Divorced the CEO, Chose His Rival

Chapter 014 — The Supplier's Test

Miriam Calder had once helped keep Whitlock Industries supplied when half its creditors wanted nothing more to do with the company.

Now she wanted to know whether Nadia could help protect her own business from making a similar mistake.

"Before you say anything," Miriam began, "I'm not offering you a contract because we're friends."

Nadia laughed as she settled into the chair opposite her desk.

"Good morning to you too."

"It's a perfectly good morning. I just prefer getting uncomfortable conversations out of the way early."

"Then I should probably thank you for the warning."

"You should. I've been looking forward to making you uncomfortable for years."

The older woman smiled, revealing the warmth beneath her blunt manner.

Calder Industrial Supply occupied a three-storey building near the edge of Manhattan's industrial district. Through the office windows, Nadia could see delivery vehicles moving between loading bays while employees checked incoming shipments.

Miriam had built the company over two decades, beginning with a modest distribution operation before expanding into industrial materials and specialized equipment supplies.

She'd survived difficult economic periods, unreliable customers and several partnerships she'd later described as expensive lessons.

Nadia respected her enormously.

They'd first met five years earlier, when Whitlock's financial difficulties threatened several important supplier relationships. While other vendors demanded immediate settlement of outstanding invoices, Miriam had agreed to consider a carefully structured payment arrangement.

But she hadn't done so out of generosity alone.

She'd demanded evidence that Whitlock could meet its commitments.

Nadia had prepared the financial projections that helped establish a workable schedule.

Neither woman had forgotten it.

"So," Miriam said, opening a folder, "I hear you're officially working for yourself."

"I am."

"How many clients?"

"None under a new independent consulting engagement yet."

Miriam raised an eyebrow.

"That's an unusually straightforward answer."

"Would you prefer an impressive number I can't support?"

"No. I've dealt with enough consultants who confuse confidence with competence."

She pushed the folder across the desk.

"Then let's see whether your honesty extends to telling me something I don't want to hear."

The documents concerned Calder Industrial Supply's customer exposure.

Over the previous year, several large industrial customers had increased their purchases. Revenue looked healthy, and the company had expanded its inventory to accommodate the additional demand.

The problem was that collecting payment had become less predictable.

Some customers were requesting longer settlement periods, while others were placing smaller orders than their earlier forecasts suggested.

Miriam pointed to a schedule.

"I've got customers asking for more time to pay while my own suppliers still expect payment according to our contracts."

"Are those customers consistently paying late, or are they requesting formally revised terms?"

"Both, depending on the account."

"And your purchasing commitments?"

"Some are fixed before we receive confirmed customer orders."

Nadia examined the figures.

That combination could create cash-flow pressure even when sales remained profitable. A company might record revenue, carry valuable inventory and still struggle to meet its obligations if money arrived too slowly.

"What's your biggest concern?" she asked.

"That I'm becoming too dependent on customers whose growth plans aren't as reliable as they sound."

"Have you calculated the exposure by customer group?"

"My finance manager prepared a summary."

Miriam handed her another sheet.

Several figures stood out, but Nadia resisted the temptation to offer an immediate conclusion.

"These are useful starting points. I'd want to reconcile them against actual receipts, outstanding invoices and purchasing commitments before recommending changes."

"Why?"

"Because a large customer isn't automatically a bad customer. And a slower payment arrangement isn't necessarily unreasonable if the pricing, margins and cash reserves support it."

Miriam leaned back.

"Good."

Nadia looked up.

"Good?"

"That's the first sensible thing anyone has said to me about this in two weeks."

"Who else have you spoken to?"

"Two consulting firms. One told me to reduce exposure to my largest customers. The other recommended expanding into three new markets."

"Without examining the underlying cash flow?"

"Not in any detail."

Nadia returned to the documents.

"Both recommendations might eventually have merit. But reducing customer exposure abruptly could damage profitable relationships, and entering new markets might increase the very inventory commitments you're concerned about."

Miriam nodded.

"That's the kind of thinking I wanted to hear."

For a moment, Nadia felt a small surge of satisfaction.

Then she reminded herself that this was an initial discussion, not a completed engagement.

She hadn't earned a fee or secured a contract.

And Miriam had made it clear that their friendship wouldn't change that.

"There's another issue," Miriam said.

Nadia waited.

"Whitlock."

She kept her expression neutral.

"What about them?"

"They've been asking some suppliers to consider extended payment terms."

"Are they asking Calder?"

"Yes. Nothing has been agreed yet."

Nadia lowered the document.

"I need to be careful here. I can assess Calder's own receivables, contracts and financial exposure. I can't provide confidential information about Whitlock or advise you based on records I'm not authorized to share."

