The week after the meeting, negotiations dragged on. Eleanor’s team struggled to meet the firm’s compliance terms. Every delay pushed them closer to collapse. Mia remained professional, requesting additional data, revising projections, and never bending the rules. She wanted to follow the proper procedure, the kind Eleanor once weaponized herself.
Behind the scenes, Daniel noticed her restraint. “You could make this easy for them,” he said gently. “I could,” she replied, “but then they’d never respect me.” She was teaching them, without ever saying so, that entitlement had consequences. Daniel understood her point and did not press her further on the subject.