Anne turned toward the projector screen, pressing a button on her laptop. The screen lit up instantly, displaying a detailed chart. She gestured toward it as she began her presentation.
"This is the project’s progress report for the year."
With a confident stride, she moved to the side, allowing the investors a clear view of the data.
"As you can see," she continued, "the project has perford exactly as expected, achieving double the anticipated profit."
A murmur of approval rippled through the investors as they scanned the figures before them.
Bottom of Form
Denis sat frozen in his chair, his mind struggling to catch up with what had just unfolded before him. For a mont, he simply stared at the screen, his thoughts tangled in confusion.
He had seen Becca tampering with Anne’s laptop. He knew she had done sothing. So how was this possible? Had Becca not deleted the file after all? Then why had Anne claid the report was missing?
anwhile, Anne remained poised, exuding quiet confidence as she wrapped up the presentation.
"Thank you, gentlen," she said smoothly, bowing her head slightly in respect. "That concludes my report for today."
The room filled with applause. The sound snapped Denis out of his thoughts.
His gaze flickered toward the n around the table, who exchanged pleased looks, their expressions reflecting satisfaction.
One of the senior investors, an elderly man with a commanding presence, turned to him with an approving nod. "Your secretary is quite talented. She kept the presentation concise yet thoroughly explained every crucial detail. I must say, I’m impressed."
Denis forced a tight, polite smile. But beneath the surface, his emotions churned. His jaw clenched as he shifted his gaze to Anne.
’You lied to again,’ he thought bitterly.
The youngest of the investors, a man with sharp eyes and an easy smile, said with a playful glint in his gaze, "Miss Clair...If you ever think about leaving this company, co to my office. I’d be more than happy to have a talented and beautiful secretary like you."
He slid a business card toward her.
Anne smiled politely. "Thank you, Mr. Hayes, for your trust," she said, accepting the card with graceful professionalism.
Before she could slip it into her folder, a cold voice cut through the air like a blade.
"Anne is not going anywhere, Mr. Hayes," Denis declared.
The room tensed.
Mr. Hayes chuckled, but there was a flicker of unease in his expression as he glanced at Denis. "I must say, Denis, I envy you. If only I had t Miss Clair before you..."
Denis’s jaw tightened. The temperature in the room seed to drop. "The eting is over," he said coldly.
The other investors quickly gathered their things before filing out one by one.
Anne could feel the weight of Denis’s gaze on her, but she ignored him. She closed her laptop with a quiet click, gathering her things as she prepared to leave.
"Wait." Denis’s voice rang out, firm and edged with accusation.
She stilled, her grip on the laptop tightening slightly.
"How did you make the presentation?" he demanded, his sharp gaze fixed on her. "Didn’t you say the report was missing? You lied to again!"
A dry scoff escaped Anne’s lips. "Seriously? You’re questioning even after reviewing the footage?" she shot back. "I always save my files to Google Drive, but Becca didn’t know that. If she did, she would’ve deleted it from there as well."
Denis’s expression darkened, but before he could retort, Anne spoke, her voice lacing with a mixture of frustration and disappointnt.
"But what truly surprised was you. You were willing to risk the entire project, all just to humiliate . And even now, after everything, you still refuse to punish Becca. Why?"
Silence.
Denis had no response. He was relieved—relieved that she had pulled off the presentation and saved the project. The investors were impressed, and the company’s reputation remained intact. But beneath that relief, a bitter taste lingered.
This wasn’t how he had imagined things playing out. He had expected to see her crumble, to watch her beg for his help, to hear her admit defeat. Instead, she had outmaneuvered him. Again.
Anne let out a weary sigh and shook her head. "Anyway..." She shrugged, too exhausted to keep arguing. "I don’t care what you think anymore. The eting was a success. I did my part. Now it’s your turn. Keep your word and take action against Becca."
Without waiting for his response, she turned and walked away.
Denis rose to his feet, his expression hardening as an air of arrogance settled around him.
"I never made such promises," he stated coldly. "Since the file wasn’t actually lost, there is no point in dwelling on it. As my secretary, you should be more cautious. Sharing your laptop password with others was downright reckless and irresponsible. Your device contains confidential data—how could you be so careless? This is your mistake."
Anne paused right in front of the door and whirled, facing him with disbelief.
He straightened his posture, shoving his hands into his pockets. "I’ll admit, it was smart of you to save the file in Google Drive," he continued. "But that doesn’t an I’ll overlook such a serious oversight. The fault lies with you for allowing soone the opportunity to access your laptop. If anyone deserves consequences, it should be you, not Becca."
Anne fought back the frustration bubbling inside her. She had expected nothing from him, had told herself over and over again that hoping for fairness from Denis was futile. And yet, his words still managed to cut through her, catching her off guard.
Maybe because, deep down, a part of her had still held onto so expectation—no matter how small. The realization alone infuriated her.
"Since you managed to impress the investors, I’ll let this matter go," he said arrogantly. "But you have another important task. Tomorrow, I have a eting with Mr. Lee. You’re coming with . Make sure I get that contract."
Anne was completely speechless. The sheer audacity of Denis left her reeling.
"You still expect to help you? Even after everything you’ve done..."
Denis, however, remained unfazed. He regarded her with that sa smug confidence. "If you can secure the project, I’ll make you the project head," he offered. "Your pay will be increased. I’ll even pay you a bonus in advance."
Anne’s fingers curled tightly around the edge of her laptop. She wasn’t naïve—she knew exactly what he was trying to do. This wasn’t a reward; it was a tactic to keep her from resigning. As if throwing money her way would sohow make her forget his betrayal.
But as much as she hated to admit it, she couldn’t afford to reject his offer outright. Her finances were stretched thin. She had just paid for her father’s new dications, and the hospital bills were still looming over her. The last thing she wanted was to burden Augustine with her struggles.
A bonus would provide so much-needed relief.
She took a deep breath, forcing down her resentnt. "Fine," she said through gritted teeth. "I’ll co with you. But don’t you dare go back on your word."
She stord out of the conference hall, leaving Denis behind.
A slow, malicious smirk crept onto his lips as he watched her leave. "Anne, you have no idea what trouble you’re getting yourself into. Mr. Lee is not easy to deal with. No matter how much you resist, in the end, you’ll have to beg anyway."
The anticipation of watching her struggle made his victory all the sweeter.
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