A $10K Dinner Bill. It Cost Them $60M

Caden spent eight years at Valco, rising from an overlooked salesman to the company's top performer. To land Hannover's $60 million elevator procurement project, he spent three months revising the proposal nineteen times, balancing eighty-seven complex requirements, and even fronted $10,000 for a client dinner on CEO Richard's orders. But the moment the contract was signed, Richard and Finance Director Catherine turned on him, forcing him to cover the entire dinner cost personally. Caden's mother was waiting for cancer surgery—that money became the final straw. Invited by rival Apex, Caden left Valco with nothing but his dignity. Meanwhile, Hannover's president Charles began reexamining the contract. Could Valco's new lead handle what Caden left behind? And when would Richard realize he'd just driven away the company's most valuable asset?