Chapter 37: An Unusual Meeting

"Heather, I told you to leave," Rupert ordered, his cold voice chilling her to the bone.

"Rupert," Heather gasped, her eyes widening in disbelief.

"But I haven't explained the prospectus yet," Rupert frowned, glancing at her impatiently.

"Just drop it and go."

"But my brother told me to explain it carefully," Heather insisted, her face etched with sadness and pain.

Rupert was dismissing her in front of Annabel, a deeply embarrassing situation. He'd always been cold, but never before had he driven her away like this. His attitude had changed the day Annabel appeared; he now completely ignored her. This expulsion, she blamed entirely on Annabel.

Annabel, seeing Heather's frustration, felt a surge of delight. To add insult to injury, she sneered, "Do you doubt my fiancé's ability? Do you think he can't read it himself?"

Ignoring Annabel, Heather quickly grabbed Rupert's arm, explaining anxiously, "I didn't mean that, Rupert."

But Rupert pulled away, frowning. "Get out."

Heather, with no choice, obeyed. She glared furiously at Annabel as she reluctantly left the CEO's office.

"Well done," Annabel said to Rupert after Heather's departure.

"So, I'm not a stranger after all?" Rupert asked jokingly.

"Why did you call me your fiancé?" Annabel smiled and shrugged. "Well, you love Candy, right? I'm just helping you keep other women away. You don't want Candy to know how many are bothering you."

Candy

The name, spoken by Annabel, stirred complicated feelings in Rupert.

"If there's nothing else, I'll leave," Annabel said, exiting his office.

Heather stood outside, seething. Seeing Annabel emerge, she tried to trip her, but Annabel easily avoided her.

"Didn't my fiancé just ask you to leave the company? What are you still doing here? Guarding the door?" Annabel mocked.

"Annabel, what did you say?" Heather fumed. Annabel had compared her to a guard dog! Ignoring her, Annabel turned to Finley. "We don't allow outsiders to linger, right? Why don't you ask her to leave?"

"Annabel, how dare you try to drive me away?" Heather shouted, trembling with rage. Rupert's dismissal was understandable; he owned the company. But Annabel had no such right.

"Miss Norman, please leave!" Finley intervened, preventing Heather from confronting her rival.

Annabel didn't wait for a response. She returned to her desk without looking back. Hardly settled, the landline rang—Rupert again.

Frowning, Annabel answered. "Rupert, why are you calling?"

"Come to the conference room for a meeting," he said.

"A meeting? What meeting?" Annabel asked, confused.

"The Lady Fashion cooperation project," Rupert replied, his voice low.

"Oh, okay."

Arriving with the relevant documents, Annabel found Rupert already seated at the head of the table, looking imposing in a perfectly tailored black suit. His expression was, as usual, impassive; he seemed elegant and commanding. Nina, Bernice, and Anais, the project designers, were also present. All eyes turned to Annabel as she entered.

"Try not to be late for the next meeting," Rupert cautioned, giving her an indifferent glance and gesturing for her to sit.

Annabel was surprised. She hadn't been notified! Nina was clearly behind this.

Silently, Annabel took a seat. Rupert signaled for the meeting to begin.

Nina cleared her throat. "I've overseen the initial stages of the Lady Fashion project, but next season's launch will be under Annabel's supervision. Annabel, please brief Mr. Benton on the project's status."

Nina hadn't informed Annabel of this meeting; she was completely unprepared. The information Nina had provided was minimal. Nina was confident Annabel would fail to impress the CEO. Satisfied with her trap, Nina smiled, awaiting Annabel's humiliation.

Annabel saw through Nina's scheme. Calmly standing, she stated, "I'm sorry. No one informed me of this meeting, so I didn't prepare."

"No one informed you?" Rupert asked, surprised.

"I emailed everyone in our department," Nina said innocently, feigning shock. "Did you forget? Such carelessness is irresponsible."

Rupert was strict. If Annabel's unpreparedness was due to negligence, she could be severely punished or fired.

But Annabel remained unfazed. With a faint smile, she said to Nina, "I didn't receive it. Every email is recorded; even deleted ones can be restored. I'm not stupid enough to lie about this."

Nina's expression darkened. Had Annabel called her stupid? Turning to Rupert, she asked, "Mr. Benton, since Annabel isn't ready, should we reschedule?"

Before Rupert could respond, Annabel said, "There's no need."

Rupert's eyebrows rose. "I thought you said you weren't prepared."

"I wasn't," Annabel said confidently. "But that won't hinder the meeting."

To everyone's surprise, Annabel walked to the whiteboard, picked up a marker, and said, "As project lead, I should know this project inside and out. I should be able to explain it at any time, without special preparation."

Nina scoffed. Even she, after nearly a year, couldn't present the entire project without preparation. Annabel had taken over less than a week ago. What gave her such confidence? Nina eagerly anticipated Annabel's failure.

Rupert leaned back, thoughtfully observing Annabel's calm confidence. Could she really do this?