Wynn Shaw was hurrying behind Vincent Preston with a stack of files when he suddenly stopped, causing her to bump right into him.
Wynn Shaw muttered under her breath, clearly indignant:
“I’m not a klutz.
You’re the one who just stopped walking for no reason…”
Vincent Preston had apparently heard her complaint.
He raised a hand and gently tapped her on the forehead, his voice as serious as ever as he spoke slowly:
“If you’re not a klutz, then get ready.
The day after tomorrow, you’ll be attending the Kaelus business conference.”
He paused and studied her.
“Do a good job.
Reintroduce yourself to the bigwigs in Kaelus.
After all, you’ve been in Eldoria for so many years.
It’s time you expanded your network.”
Wynn Shaw was stunned for a moment, then nodded.
“Okay, I’ll get ready.”
‘He gave her the strange impression that he knew everything.’
‘Including the fact that I’ve been in Eldoria for years, and everything that happened during that time.’
Vincent Preston gave her a deep look, as if he wanted to say something, but in the end, he just gave a slight nod and walked away.
Watching his retreating figure, Wynn Shaw was lost in thought.
The conference was undoubtedly an important opportunity, but she couldn’t decipher the meaning behind Vincent Preston’s final glance—was it expectation, a test, or something else entirely?
***
Meanwhile, at Lancaster Group in Eldoria, Summer Sullivan was facing the biggest challenge since she’d started the job.
The mountain of paperwork in her office was nearly suffocating.
This was all work left behind by Wynn Shaw after her departure—dense data reports and project proposals piled up like small mountains, leaving her struggling to breathe.
What made her grit her teeth was the list of clients from Kaelus.
Just last night, Jaden Lancaster had brought it up, his tone infuriatingly casual:
“You’re from a well-connected family in Kaelus, so you should be familiar with these people, right?
Get in touch with them as soon as possible.
The company urgently needs to expand its overseas business.”
At the time, Summer Sullivan could only stammer, “I’ll handle it.
I’ll figure something out.
But it’s not like I know all of them…”
In reality, she didn’t know a single one.
Although the Sullivan Family had some renown in Kaelus, they were far from being part of the top business circles.
And she, as an illegitimate daughter, was never considered presentable.
“Look at her, acting like she’s a big deal.”
Her colleagues’ whispers drifted in from outside the door, just loud enough to be heard inside her office.
“Exactly.
I heard she’s the one who drove the ever-diligent Miss Shaw to quit and ruined President Lancaster’s relationship…”
“No skills, just got the position through connections.”
Summer Sullivan’s grip on her pen tightened, her knuckles turning white.
In the two days since she’d started, the gossip had been relentless.
The veteran employees ostracized her, both overtly and subtly.
They questioned her competence, and some even publicly refused to approve her decisions.
SLAM!
Unable to take it anymore, she smacked her pen down on the desk, shot to her feet, and yanked open the office door.
“If you have something to say, why not say it to my face?” She glared at the few employees huddled outside her door, whispering to each other.
A senior female employee met her gaze fearlessly:
“Director Sullivan, we were just discussing work.
We hear you still haven’t contacted the clients in Kaelus?
It’s been two days.
If Miss Shaw were still here, she would have already won them over with her competence…”
“Wynn Shaw, Wynn Shaw, that’s all you people ever talk about!” Summer Sullivan cut her off, her voice trembling with rage.
“I’m the director now!”
‘In an environment like this, it was impossible for her to work in peace.’
Another male employee sneered, “Director Sullivan, do you really come from a prestigious family?
How come you can’t even handle a single client?
No ability, and I bet your relationship with President Lancaster is something you can’t bring into the light, right?”
His words prompted quiet snickers from the others.
“I really can’t understand why President Lancaster chose you over Miss Shaw,” the woman continued, her tone sharp.
“It couldn’t be that you used some…
unsavory methods, could it?”
Summer Sullivan was trembling with rage.
Just as she was about to retort, she caught sight of a familiar figure at the end of the hall.
Jaden Lancaster stood there, his face livid.
It was unclear when he had arrived.
The employees also noticed Jaden Lancaster and instantly paled, lowering their heads and not daring to speak another word.
Jaden Lancaster strode toward them, his footsteps echoing clearly in the silent hallway.
He shot a cold glare at the employees.
“Did the company hire you to stand around and gossip?”
“President Lancaster, we…” the woman began to explain.
“You’re all losing this month’s bonus,” Jaden Lancaster cut her off, his tone leaving no room for argument.
“If I hear anything like this again, the consequences will be far worse than just losing a bonus.”
The employees apologized profusely and scurried away.
Watching this unfold, Summer Sullivan felt the injustices she’d suffered finally find an outlet.
Her eyes grew red.
“Jaden, they…”
However, when Jaden Lancaster turned to her, the iciness in his eyes had yet to fully recede.
“Come to my office.”
In his office, Jaden Lancaster stood before the floor-to-ceiling windows with his back to Summer Sullivan.
“I heard what they said,” he said, turning slowly.
“It was harsh, but not entirely baseless.
Summer, how is it going with contacting the clients from Kaelus?”
Summer Sullivan bit her lower lip.
“I’m trying, but…”
‘She had really underestimated how thorny the situation at Lancaster Group was.’
“You know the company’s current situation,” Jaden Lancaster interrupted her.
“We need to break into the Kaelus market as soon as possible.
You said you were from the Sullivan Family of Kaelus; I thought you’d at least have some resources.”
“I am from the Sullivan Family, that’s true, but…” Summer Sullivan faltered.
“But what?” Jaden Lancaster pressed.
Summer Sullivan lowered her head.
After a moment of silence, she said, “I’ll handle it.
Just give me a little more time.”
Jaden Lancaster gave her a long look, finally just letting out a sigh.
“Alright, I trust you.
But Summer, the company can’t afford any mistakes right now.”
Summer Sullivan nodded, but her mind was in turmoil.
She knew that if she couldn’t deliver results in a short amount of time, it wasn’t just that the employees at Lancaster Group would look down on her even more, even Jaden Lancaster’s trust in her would start to waver.