Chapter 4

Lucas was left standing there, like he was a part of the wallpaper. At last, he couldn't take it anymore and rushed over, his eyes bloodshot.

"Natania!"

My bodyguards were like an impenetrable wall, easily stopping him from getting any closer.

Jeremy shot him a disdainful glance before turning to me and purposely asking, "Tania, who is this?"

Picking up my napkin, I dabbed at my mouth before answering, my smile faint. "An unimportant part of my past."

Hearing that, Lucas instantly flushed bright red.

All the humiliation he had suffered thus far had Lucas deciding to go all-in at work. He placed his only hope on the company's biggest project—Project Skyvault.

For the sake of this project, he spent countless nights burning the midnight oil, all to prepare what he thought was the perfect proposal. The whole time, he daydreamed about how he would be able to make a comeback if he succeeded in nabbing this project, thereby leaving behind the trauma I had caused him.

The company wasted no time calling a highest-level all-hands meeting. There was only one item on the agenda—to bring in a new strategic investor for Project Skyvault. This investor would acquire a 30% stake in the company and appoint a new chairman.

Before the meeting, the CEO specifically asked Lucas to come to his office. Patting Lucas' shoulder, he said, "Lucas, this is your last chance. This new investor has a mysterious background but comes with terrifyingly formidable resources. As long as your proposal wins them over, forget about the mess you caused previously, I guarantee that you'll be promoted straight to the position of deputy CEO!"

The flames of hope once again ignited in Lucas' eyes. Overcome with gratitude, he clasped the CEO's hand tightly, as though he were clutching at his last lifeline.

Little did he know, this CEO had already met me countless times, each time acting like a simpering fool. What was even more hilarious was that the night before the meeting, I received an email from Winona.

The attached file was none other than the core proposal Lucas had painstakingly drafted over countless sleepless nights.

In the accompanying message, Winona was all kinds of sycophantic as she claimed to have looked up to us, the "new investor", for a very long time now. She even declared her willingness to do anything we asked of her.

Clearly, she thought Lucas' time was over and was trying to sell what was left of his worth to find herself a new backer.

Unfortunately for her, the person she was trying so hard to curry favor with was none other than me.

The door to the conference room was pushed open before Caleb, who had accompanied me to the door, made an inviting gesture inside.

"Go on, my dear chairman. Show them who's the real boss here."

Under everyone's expectant gazes, the CEO jogged over and respectfully held the door open for me, his body tilted sideways so that I could enter.

Clad in a tailored white suit, I stepped inside and headed straight to the seat at the head of the table, which symbolized the highest authority.

Clearing his throat, the CEO then introduced me, "Everyone, this is our one and only investor in Project Skyvault, and she also happens to be our newly-appointed chairman—Ms. Natania Simmon!"

Lucas' eyes widened in shock as the excitement, hope, and ambition on his face froze, then slowly disintegrated. His mind was blank, and all he could do was stare at me numbly.

The woman who had once cooked and cleaned for him—the one he had mocked as incapable of living without him—now sat in the most powerful seat in the room, looking down at him with a cold, distant gaze.

The proposal he was clutching, the stack of papers he had pinned all of his hopes on, dropped to the floor with a soft thump and scattered.

I couldn't even be bothered to glance at him. Instead, I turned to the CEO. I then spoke in a voice that wasn't loud but still carried clearly across the entire conference room.

"Before we start this meeting, I would like to handle one small matter. I heard that the Sales Director, Lucas Gardner, embezzled the company's funds to pay for one Ms. Langdon's high expenses. Besides that, he's suspected of leaking core company secrets to a third party."

Pausing briefly, I eyed the camera installed in the corner of the room before curving my lips into a smirk.

"Please report this to the police, then start an internal audit, with the legal department following up.

"Now, we can begin the meeting."