Now that I've heard Paul's voice, I suddenly don't know how to open the issue about the delivery of the pipes. From what happened yesterday, they have clearly shown that I am not welcome to their team anymore, and as someone who is not directly involved in the issue, it is not exactly the topic one would open for small talk.
Especially since they have already made the assumption that I am the public enemy.
"Alina?" Paul called, confusion evident in his voice.
Suddenly, out of panic, I blurted out, "How's the issue with the delivery of the pipes?"
The moment those words left my mouth, I immediately wanted to take them back. My voice sounded strained yet perky despite the gravity of the topic that I just initiated, and sounding apathetic to their problem is the last thing I wanted.
"Well, not good," Paul replied, followed by an exasperated sigh from the other line. "We are still currently in the process of brainstorming as to how we will remedy this problem, so I can't really promise any definite answer if you are going to ask about the changes in the timetable."
Paul sounded frustrated and tired as he rambled on, and I can definitely sense how the stress from this problem has been taking a toll on him. The way he phrased his words were kind of offensive, especially the last bit, but right now, I wanted to be as understanding to their plight as possible.
"About that," I said and paused for a moment. "Is it possible to divide the delivery of the pipes into batches?"
"We've thought about that option," Paul replied. "Their factory is working at almost full capacity right now so they cannot just bump our orders up, so we thought that it might be possible to divide the delivery into batches in few months just so we could follow with the schedule without much delay."
I nodded from time to time as he explained one of their many options, which is similar to my plan. If the company cannot immediately deliver the order in one batch, they could divide it into multiple batches in order to at least not delay the whole project by months.
"Yes, wouldn't that be the best option?"
"At first, that was our optimal solution," Paul said after sighing. "But doing that would increase the cost of the pipes tremendously. The company's shipping line is filled with deliveries, so we have to commission another company for the shipment if we choose that option, and shipping those huge pipes in several batches is not exactly cheap."
Similar to what I have imagined, if they truly want to follow their timetable without having much delay, they would be paying a huge price for it, and adjusting the budget at this point for mere shipment costs would take quite some time and explanation.
"But based on your analysis, it is possible, right? We can ask the company to divide the delivery into six batches in three months," I said, waiting for the confirmation I needed to hear.
If we can arrange for the pipes to be sent by batches according to the construction company's timetable, it would be perfect.
Paul paused for a few moments before answering, "Well, yes."
"Great then," I beamed at his reply. "Will you be able to send me the tentative schedule that you initially planned for the shipments, and the budget for this certain area plus the allotted reserves as well? Our company will help you handle the issue with the shipping."
"Sure," Paul replied, confusion evident in his voice, but after a few moments, he all but exclaimed, "Wait, what?"
"Our company can help you search for a shipping company that would ship the cargos within your specified budget and reserves, and also within your tentative schedule," I explained, making sure not to divulge too much information that I may not be able to explain later on.
"That would be a huge help," Paul said, still sounding confused at my sudden offer to help. Perhaps, Paul also believed the rumors about me, hence, he could not possibly imagine having the person from those rumors offer to help them.
I shook my head, ignoring the negative thoughts that once again entered my head. "Let's just hope for some great news," I said, truly hoping that we could solve this problem as soon as possible.
After we bid our farewells, and once the line went off, a loud sigh left my mouth. It is pretty obvious that Paul was treating me coldly earlier, although it was rather unprofessional of him, I cannot exactly blame him. Not only are they swamped with stress right now, the rumors about me, one of their suppliers, were not helping as well. They might have already assumed that our company is not competent enough based on the rumors and had immediately imagined the worst upon hearing them.
Another sigh left my mouth as once again, negative thoughts overtook my mind.
I can't give up in the middle of everything when for the first time after five years, I wanted to achieve something so much that I'm willing to endure the pain I'll suffer by staying here.
Since I can already hear my stomach rumbling from hunger, I tried distracting myself from the pessimism that tries to conquer my thoughts by preparing my lunch. For me, the best distraction would either be drowning myself to work or eating, but since I have completed most of my work for the rest of the week, I'll have to select the eating option.
***
A few hours after our call, Paul finally sent the files I asked of him earlier, and I immediately forwarded it to Luke.
When I told Paul that our company would handle the shipping issue, I meant that Luke will handle the issue. Luke Irving, my partner in our company, is the son of the owner of the Rivers Shipping Company. He will be the one to strike a negotiation with his family's company for the delivery of the pipes, and although his father would surely agree to the negotiation, as Luke is the only son of the Irving Family, Luke hated nothing more than asking his family for a favor.
About four years ago, around the time I met Luke, he supposedly ran away from home. Initially, when I first met him, I thought Luke was just a happy-go-lucky person who is too outgoing for me, but then, after spending time with him, I realized that that was just the exterior he wanted everyone to see.
Luke does not like talking about personal stuff, especially his past before he came to Japan. He was the kind of person who is willing to talk about everything except about himself, but one night, after having too many drinks, he finally shared something personal about him.
He admitted that he went to Japan to run away from his responsibilities.
That night was the first time he showed me the real him, and also for the first time, I finally understood why he acted the way he did.
Luke said that growing up, he never had the liberty to do what he wants. Everything was predetermined for him. He had to follow the daily schedule made for him, he had to act the way they wanted him to, and they even chose the people who he can be friends with.
But Luke, after living his whole life in that manner, living for the sake of his family's company, he finally grew tired of it, and one day, after realizing that he just wanted to take a break from the life he never wanted, he just decided to pack his bags and leave without looking back.
When I heard his story, I was immediately reminded of Ansel as he was also in the same situation as Luke. His whole life was also pre-arranged for him in order for him to become the successor of his family, and he never had the chance to follow what he truly wanted.
Back then, I thought that perhaps, being with me was Ansel's way of running away.
I never understood why certain families impose their dreams on their children. My parents never pressured me into following what they wanted for me, and I thought that that was the same for others.
But I was wrong.
There are people like Ansel and Luke who had to live their life according to what their family wants. They were not allowed to be a child and dream for themselves, rather, they were taught to become adults at an early age and throw their silly childhood dreams away.
Fortunately for Luke, after running away to Japan, he was able to sort out his thoughts and was able to talk things through with his family. Their relationship might be strained for now, but at least his family is not pressuring him anymore and is finally letting him do what he truly wanted.
Unlike Ansel's family who did everything to make him return to his family, even if they had to crush his heart into pieces.
Since I knew about Luke's past and the reason why he chose to run away years ago, I honestly feel guilty for using his relationship with his parents for this issue. I know that for now, Luke wanted to stay as far away as possible from his family's business, but despite knowing that, I still made him do what he wanted to avoid the most.
And worse, behind this act of kindness that I wanted to show to the whole world, lies my real motive – to bury the bad rumors about me in order to exact revenge upon a certain person.