Chapter 4

Debbie's grin fell.

"Breakup? My God! That bastard! So, not only did he steal the company's project bid and give it to a rival company, but he also broke up with you?" she screeched in disbelief.

That was too much information in a single sentence. Summer's mind spun.

Steal? Project bid? Did Hank …

"You're saying that Hank did that?" Summer asked in shock.

"No way! Don't tell me you don't know about this!" Debbie said as she slammed a hand on the table.

"There's no use acting coy now. Go ahead and take a look!" Debbie continued as she searched for the news on her computer.

The Internet was buzzing with the news. Summer shoved Debbie lightly to the side to get a closer look.

The headlines made Summer freeze.

"Family Company Facing Potential Bankruptcy!"

"Charter Corporation Faces a Hostile Takeover!"

"Charter Corporation in Hot Water!"

"Risky Project Bid Gamble Lands Charter Corporation in Trouble!"

Each headline was more outrageous than the last. Charter Corporation was now the subject of every single media outlet's attention.

It was as if Charter Corporation had been completely upturned overnight.

Summer had thought that she was the only one suffering. However, while she had been nursing her broken heart, the entire Charter Corporation experienced a sudden and dramatic change.

Sitting in front of the computer, with the headlines flashing, Summer felt her chest hurt. She suddenly felt as if she was transported back to last night when she was drenched by the freezing cold rain.

Judging by Summer's pale complexion after reading the headlines, Debbie surmised that she must not have known about this at all. Hence, she stopped talking, afraid that she would say something that would trigger Summer.

It was clear that the successor to Charter Corporation was too blinded by her breakup to see how badly the company was doing right now …

The employees outside of Summer's office held their breaths in anticipation of how Summer would react.

In that instance, the office was so silent that they could hear a pin drop.

Summer was 24 years old. She admitted that she wasn't as privileged as Simone, who was born with a silver spoon in her mouth. However, she was still considered quite privileged by normal standards.

Charter Corporation, which was a family-owned business, had greatly boosted the GDP of the city and helped it develop. So, how could a mere real estate development project cause the entire company to crumble?

Summer remained stoic-faced as she finished reading the news. She composed herself before she said, "Get back to work. Stop looking at me like that. Even if these outrageous rumors were true, before any official announcement is made, the company will run as usual."

Debbie was slightly skeptical. After all, the project bid had already been accepted by the client.

Also, they had already purchased the land needed, spending a few million dollars in the process.

As such, besides the loan that they had from the bank and whatever stocks Charter Corporation still had, the company was practically broke.

Summer's heart had already sunk to her stomach, and she ignored the pitiful glances sent her way before walking straight to the elevators.

Just as she turned a comer, she accidentally bumped into a nearby trash can and the resounding crash completely shook her out of her stupor.

She ignored the curious glances from the other employees and fled to the elevator. Thankfully, she was the only one in there so she smashed the buttons to close the elevator doors before slumping to the ground.