The One Billion Dollars Translator

A Humiliating Rejection

“Where is Alex Miller?”

Eric Stephens’s question hung in the air, leaving Gracias, Henry, and Derrick staring at him in stunned silence.

Henry’s welcoming smile faded first. He had spent the entire night preparing for this meeting, sacrificing sleep to memorize German construction terms and review the project documents yet, instead of acknowledging his greeting, Eric had asked for the very man Henry had replaced.

Gracias stepped forward, forcing a polite smile onto her face.

“Mr. Stephens, welcome to our country. We sincerely apologize for the confusion. Alex Miller is no longer with Elite Construction, but you have nothing to worry about. My son, Henry, will be handling all your translation needs from now on”

Eric slowly turned his head toward her,“He is no longer with the company?”

Gracias replied quickly, “ Yes, he resigned a few days ago. However, that will not affect your project in any way. Henry is a graduate of one of the finest universities, and he studied Business Administration in German. He is perfectly qualified to handle your requirements”

Henry straightened his shoulders, seizing the opportunity to speak.

“Good day, Mr. Stephens. I will be your interpreter henceforth” he said in German 

Eric stared at him for a moment before turning toward Elena, who stood beside him with a tablet in her hand.

“Is this some kind of joke?” he asked in German.

Elena's expression hardened. “It doesn't appear so, sir”

Eric shook his head in disbelief 

“I made it clear that I wanted Alex Miller. I spoke to him directly during our previous discussions. He understands the project, the technical requirements, and the expectations. I did not travel all this way to meet someone who has just memorized a few German phrases” his voice was filled with anger and disappointment.

Henry's face burned with embarrassment, “Sir, with all due respect, I believe you have been misinformed about my qualifications. I am fully capable of…”

“Enough!”

Eric's sharp interruption silenced him.

“I have no interest in discussing your qualifications. I asked for Alex, and you have presented someone else. If your company cannot respect a simple request before the project even begins, how am I supposed to trust you with a billion-dollar contract?”

Gracias's smile disappeared immediately, “Mr. Stephens, please. We can resolve this misunderstanding. Alex's departure was an internal matter, and I assure you that Elite Construction has not lost its ability to deliver excellent results”

“Then you should have thought about that before allowing him to leave. We are talking about a billion dollars for goodness sake!” Elena added, trying as much as possible to not get pissed off

Eric turned away,“Come on, Elena. We're leaving”

“Mr. Stephens!” Gracias called after him but Eric didn't look back. Elena followed him toward the waiting vehicle, leaving the Elite Construction delegation standing at the airport like people who had just been publicly disgraced.

Henry clenched his fists. He had imagined this day differently. In his mind, Eric would be impressed by his German, praise his preparation, and recognize him as the perfect man for the position. Instead, he had barely been given the chance to speak before being dismissed and Alex Miller was responsible for it.

Gracias watched Eric's car pull away, her face twisting with anger.

“Why must it be Alex? What is so special about him that this man refuses to speak to anyone else?” she lamented bitterly 

“Perhaps Alex has worked with him before,” Derrick offered cautiously

Gracias spun toward him.

“Don't dare to support Alex! Don't provoke me!” she hissed loudly after and Derrick immediately fell silent.

She had no intention of hearing another word in Alex's defense. For five years, she had watched him enjoy privileges she believed should have belonged to her son but now that Henry finally had the opportunity to prove himself, Eric Stephens had arrived and demanded the return of the man she had deliberately pushed out and she would not allow it, never! 

“Listen to me, Henry,” she said, turning to her son “You are the translator now. You have the position, and you have the documents. Whatever Alex did for this company, you can do better. Do you understand?”

Henry swallowed his frustration, “Yes, Mother”

“If Eric thinks he can threaten us into bringing Alex back, he is mistaken. I will not go crawling to that boy, no matter what Eric says. We will convince him that you are more than capable of handling this project” she was determined.

Henry nodded, although the uncertainty in his eyes betrayed him but Derrick said nothing. He knew how badly this could end, but he also understood that Gracias had already made up her mind. Any further argument would only make her more determined to prove him wrong. They hurried into their cars and followed Eric to his hotel.

