam in surprise.
Their expressions changed almost instantly not because he spoke French, but because his pronunciation was flawless. There wasn’t the slightest trace of a foreign accent.
"Vous êtes notre interprète?"
Liam inclined his head politely. "Aujourd’hui, oui."Excellent." He extended his hand. "Pierre Dubois.
"Liam Sterling."
The handshake was firm. Measured. Everyone took their seats, Liam naturally choosing the chair between both parties.
Pierre opened a folder and immediately launched into rapid French, far faster than before. Luke’s palms began to sweat. Liam listened quietly until Pierre finished, then turned toward Luke.
"Mr. Dubois says they’re looking for a long-term strategic partner rather than simply another supplier. Stability and quality are more important to them than the lowest quotation."
Pierre nodded approvingly. "Exactement."
"They’ve reviewed Harper Linguistics’ portfolio and are impressed by your technical translation work, particularly in manufacturing documentation. However, they still have concerns regarding production capacity and delivery efficiency."
"We’ve already expanded our localization team this quarter," Luke answered immediately. "We can comfortably handle projects twice our current workload."
Liam translated. Pierre asked another question, the discussion shifting toward quality control. For nearly twenty minutes, the conversation flowed smoothly, Liam’s voice remaining calm throughout, switching between English and French so naturally it almost felt effortless.
Little by little, Luke relaxed. Pierre, meanwhile, had started watching Liam more than Luke.
"Vous avez vécu en France?" he asked suddenly a question that wasn’t directed toward Harper Linguistics at all.
Liam smiled faintly. "No."
Pierre looked genuinely surprised. "I would’ve believed you were born there."
The atmosphere inside the room grew noticeably warmer. The biggest barrier between two companies wasn’t language. It was trust. And within half an hour, Liam had quietly built that.
As the discussion continued, Liam noticed something else. Luke was negotiating from fear. Every time Pierre raised a concern, Luke immediately offered another concession — lower prices, faster deadlines, additional services.
From the outside it looked cooperative. To experienced negotiators, it looked desperate.
He’s giving away too much, Liam thought. If this continues, even winning the contract would cripple Harper Linguistics’ profits.
The system hadn’t asked him to save the company. Only the partnership. But the hidden condition lingered in the back of his mind. A bad contract wouldn’t solve the survival problem it would only delay the collapse.
When Luke finished answering another question, Liam paused for the briefest moment before translating. He didn’t change the meaning. He changed the framing. Instead of "We can lower our price if necessary," Liam translated:
"We’re prepared to discuss a pricing structure that benefits both companies over a long-term partnership."
Pierre’s eyes lit up slightly. That sounded very different. Professional. Confident. Not desperate.
Liam noticed the small blue notification flicker across the corner of his vision.
[Mission Success Rate Updated]
34% → 58%
Pierre closed one of the folders in front of him. "In your proposal, you mention expanding your technical localization department next year. Why next year instead of now?"
Liam translated the question faithfully. Luke hesitated. The real answer was simple they didn’t have the money. Hiring more translators before securing new clients would only make their already fragile cash flow worse.
But saying that aloud, especially in front of a potential partner, would only reinforce every concern the delegation already had.
Liam calmly stepped in.
Our current team comfortably handles our existing contracts. Rather than expanding prematurely, Mr. Harper prefers to scale according to confirmed demand. That allows the company to maintain consistent quality instead of growing faster than its management systems."
"A prudent strategy," Pierre commented.
Luke blinked. That wasn’t how he’d intended to explain it. Yet somehow it sounded far better.
The meeting moved on to delivery schedules, confidentiality agreements, and technical standards. Several times, Liam caught subtle cultural differences before they became misunderstandings. Neither side noticed. To them, the conversation simply flowed naturally.
Nearly two hours passed before Pierre finally closed the last folder. Silence settled over the room.
"Mr. Harper," Pierre said, and Liam translated immediately. "We’ve met many companies during this trip.
Some were larger. Some offered lower prices. But very few demonstrated the level of professionalism we’ve seen today."
Pierre reached into his briefcase and removed a leather folder. "We would like to begin with a six-month strategic cooperation agreement."
Luke froze.
The blonde executive slid the folder across the table. "This is a memorandum of understanding. If both sides remain satisfied during the cooperation period, we’ll move directly into an exclusive long-term partnership."
For a second, nobody moved. Then Luke came back to his senses, his hands trembling slightly as he accepted the folder. "Thank you. I honestly don’t know what to say."
Pierre smiled.
You don’t need to say anything. You only need to continue doing good work."
One by one, pens touched paper. Signatures appeared. The deal was done.
Half an hour later, the delegation left the building.
Luke personally escorted them to the elevators. Pierre shook Liam’s hand one last time.I hope this won’t be our last meeting."
"I hope not either."
Pierre laughed. "If you ever visit France, you already have friends waiting for you."
The elevator doors closed. Silence returned to the corridor. Luke remained standing there for several long seconds, his expression a strange mix of disbelief, relief, and gratitude.
"I hired an interpreter," he said quietly, then paused. "Instead
"I brought you a negotiator," Monica finished, smiling knowingly.
Luke laughed. "No. That’s still underselling it." He looked directly at Liam. "You didn’t just help us understand each other. You helped us trust each other."
"I only made sure both sides understood what the other was really trying to say."
"You make it sound easy."
"It wasn’t. It just looked that way."
Luke laughed again, this time the relaxed laugh of someone whose shoulders had finally been freed of a crushing weight.
"Come. I owe you more than a thank-you. Liam laughed while following him.
Comments