Melted: A MaxTul AU story

Fifty-nine: Dangerous Women

Wanna was clean and freshly pressed and waiting when Kuhn Sinjai arrived in the lobby at Shilapath. Metinee had referenced Sinjai's team earlier, but the only person with Sinjai was her quality control supervisor,  the only person she needed for this because he would be able to tell right away how close the Team 2's products were in quality to the ones the farm was already putting out directly. As much as she liked Tul, she wasn't going to put out products that weren't good.

Wanna greeted them both brightly, but Kuhn Sinjai recognized the tiredness in the young woman's eyes that she was trying to hide with makeup and the nerves she was trying to cover by gripping their visitor passes tightly in her hand.

Wanna thanked them both for coming, wishing that it were better circumstances. "However," Wanna continued with a forced brightness, "I believe that you will still be interested in what we will show you even if it is different from what we planned."

"I'm sure," Sinjai said as they continued walking. She stopped, though, once they were by the front desk.

"Wanna, does everyone need a visitor's pass to come here?"

"Yes, they do, Kuhn," Wanna replied, wondering why she asked that.

"I'm sorry. I should have mentioned it earlier, but I invited Kuhn Bagnet to join us for the presentation. We have a meeting together afterwards, and I know she's interested in Team 2's project. I've talked to her about it when I was here the last time, and I often test new products out on her. She has an honest eye."

Wanna merely nodded, trying to put together that she was going to finally meet Kuhn Bagnet but probably when they were going to be looking and performing at their worst. The smile she gave Kuhn Sinjai was even more strained.

"Of course, if you will wait a moment, I will go to the front desk to order one for her and to let them know that we are expecting her."

When Wanna moved away to the desk, Sean spoke to her quietly. "I didn't know that Kuhn Bagnet was coming. This is getting more and more interesting. That poor girl."

Sinjai gave him a look.

"I know. She is a woman," he said, glancing back at Wanna. "But she looks so tired and really trying to put a brave face on to everything that she looks like a girl. I feel badly for her. How many samples do you think they could have realistically produced?"

Sinjai looked back at him. Her warm expression didn't change, but her tone was grim. "Probably no more than one. Two if they are really good."

Sean glanced at her. "No one in the profession does a meeting with less than three."

"I know, but Max told me to still come, and I'm going to support Tul in any way I can until the end."

Sean nodded. He had met Tul himself when Chimon had brought him around on the tour, and the man had impressed him with his questions and his clear willingness to learn. He felt bad, knowing that he was probably going to have to play bad cop today. He felt even worse as Wanna came back to them, smiling so determinedly and walking them to the elevator. He wondered how much the team had actually slept in the last two days.

**

When Kuhn Bagnet arrived at Shilapath industries, she didn't come alone either. One of her security officers was with her carrying a package that was encased in one of Sinjai Hongtai signature silk wraps. Several people glanced her way as she walked in. They were used to seeing foreigners in Shilapath headquarters, but rarely did they come with an obvious security detail. She headed toward the front desk, giving the woman behind it her identification and the identification of her companion without being asked.