Throughout the drive, Gracias kept talking, assuring Henry that the situation could still be salvaged. She reminded him of his degree, his intelligence, and the money she had secured for him. She even suggested that Eric's insistence on Alex was merely a negotiating tactic.

Henry listened, but his thoughts kept returning to the tablet containing his preparation notes. When they arrived at the hotel, Eric's car was already parked near the entrance. A hotel attendant opened the door, and Eric stepped out with Elena beside him while Gracias immediately approached.

“Mr. Stephens, please allow us a moment to explain”

Eric continued walking with no response.

“Sir, we understand your concern, but I assure you that the change in personnel will not affect the quality of our work” she continued 

“Then why did you send someone who cannot even answer my questions?” Eric snapped.

Henry hurried forward, clutching his tablet, “Mr. Stephens, I believe there has been a misunderstanding. My name is Henry Miller, and I will be responsible for translating and coordinating the project discussions. Alex has been replaced, but I can assure you that I am fully prepared.”

Eric stopped walking. For the first time since leaving the airport, he gave Henry his full attention. He looked at the young man for several seconds, then took a deep breath as though trying to summon the patience to deal with a problem that should never have existed.

“Prepared?” he repeated.

“Yes, sir” Henry quickly lifted the tablet.

“I have reviewed the preliminary project documents and prepared an outline covering the construction stages, proposed materials, and implementation schedule. I can walk you through everything” he added, with the little courage left in him.

Eric glanced at the tablet, “Let me see”

Henry handed it over almost instantly while Eric began walking toward the hotel's elevator while examining the document. At first, his expression remained unreadable. He scrolled through the pages, his eyes moving from one section to another. Henry followed closely, explaining the work he had done.

“The first phase focuses on the foundation and structural framework. From there, we will proceed with the main building, followed by the internal facilities and finishing…”

Eric raised one hand, silencing him and stopped scrolling. His eyes narrowed as he returned to a particular section. Then he read another paragraph, his jaw tightening with every passing second.

Gracias noticed the change in his expression and asked, “Is everything all right, Mr. Stephens?”

Eric didn't answer. He stared at the tablet as if he could hardly believe what he was reading. His fingers moved rapidly across the screen, opening another page, then another. Suddenly, he stopped.

“What is this?” he asked 

Henry's confidence faltered, “Sir?”

“Can you explain what you have written here?” Eric turned the tablet toward him

Henry leaned closer, his eyes scanning the German text. For a moment, he said nothing. The section concerned the technical specifications of the foundation system. He recognized most of the words, but the way they had been arranged made the intended meaning difficult to follow. He had translated the technical terms individually and constructed the sentences as best he could.

He had assumed the meaning would be clear but apparently, it wasn't

“I can clarify that, sir,” Henry said quickly

“The document is still a preliminary draft. There may be a few adjustments required, but the overall meaning…” he added, trying to explain but was immediately cut off 

“The overall meaning?” Eric interrupted.

His voice echoed through the hotel lobby, drawing the attention of several people nearby. He looked at Henry with open disbelief.

“This is not a preliminary draft. This is a disaster!” he suddenly yelled louder than before. Obviously, he was frustrated.

Henry went pale. Eric lifted the tablet slightly, his anger rising with every word.

“You have mistranslated critical construction specifications, confused technical requirements, and presented information that could lead to serious errors if anyone relied on it. Do you understand what this means?”

Henry opened his mouth, but no words came out.

Eric turned toward Gracias, “And you expect me to trust your company with a billion-dollar project when this is the quality of the work you present to me?”

“Mr. Stephens, please. These are only preliminary documents. We can have them corrected immediately” Gracias pleaded.

“Corrected by whom? The man you just told me you had replaced?”

Gracias stiffened while Eric gave a bitter laugh and handed the tablet back to Henry.

“I have been humiliated enough today. I made my expectations clear, yet your company chose to disregard them. I will not risk my investment on a team that cannot even provide a reliable translation of its own project proposal” his voice was calmer 

“Sir, please give us another chance,” Henry begged.

Eric turned toward the elevator. The doors opened, but before stepping inside, he looked back at them one last time.

“I came here intending to award Elite Construction a billion-dollar contract. I am leaving with a very different opinion of your company” He stepped into the elevator beside Elena.

And just before the doors closed, he firmly said, “I'm no longer interested in this project”