That gave Tessa a sense of double assurance.While riding down in the elevator with the secretary, she suddenly spoke. “Miss Secretary, I’ll need you to put in a few good words for me with Mr. Lewis. “Of course, your benefits won’t be lacking. We’re both smart people, so I’ll just be straightforward.”The secretary was a little surprised. She had assumed the wealthy would always speak in roundabout ways, but Tessa’s bluntness caught her off guard in a pleasant way.From just a few words of conversation, she could already tell Tessa wasn’t stingy.And if that was the case, she could definitely make good use of the opportunity.“Miss Walton, you’re too kind,” the secretary replied with a smile. “Don’t worry. Whenever I have the chance to speak on your behalf, I’ll be sure to do so.”“Thank you, Miss Secretary.” Tessa slipped a gold bracelet from her wrist and handed it over.It was a piece she had only recently bought and barely worn.The secretary immediately recognized its value. She
Daniel was moved, if only a little, by Tessa’s sincerity.And truth be told, this contract would bring him considerable profit.“All right then, just leave the contract here. I’ll think it over,” Daniel said with a faint smile.Tessa froze.She had already offered such generous terms—why was he still unwilling?“Mr. Lewis, are there conditions in the contract you’re dissatisfied with?” she pressed, unable to hold back her curiosity.She couldn’t understand it. She had practically handed him free profit, so why hesitate?By all logic, he should have accepted immediately.Yet all she got was, “I’ll consider it.”That was hard to swallow.“No, the terms are quite satisfactory,” Daniel said, flipping through the contract again.He was indeed pleased with what she proposed.But the thought of Lucas made him pause.Hearing that only deepened Tessa’s confusion.“In that case, when will we sign?” she asked quickly. She had always been a woman of action, and now, with his words, she was sure he
Tessa’s fists tightened.She was Walton’s eldest heiress, yet here she was, forced to lower herself like this.And all of it was Aurora’s fault.If Aurora had properly wrapped up the handover, she wouldn’t have to swallow her pride and haggle with this lecher now.“Mr. Lewis, here is the contract proposal I drafted for you.” Tessa handed him the folder.“There’s no need for me to look at that right now.”Daniel raised a hand, uninterested in even glancing at the papers.Tessa frowned. “But if you don’t review the contract, how will you know Walton Corporation’s sincerity?”“Previously, Aurora was the one negotiating with me. I assume the terms are more or less the same, so whether I read it or not makes no difference.”He clearly didn’t care—after all, he had no genuine intention of partnering with Walton Corporation anymore.With Aurora gone, there wasn’t much point.For him, this meeting with Tessa was little more than a way to pass the time.He wanted to see if the company still had
Tessa studied the woman and quickly guessed her identity. “Yes, you must be the secretary I spoke with on the phone yesterday.”“Miss Walton, you’ve got quite the memory,” the secretary said with a smile, leading her toward a nearby conference room. “Please, come this way. Mr. Lewis has been waiting for you.”Tessa nodded slightly, her confidence growing. She hadn’t expected Daniel to wait for her—surely that meant the chances of securing this project were even higher.When she stepped inside, she was greeted by the sight of a portly man, a string of beads rolling between his fingers, his whole demeanor slick and shifty.Pressing her lips together, Tessa held back her irritation. Instead of the arrogance she’d shown earlier, she now introduced herself with a pleasant tone. “Hello, Mr. Lewis. I’m Tessa Walton, director of Walton Corporation.”Daniel replied bluntly, “I know. You must be Aurora’s sister.”The words froze her in place.Since when did she need to be introduced with Auror
They were both her daughters. No matter how fiercely they fought, the company would only keep moving forward.After all, neither of them would ever truly cut ties with their mother.In the end, the project would still land in the family’s hands.In other words, it could never escape their mother’s control.The secretary couldn’t help but sigh. “Mr. Lewis, you really see things clearly.”“After all these years in business, if I couldn’t even figure this much out, I might as well let you sit in my chair,” Daniel replied, his tone taking on a rare seriousness.But the secretary treated it as a joke.After all, how could something like that ever happen to her?“Mr. Lewis, please don’t joke like that. Someone like me can only rely on you for support.”She knew exactly what kind of words pleased a man.Sure enough, Daniel lifted her chin and pressed a gentle kiss against her lips.It was the first time he’d shown such patience with a woman.The secretary’s heart raced with excitement.As he
The secretary remembered her earlier mistake and made sure to make up for it this time.Tessa, unsuspecting, replied, “My surname’s Walton—Tessa Walton. I’m the eldest daughter of Walton Corporation’s chairwoman, and I’ve just taken over as the new director.”As she spoke of her position, her chin lifted unconsciously, pride written all over her face.Her identity carried weight, and a mere secretary asking her name wasn’t like that arrogant receptionist who hadn’t even bothered.Clearly, this secretary was more sensible.Hearing Tessa’s status, the secretary felt a flicker of unease. She hadn’t expected the caller to be someone so prominent.If she built a good relationship with her, the road ahead would be even smoother.“So you’re Walton Corporation’s heiress—I truly underestimated you before,” the secretary flattered.So openly praised, Tessa floated a little higher.With a serious tone, she said, “Not at all. You didn’t know before—ignorance is no crime.”The secretary almost scof