Powell Manor, a hand clutched the maid’s phone Lightly. Hiding in the corner, Leon nervously and stealthily dialed Serena’s number,
“Hello? Who’s this?” said Serena.
“Mommy, where are you?” Leon said.
Serena froze, her hand trembling slightly as she gripped the phone. It was Leon’s voice.
“Leon?” she blurted out, but in an instant, her brow furrowed. “Why are you calling?”
“Mommy, please come home. I miss you.” Lean’s voice grew more and more choked, his words coming in broken bursts. “Eliza and Cliver keep picking
“Leon, didn’t you call me a wicked mom? Wasn’t Eliza the one you preferred over me?” said Serena.
“I was wrong. Mommy, please come home, Leon sobbed uncontrollably, desperately clutching the phone in his hands.
Hearing Leon’s tearful voice, Serena felt her heart soften for a moment. But all the pain and hurt from the past quickly drowned out that bit of softness.
She forced herself to stay calm, “Leon, I’ve already relinquished custody of you. Whatever happens to you now is none of my concern, got it?”
“No. You are. You’re my mommy.” Leon completely broke down, bears streaming down his face as he sobbed and screamed into the phone. “You’re lying Lalready said I was sorry. Why won’t you come back?”
“Leon, an apology doesn’t mean everything can go back to how
how things were. It’s like a broken vase. Even if you glue it back together, the cracks will
always be there.” Serens said coldly.
Leon screamed, tears streaming down his face, “I don’t get it. Come home. You have to come home. You’re a mean mommy–the worst. I hate you, if you don’t come back, I’ll never ever talk to you again”
Serena listened to Leon’s gut–wrenching cries, her heart twisting in agony. Still, clenching her resolve, she forced herself to end the call.
As the relentless dial tone echoed in his
shaking uncontrollably
, Leon’s sobs grew even more desperate. He curled up tightly, his small body trembling, tiny shoulders
Meanwhile, back at the office, the project proposal Serena had painstakingly prepared despite Stacey’s harassment now lay on the manager’s desk.
Max pored over the proposal, his brow furrowing at
nen relaong again.
He set the document down, looked up at Stacky standing before him, and asked, “Who put this proposal together?”
“Serena did it,” said Story
“Selenal” Max raised an eyebrow in surprise. “She did this all by herself?”
“Well, yes,” Stacey forced out through gritted teeth
“Impressive insightful and innovative Max said with an approving nod. “Let’s entrust this p have her lead its implementation.”
project entirely to Serena, Form a new project tour and
“Understood, Max. But Serena is still relatively new here, and I have some concerns – Stacey hesitated.
“And what exactly are you worried about?” Max asked.
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Chapter 81
“I’m concerned she may not have enough experience to lead the team. What if something goes wrong with the project?” Stacey carefully measured her word, trying to voice her reservations as tactfully as possible..
“You make a fair point,” Max mused for a moment.
“Max, while Serena is certainly capable, she’s still relatively inexperienced and was parachuted into our company. Having her lead such an important. project right away might raise eyebrows among the team,” said Stacey.
Hearing Stacey’s concerns, Max fell into deep thought. ‘Mr. Powell personally arranged for Serena to join us. I know better than anyone what kind of man
Mr. Powell is
“He would never bring someone in without a good reason. Besides, this proposal is truly impressive and highly feasible”
“Stacey, I understand your concerns. But since Serena created this proposal, she should be the one to lead the project. Young people need opportunities to prove themselves. We should give them that chance to grow,” said Max.
“But–Stacey attempted to protest further.
Max waved his hand decisively, cutting her off. “That’s settled. Make the arrangements.”
Stacey’s expression darkened; she hadn’t expected Max to hold Serena in such high regard.
Ironically, Stacey had planned to use this project to make things difficult for and embarrass Serena in front of the whole company, but her scheme had completely backfired. Instead, it handed Serena a golden opportunity
her leaving the manager’s office, Stacey y rushed to find Erika and relayed Max’s decision.
“What? Serena gets to lead the project?” Erika flew into a rage. “Why her? What makes her so special?”
“Max loves her proposal. What can I say?” said Stacey
“No way. Absolutely not,” Erika snapped
Stacey watched Erika’s furious tantrum with satisfaction. This was exactly the reaction she wanted. “Let’s see how you handle this, Serena, she thought
smugly.
With that, Stacey turned, pasted on a fake smile, and headed toward Serena’s workstation
“Serena, congratulations, Stacey said with feigned enthusiasm, “Max was very impressed with your proposal–he’s decided to put you in full charge of this project”
Serena replied calmly, “Thank you, Пl do my best.”
“Don’t get too excited just yet. Max wants you to assemble your own team and take charge of this project. Serena, don’t mess it up.” With that, Stacey turned on her heel and walked away.
Serena clutched the proposal, feeling at a loss. Assembling a team was no easy feat.
Serena hurried through the cubicles and stopped at a guy’s desk, where he was completely absorbed in his sketching. “Here’s my project proposal. Would you be interested in joining my team?”
“Not interested,” the guy said.
Serena
cawkward but persisted, approaching a colleague who seemed friendly. She said, “Hi, I’m Serena. This is my niest proposal.”
The colleague hesitated briefly, accepted the document, skimmed through it, and then offered an apologetic smile. “Ms. Gray, your proposal is quite impressive, but my schedule is completely booked at the moment
Serena managed a strained smile. “No problem, thanks for your time.”
$20:57 Wed 10%
Chapter 81
Serena approached colleague after colleague, only to receive the same response–some rejected her outright whether
All around the office, prople were whispering and casting suspicious glances at Serena.
It turned out Erika had been spreading rumors from the start, claiming Serena’s proposal was plagiarized and untrustworthy.
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