Mag-log in"Close the door." Ian's voice was not loud, but everyone in the office heard him.Mason closed the door from the outside.There were now four people in the office—Ian, Hayes, me, and Erin.Erin stayed.Ian had not asked her to stay; she just had not left. She knew that if she turned and left now, it would be tantamount to admitting defeat."Mr. Ian." She spoke first, her voice relatively steady, but her fingertips were trembling, "I don't know if the data source for Mr. Hayes' report is reliable, but the Celebration Technology project data was reviewed by Mr. Chester.""Don't mention Mr. Chester," Hayes said casually, his legs crossed."Before I came here, I went to the supervisory board office and showed him this report." He tilted his head, looking at Erin. "Guess how he reacted."Erin's pupils contracted."He said..." Hayes smiled. "... you recommended the project while he only did a formal review."Erin's face turned as white as a sheet upon hearing this. Gary had complet
Three days later, Hayes' report arrived. It was not sent to Ian's email. Hayes was much more decisive than I expected; he flew back directly.That afternoon, I was eating an apple in the lounge when I heard a commotion in the corridor.I could hear the receptionist's voice through two doors. "M-Mr. Hayes? Why... You don't have an appointment...""I have to make an appointment to come to my own company?" Hayes' voice had that inherent laziness, but beneath it was all suppressed anger.He pushed open the door to the CEO's office and strode in.Erin stood up from her workstation and instinctively blocked him. "Who are you... "Hayes simply walked past her without even glancing at her.Erin's expression changed as she quickly followed. "Sir, Mr. Sheffield is... ""Move aside." Hayes turned and glanced at her.Just one glance and Erin stood still, as if stunned by that gaze.Hayes pushed open the door to Ian's office and threw a folder on the desk. "Ian, look at this before decidi
Two days later, my third brother, Liam, sent over the investigation results.It was a 20-page PDF, with detailed annotations he typed on each page.The core conclusion was just one paragraph.[Celebration Technology's revenue looks good on paper, but its cash flow is already in trouble. They approached Sheffield Group not for technology integration but to secure financial support. If the terms of the Valuation Adjustment Mechanism agreement are carried out according to what they proposed, Sheffield Group will inflate like a balloon until it explodes. [Once Celebration Technology goes bust and the Valuation Adjustment Mechanism terms are triggered, Sheffield Group would have to assume full responsibility.]Liam added at the end: [Trina, this is a big problem. Have you told Ian?]Not yet. It was not that I did not want to; it was that it was pointless to tell him now.Erin must already have polished financial data, and Gary would back it up as well. If I went to Ian now with noth
When I arrived at the CEO's office the next morning, Erin was already sitting at her workstation. She wore a light grey blazer dress with her hair neatly styled. She had a cup of coffee in front of her while her fingers typed away at the computer screen.When she saw me enter, she looked up and smiled. The smile was gentle and proper, as if what happened yesterday had never occurred. "Good morning, Ms. Sheffield."As I passed by her workstation, I did not stop."Mm," I replied and entered the lounge.The lounge was not locked, and Fiona had already placed a cup of hot milk on the coffee table, along with a plate of cut fruit.I sat down, turned on my phone, and saw a new message in the notification bar.[Reminder: Celebration Technology project, key decision point. Board vote on June 10th. Eighty-eight days left until Ian signs the Valuation Adjustment Mechanism agreement.]Eighty-eight days. I took a deep breath and opened the first batch of files sent over by Mason. They were
When Fiona returned to Ian's office, the steam from the garlic cream bun was still rising.I sat on the leather swivel chair opposite Ian's desk with my legs propped on the armrest, eating contentedly.Ian sat opposite me, going through documents and occasionally looking up at me to make sure I was eating properly.I chewed the garlic cream bun and mumbled, "Ian, who hired Erin?"Ian paused for a moment while flipping through the documents. "HR recommended her. Mr. Chester made the arrangements."My heart skipped a beat as I pondered. Mr. Chester again! The three pieces of information on the Memo app seemed to be vaguely related to him."Ian, how's your relationship with Mr. Chester?"Ian looked up at me. "Why did you ask?""Just out of curiosity.""He was promoted by the old man and has been with the Sheffield family for almost 20 years. He's in charge of the supervisory board and doesn't usually interfere in the day-to-day operations." Ian's tone was calm."But you just too
Ian stood at the door, his suit jacket draped over his arm. The cuff of his shirt was rolled up, revealing the unremarkable Patek Philippe on his wrist. His gaze slowly shifted from Erin's outstretched hand to my face.The entire lounge fell silent instantly, as if a mute button had been pressed.Erin's hand remained suspended in the air for about two seconds before she calmly withdrew it. She turned around, putting on a smile as quickly as flipping a book. She adopted that gentle, harmless expression once more. "Mr. Sheffield, you're back."She took a step forward, her voice carrying just the right amount of concern. "There was a minor issue in the CEO's office just now. I'm handling it."Ian did not look at her. His gaze remained fixed on me before moving down and stopping on the cold, cooled garlic cream bun on the table."Trina, you haven't eaten?" he asked in a low voice.I pouted. "I wanted to but couldn't."Ian's gaze finally shifted away from me, and he turned to Mason.







