Crippled Luna's Farewell: Half A Life Without My Alpha's Deadly Deception

Chapter 124

Cody looked calm but observant, his hands in his pockets, his posture firm yet not aggressive.

Linda, on the other hand, exuded her usual poised confidence, her sharp eyes assessing the situation before a

single word was spoken.

Sarah's expression remained neutral, though inwardly, her thoughts moved quickly.

Arnold owned multiple companies, many of which Cody managed.

If Cody was here, it likely had something to do with one of Arnold’s business ventures. And Linda-well, Linda's

involvement always cwith layers of personal and professional motives intertwined.

Leo shot Sarah a glance, a silent question in his gaze. Should they engage? Sarah gave the slightest nod. They

had no reason to avoid this.

“Beta Cody,” Leo greeted evenly as they approached. “Linda.”

Cody nodded, his expression unreadable, but Linda's lips curled into a practiced smile. “Leo. Sarah,” she said

smoothly. “We were hoping to discuss a potential collaboration.”

“Then let’s discuss it inside,” Sarah replied, her voice cool but professional.

The four of them entered the building, their footsteps echoing slightly against the sleek floors.

The receptionist greeted them with a polite nod before ushering them toward one of the conference

rooms.

Inside, the atmosphere remained civil, but there was an unspoken tension beneath the surface.

Cody, who was usually composed, seemed uncharacteristically affected. His gaze lingered on Sarah longer than

necessary, studying her as if seeing her for the first time.

“You've changed a lot,” he murmured, almost to himself.

Sarah met his eyes, unfazed. “People change,” she replied simply, her tone neither defensive nor inviting further

discussion.

Linda’s reaction was more subtle.

When she saw Sarah, her expression flickered for the briefest second before settling into unreadable neutrality.

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There was no overt hostility, but something lurked beneath her exterior-a restrained sharpness, a

calculation.

Pleasantries were exchanged with the smooth professionalism expected in business dealings. Then, the

real discussion began.

Cody and Leo quickly went over key points, exchanging documents as they outlined potential terms.

Linda, sitting beside Cody, slid her own proposal across the table toward Leo.

Without a word, he passed it to Sarah.

Sarah flipped through it with the ease of someone accustomed to reviewing high-level contracts.

Years of experience had trained her to spot flaws quickly, and within minutes, she had dissected the proposal’s

key elements.

She placed the document down with measured finality. “It’s well-prepared,” she said, her tone even, “but there

are issues. Compared to other offers we've received, this one doesn’t hold up as well.”

Linda's reaction was almost imperceptible, but her grip on the table tightened slightly. Her expression remained

composed, but a sharper glint entered her eyes.

“Oh?” Linda's voice was polite, but there was an underlying challenge in her tone. “Could you be more specific?

If there are problems, I'd like to know exactly what they are so we can improve.”

Sarah recognized the tactic immediately.

This wasn’t just about refining the proposal-it was a test.

Linda was subtly questioning whether Sarah actually had the expertise to back up her critique, or if she was

simply looking for faults to dismiss them.

Sarah met Linda's gaze, unshaken. She tapped a finger against the document, her posture relaxed but

unwavering.

“Ms. Linda, it's your business to have problems with the program, do you think it's appropriate for you to ask us

instead of finding out what the problems are? This question of yours seems to say that you don’t know what our

company needs.”

“In that case, the caliber of your side may not be up to our cooperation requirements.”

Linda had been expecting this.

She had deliberately phrased her question to corner Sarah, making it seem as though Sarah was being

unreasonable by pointing out issues in the contract.

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Chapter 124

By asking Sarah to specify the problems, Linda was confident she had the upper hand. She believed Sarah was a

mere strawman, unable to articulate real issues.

If Sarah failed to provide details, it would expose her as making trouble without cause.

On the other hand, if Sarah listed specific flaws, Linda had already prepared a counterattack.

She would question Sarah's professionalism, dissect her points, and manipulate the discussion to make it seem

as if Sarah was nitpicking over minor, fixable details.

The ability to explain was in her hands, and she would use it to paint herself as the reasonable party.

What Linda didn’t expect was that Sarah sidestepped the trap entirely.

Linda maintained her composed exterior, her expression as polished as ever. “Miss Sarah, you misunderstand,”

she said smoothly, her tone laced with artificial warmth. “What | mean is that

cooperation should be mutually beneficial. If there are problems, wouldn't it be better for both sides if we

discussed and improved together?”

Sarah, in the middle of sipping her water, paused briefly. A flicker of surprise crossed her face before she set the

glass down.

Then she smiled.

“Is this the first tMs. Linda has negotiated a business deal?” Sarah asked, her voice light, almost

casual.

Linda's eyebrows drew together slightly. Where was Sarah going with this?

Before she could respond, Sarah continued, her voice still soft but carrying an unmistakable weight. “Talking

things over and working together to improve sounds wonderful, but that kind of thinking belongs in schools and

family discussions.”

Linda’s stomach twisted, sensing the shift in the conversation.

“In business,” Sarah went on, her smile unwavering, “people gather for profit and disperse when there is none.

Why would we offer assistance to modify your contract when there is a better alternative for us?”

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