He said it in every interview. He doesn’t care about pitch decks. He cares about leadership, about how people treat others. The words land like stones. Victoria tries Darien’s number again. Voicemail. She doesn’t leave a message this time. She opens her laptop, types an email with shaking fingers. Dear Mr.
Cole, I want to sincerely apologize for the confusion this morning. It was a hectic day and I failed to properly review my schedule. I would be honored to reschedule at your convenience. Our entire team is excited about the possibility of partnering with Cole Ventures. Warmest regards, Victoria Ashford. She hits send.
The whoosh sound feels final. Marcus is still scrolling his phone. Oh no. What? Klouse posted something. He shows her the screen. The German investor’s tweet doesn’t name anyone, but it’s obvious. Witnessed a shocking display of unprofessionalism at a SF meeting today. How you treat people says everything about character. # business ethics.
It already has 240 retweets. Victoria’s phone rings. She jumps. But it’s not Darien. It’s Richard, the board chairman. Victoria, I just got off the phone with Klouse. He said you threw someone out of your meeting this morning. There was a misunderstanding. He said you refused to shake the man’s hand, that you called security on him, that the man was Darian Cole.
Silence. Richard, I can explain. Do you understand what you’ve done? His voice is cold. Ice cold. We need $500 million to survive. Cole was our last option. Our only option. And you humiliated him in a hotel lobby. It was a mistake. I’m trying to reach him. Trying? Richard laughs. It’s bitter. Victoria, I’ve worked with Cole before on another deal.
When someone disrespects him, he doesn’t give second chances ever. It’s not about ego. It’s about values. The line goes dead. Victoria tries Darien again. Voicemail. She emails again. Mr. Cole, I realize my behavior this morning was unacceptable. I would like the opportunity to apologize in person. Please give me a chance to explain.
1:00, no response. 2:00, no response. 3:00. A tech blog called the information posts an article. Sources say Victoria Ashford kicked out billionaire investor, mistook him for Crasher. The article has no by line. It’s sourced to someone familiar with the matter, but it has details, specific details. Victoria’s phone starts ringing. Other board members, investors, her PR firm.
By 4:00, she’s called Darien 15 times. She sent eight emails. She’s tried messaging him on LinkedIn. Nothing. Marcus comes back to her office at 5. I reached out to James Cole’s CFO. We worked together at Goldman years ago. And he said Darien made his decision the moment he walked out of that hotel. The investment is dead.
Victoria’s vision actually blurs for a second. She grips the edge of her desk, but our employees, 3,000 people will lose their jobs. Darien knows that. Marcus’ voice is flat. He also knows it’s not his responsibility to save a company run by someone who treated him like that. At 6:00, Victoria is still in her office. The sun is setting over the bay.
The sky is orange and purple, beautiful in a way that feels insulting. She pulls up Darien’s interviews, starts reading Fortune magazine 2 years ago. I dress casually to meetings on purpose. I want to see if people respect me for my ideas or judge me by my appearance. It’s a filter. The ones who see past the polo shirt are the ones worth working with.
Wall Street Journal last year. The worst thing about bias isn’t the big obvious acts. It’s the thousands of small moments where someone decides you don’t belong before you even open your mouth. A tech crunch 6 months ago. I’ve been mistaken for catering staff, security guards, janitorial workers. Each time I learn something about the person making the assumption.
