Chapter 2

[Someone please tell him that Older Adrian is already worth over a hundred billion dollars! Hahaha!]

I almost laughed from sheer irritation.

Just then, someone knocked on the office door.

Adrian’s secretary, Caleb Quinn, walked in carrying a stack of documents.

He paused when he saw the scene in front of him, but quickly recovered and walked straight over to me.

“Ms. Shaw, the other side on the West District project is holding firm at 3.7 billion. Do we keep pushing the price down?”

Adrian immediately looked over.

“Why are you asking her?”

Caleb looked uncomfortable.

“Mr. Pierce, given your condition these past two weeks…”

He hesitated before continuing.

“Mrs. Pierce has been handling several of the company’s major projects, including matters involving the board.”

Adrian opened his mouth, then stopped.

Documents were spread across the desk.

Every note written across them was in my handwriting.

I slid the West District file toward him.

“Then you decide.

“Three point seven billion. Do we keep negotiating or not?”

He picked it up.

Less than thirty seconds later, his brows drew together.

There was nothing embarrassing about an eighteen-year-old high school student not understanding corporate deals like this.

But clearly, Adrian didn’t see it that way.

“Just because I don’t understand it now doesn’t mean I won’t understand it later.”

He slapped the file back onto the desk.

“Starting today, I’ll run the company myself.”

I nodded.

“You can take your time learning.”

“But the tens of thousands of people who work for Pierce Corporation can’t wait ten years for you to catch up.”

Adrian’s face instantly flushed red.

Vivian quickly took his hand.

“I may not be as capable as Ms. Shaw, but I can still help you review documents and organize things.”

Adrian’s eyes lit up.

“Then you can help me.

“Starting today, you’re Vice President.”

Vivian hurriedly waved her hands.

“Adrian, don’t be ridiculous. How could I possibly do that?”

She glanced at me.

“Ms. Shaw might be upset.”

I looked at her.

“A vice president position isn’t something you hand out to make your girlfriend happy.”

Her eyes reddened almost instantly.

“If Ms. Shaw doesn’t trust me, I can start at the bottom.

“I only want to help you, Adrian.”

Adrian immediately stepped in front of her.

“It’s my company.

“If I say she’s Vice President, then she’s Vice President.”

The comments began flooding in again.

[Ahhh! This is what young love looks like! He just wants to give his girl everything he has!]

[Why is the supporting female lead still here? She’s occupied someone else’s husband, company, and money for years, and now she can’t even give up one VP position?]

[When Older Adrian comes back and sees that his eighteen-year-old self fixed both his love life and his career, he’s going to be so grateful to himself!]

My fingers tightened slightly around my pen.

“Caleb.”

“Yes, Ms. Shaw?”

“Process the appointment through the proper company channels.

“Send it to the board and legal. If it requires a vote, hold the vote. If it needs to be formally filed, file it.

“Don’t skip any steps just because Mr. Pierce personally ordered it.”

Adrian’s head snapped up.

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Nothing.”

I closed my laptop.

“You want to run the company. I’m not stopping you.

“But a corporation isn’t something you play around with.”

He hated being treated like a child more than anything.

Sure enough, he exploded.

“Stop acting like you know everything!”

He turned to Caleb.

“Cut off all her access.

“Approval authority, project access, executive-floor access. Everything.”

Caleb didn’t move.

He only glanced at me.

I knew exactly why he was hesitating.

As long as I refused to approve it, carrying out Adrian’s order would put him in an impossible position.

But Adrian was still legally the chairman and CEO of Pierce Corporation.

If we started fighting over control of the company right here in his office, tomorrow’s financial headlines would be screaming about a power struggle between the Pierces.

The stock price would take the hit.

And tens of thousands of employees would be affected.

There was no reason to let things go that far over fifteen days.

“Do as he says.”

Caleb lowered his voice.

“Ms. Shaw…”

“It’s fine.”

I handed him the final file.

“All my risk notes for the West District project are inside. Give it to the project team.”

With that, I picked up my coat.

As I walked past Adrian, his jaw was still set tight.

He looked like someone who believed he had finally won a battle.

I didn’t bother explaining anything else.

The eighteen-year-old version of him wouldn’t understand.

And I had no intention of forcing Caleb into the middle of this.

Behind Adrian, Vivian stood quietly.

But the smile tugging at the corner of her lips was impossible to hide.