Chapter 2

Mina's smug, triumphant expression sharply contrasted with the fake, syrupy congratulations she'd offered me in my past life when I had been promoted.

I kept my head down and sorted through my files. I couldn't be bothered with her.

On the day of the proposal presentation, the conference room was thick with tension. Even more surprisingly, the golden boy of Lakeshire, Cassian Mercer himself, attended in person.

In my past life, Cassian had only approached me after our company won the project, using that win as an excuse to get close to me. This time, he appeared earlier.

Alarm bells rang in my head. I couldn't help but feel that things were veering into a stranger, more uncontrollable territory.

Cassian's face was stern, his presence overwhelming. Just sitting there, he made the temperature in the room feel like it had dropped several degrees. A few of the senior designers nervously presented their proposals while he remained expressionless throughout.

When it was Mina's turn, she strutted like a peacock in full display, deliberately undoing two buttons on her blouse to reveal a tantalizing glimpse of her cleavage.

She mimicked scenes from romance novels that featured domineering CEOs and naive heroines, batting her lashes at Cassian and cooing, "Mr. Mercer, I stayed up all night working on your project. Look, I even have dark circles under my eyes."

Her contrived performance gave everyone goosebumps. Cassian's brows knitted tightly, a barely perceptible flash of disgust in his eyes.

But Mina was completely oblivious to it. She smugly unveiled her design, something that could only be described as doodles.

Just as the boss was about to cut her off, the black cat that she'd kept hidden in her bag suddenly leapt onto the long conference table. With a proud and graceful stride, it walked straight up to Cassian, let out a soft "meow", and rubbed its head against his hand.

Cassian's gaze fell on Mina's scribbled proposal, and he actually nodded. "Let's go with this one."

Pointing at the doodle, he explained to the stunned room, "This design is brimming with a childlike, back-to-basics charm. I love it."

Once the meeting ended, he even extended an invitation to Mina. "Ms. Corvelle, to celebrate our successful partnership and discuss further details, would you be free for dinner tonight?"

Mina's face flushed red, feeling both surprised and ecstatic. She agreed eagerly.

As everyone filed out, they all stared at Mina with a mix of envy and disbelief. She strutted up to me, chin held high.

"See that, Elora? Mr. Mercer personally chose my proposal and even invited me to dinner. So tell me, what was the point of you staying up all night working on that design? In the face of absolute luck, hard work means nothing! Jealous? Too bad. You just don't have the luck!"

The news of Mina snagging a million-dollar bonus and a director position, thanks to a cat, spread through the office like wildfire. People's skeptical glances quickly turned into fawning smiles.

She reveled in the attention and admiration. The black cat was her prized treasure by this point, and she took it with her everywhere. She even boasted that she would soon become Lakeshire's top socialite.

A few days later, an even bigger bombshell dropped.

Cassian was actually going to propose to Mina. He even rented an entire private island and invited everyone from our company. On paper, it was to celebrate the project, but in reality, it was a surprise for her.

Everyone envied Mina's luck, marveling that she truly was fate's favorite.