He had no choice now.He would have to lay low and bide his time because if he made one more wrong move, he wouldn’t even be in her league.That evening, back at home, Stellar heard all about Suzy’s fiery display at the company. Her eyes curved with delight as she grinned."That’s amazing, Suzy. At this rate, even if I’m not around, you’ve got the whole company handled. No reason to be afraid of any of them anymore.""Wait, are you leaving?" Suzy asked, a bit reluctant to hear it.Stellar raised an eyebrow and teased, "Aw, you’ll miss me? Want me to stay longer and kick my uncle out instead?"Suzy turned away with a huff of mock arrogance."He’s got the thickest skin alive. He got injured and suddenly he’s clinging to me like he’s never letting go."Stellar clicked her tongue and gave her a knowing look. Watching the two grow closer by the day, she genuinely felt happy for them."Relax, I’m not leaving just yet."Suzy perked up."So… are you really going out with him tomorrow? Does y
The next second, Suzy’s voice rang out, sharp and scathing."Aiden Zane, you’ve really outdone yourself. You actually tried to bribe Robinson Group’s project director, offering her six hundred thousand dollars in cash just to hand the deal over to you!"She took a step forward, her tone icy."I really underestimated you. Resorting to corporate bribery? What’s next? Trying to buy your way into the boardroom with Monopoly money? You’ve got some nerve."Aiden’s face went ghostly pale.The room collectively gasped."Wait, what? That can’t be true. Mr. Zane tried to bribe their side?""Isn’t it obvious? He wanted to steal the deal from Miss Walsh.""Unbelievable. No wonder she slapped him. Honestly, he got off easy.""N-No, that’s not true!" Aiden stammered, panic flooding his voice. "I didn’t… I would never!"Victor jumped in quickly, desperate to contain the fallout."Suzy, there’s got to be some misunderstanding here. Aiden would never stoop to something like that.""Don’t bother defendi
"What a shame. Such a promising deal, wasted just like that. That opportunity should’ve gone to someone with real experience, like Mr. Zane."As voices around the room praised him, Aiden’s grin grew broader with every passing second.He stepped forward, riding high on his moment of glory, and held out his hand toward Suzy."Let’s not drag this out, Miss Walsh. Hand over the proposal. I’ll take it from here and re-negotiate with Miss Wheeler. There might still be a chance to salvage things."He hadn’t even prepared a plan of his own. He was just ready to hijack Suzy’s work and claim it as his own.Her expression turned to ice."You're really pushing your luck, aren't you?""What did you say?" Aiden tilted his head, pretending not to hear as he leaned in.The next second, Suzy raised her hand and slapped him hard across the face.The sound cracked through the room like a whip. Aiden stumbled back, completely caught off guard, a vivid red handprint blooming across his cheek.Silence fel
Once Suzy was gone, Stellar and Zayden strolled downstairs, chatting as they wandered along the street."You’ve really come a long way," Stellar said with a curious smile. "Quietly building a massive corporation behind the scenes? When did that happen?"Zayden laughed. "It’s actually a company I co-founded with a friend years ago. Back then, we just wanted to try something out—never expected it to grow this big. "He’s the one listed publicly as the CEO and handles most of the operations. I just invested, pop in occasionally, nothing major."He didn’t try to claim the credit for himself."I’m honestly glad I came to Riverfold this time," he added, his smile softening as he glanced at her. "Getting to work with my senior’s friend is a pretty great twist of fate."Stellar looked at him warmly. "You’ve been doing okay these past few months? I kept trying to reach you. "You said you were handling something important, then disappeared for ages. I was worried something had happened. Is eve
"Miss Rivers, you really won’t do me a small favor and stay a while?" He winked at Stellar playfully, like he was trying to be charming."You…" Stellar’s eyes widened in disbelief. "Zay? What are you doing here… wait, are you the CEO of Robinson Group?"The man in front of her was none other than Zayden, someone she hadn’t seen in ages.But wasn’t he supposed to be the second heir of the Moore family?"Stellar, it’s been way too long." Zayden stepped forward and wrapped her in a hug, nuzzling his head against her shoulder like an overgrown puppy. "I’ve missed you so much!"Suzy stood off to the side, absolutely stunned. She was seriously tempted to take out her phone and record the moment to send to Stephen.But before she could act on the impulse, Stellar had already shoved him off and shot him a sharp glare."You little punk, are you hitting on your senior now?""I wasn’t!" Zayden blinked innocently."Really? Then what the hell did you mean by asking me to stay?" Stellar cracked
Tom didn’t spare Jasmine another glance. He led Suzy and Stellar into the CEO’s office, where staff quickly brought in tea and refreshments for them."Where’s your CEO?" Suzy looked around the room, but it was empty."He asked me to handle the initial discussion," Tom replied courteously.Suzy didn’t underestimate his capabilities. She pulled out the proposal, and the two began a focused, professional negotiation.This was her moment to shine, and she didn’t intend to waste it.Meanwhile, Stellar quietly sipped her tea and nibbled at the pastries. At first, she was just passing the time, but to her surprise, both the tea and snacks suited her taste perfectly. She gradually settled into simply enjoying the spread.By the time Suzy wrapped up the presentation, Stellar had just finished eating."Miss Walsh, your proposal is excellent. I’ll call the CEO now to get his final opinion. Please wait a moment," Tom said before stepping out of the room.Suzy, a little breathless, turned to Ste