"I wasn't asking you to."

"I know. But given my former role, we should address that before discussing an engagement."

Miriam regarded her thoughtfully.

"And your divorce?"

"That doesn't change the professional boundaries."

"Would you be able to assess our Whitlock account objectively?"

It was a fair question.

Nadia considered it rather than rushing to reassure her.

"I could evaluate Calder's exposure using information your company is entitled to provide. But we'd need to disclose my previous relationship with Whitlock and determine whether any conflicts affect the scope. If the work required me to use protected information or take a position I couldn't independently support, I wouldn't accept it."

Miriam was quiet for a moment.

"That may be the least convenient answer you've given me."

"Would a more convenient one make it correct?"

"No."

She closed the folder.

"I've known you long enough to understand that you don't always tell people what they want to hear. I remember Adrian complaining about that."

Nadia smiled faintly.

"He complained about several things."

"He did. Usually while you were explaining why something expensive was a bad idea."

The observation carried no malice, which made it easier to accept.

Miriam folded her hands.

"I liked Adrian when he was younger. He was ambitious and willing to work. But ambition can make people impatient with anyone who asks them to examine the consequences."

Nadia didn't respond immediately.

She wasn't interested in turning a prospective client meeting into another conversation about her marriage.

"Whatever happens at Whitlock, Calder's interests deserve to be evaluated independently," she said.

"Agreed."

"Then I'd suggest beginning with a limited diagnostic engagement. We establish the actual cash-conversion position, identify concentrations that could create unacceptable exposure, and evaluate the options available without disrupting valuable customer relationships unnecessarily."

"How long?"

"I'd need to review the scope and information available before committing to a timetable."

"And your fee?"

"I'll include it in a written proposal."

Miriam smiled.

"There's the consultant I remember."

They continued discussing the practical requirements for another half hour.

Calder's finance manager would need to provide customer aging schedules, inventory commitments and relevant commercial terms. Any engagement would require a confidentiality agreement, clearly defined deliverables and confirmation that the work created no unresolved professional conflict.

Miriam also wanted recommendations her management team could implement.

"I'm not paying for a beautiful report that tells me I should monitor my cash flow," she said. "I already know that."

"Then the proposal should identify the decisions the review is intended to support."

"Exactly. I want to understand which exposures we can tolerate, where we need to negotiate better terms and what changes might protect the business without frightening our customers away."

Nadia made a note.

That was a clearer objective than simply asking for a financial assessment.

It gave the work a purpose.

When the meeting ended, Miriam accompanied her to the reception area.

"I'll be reviewing proposals from three firms," she said. "Yours included, if you decide to submit one."

"When do you want them?"

"Within three business days. I'll arrange the remaining discussions after that."

"And the decision?"

"When I've compared the proposals properly."

Nadia smiled.

"That's reassuringly unsentimental."

"Friendship is a terrible procurement policy."

"I'll remember that."

Miriam paused beside the door.

"One more thing. Don't lower your fee because you think I helped you years ago."

Nadia looked at her in surprise.

"I wasn't planning to."

"Good. I gave Whitlock credit because your analysis showed me a reasonable way to manage the risk. It wasn't charity."

"I know."

"Then don't turn this into charity either."

The words stayed with Nadia as she stepped outside.

She'd approached the meeting hoping her professional history would open a door.

It had.

But walking through that door would require the same preparation and judgment she intended to offer every other client.

Back at her apartment, Nadia opened a new proposal document.

She began with the business problem rather than a description of her qualifications.

Calder needed to understand how customer payment patterns, purchasing obligations and inventory commitments affected its financial flexibility. The review would assess those relationships and identify practical options for managing exposure.

She defined an initial scope, listed the information required and identified what would remain outside the engagement.

Then she began estimating the time and resources needed to complete the work properly.

For several minutes, she considered offering a reduced introductory fee.

Miriam's parting words returned to her.

She deleted the discount.

If she wanted clients to respect the value of her expertise, she needed to price it according to the work involved.

By late afternoon, the proposal had taken shape.

It wasn't finished. She still needed to review the conflict provisions with Jessa and refine the delivery schedule.

But the outline was stronger than the general service descriptions she'd been preparing for her website.

For the first time since leaving Whitlock, Nadia was designing a professional engagement around a client's actual problem rather than responding to an emergency someone else had created.

There was no guarantee Miriam would hire her.

Two other firms were competing for the same opportunity, and one might offer better terms or a more suitable approach.

The possibility disappointed her more than she'd expected.

Yet she found herself smiling as she closed the document.

She'd spent years being needed.

Now she was learning what it meant to be chosen for the quality of her work.

And if Calder didn't choose her, the proposal would still be proof that she could build something worth offering.