Chapter 68: Why free access?
Victoria returned to the office, her hands trembling slightly as she parked the car. The eting with Lily had left her with more questions than answers. She’d never seen a CEO act that way before—so calm yet so determined, ready to take a gamble.
She stepped out, feeling the chill of the air touch her cheeks. The usual buzz of the office greeted her as she entered the building. People moved with a sense of purpose, their expressions sharp and focused. Normally, Victoria felt a rush of energy walking into this place, like everything was in motion, gears turning in sync. But today, sothing was different.
The air felt heavy, as if everyone sensed a shift. She caught snatches of conversations as she walked by, but none of it settled the unease swirling in her head. She clutched her bag tighter, her heels clicking sharply against the polished floor. She headed straight to her office, hoping the familiar setting would clear her thoughts.
Once inside, she closed the door behind her and set her things down. She took a deep breath, letting the quiet calm her racing mind. Her desk, with its neat stacks of files and papers, felt like a small island of stability. She sat down and let the morning’s whirlwind catch up to her.
She opened her laptop, replaying the eting in her mind. Lily’s voice echoed, calm yet confident, her tone impossible to ignore. Giving Lopez Digital Studios free access felt risky to Victoria, a gamble she didn’t understand. She couldn’t shake the feeling that there was sothing she was missing.
Sighing, she pulled up the draft from the eting. Her fingers hovered over the keys, but her mind kept drifting to the questions that had been gnawing at her since she left the restaurant. Why was her boss so keen on this deal? What did she see that Victoria didn’t?
A notification flashed on her screen, snapping her back to the present. It was an email from Zinnia. Victoria’s heart skipped a beat as she opened it.
"Hi Victoria! I’ve attached the draft contract for our potential cooperation with Lily Oceanic Industries. Could you take a look and let
know what you think? If there’s anything you want to change, just let
know."
Victoria read through the email, feeling a small smile tug at her lips. Zinnia’s tone was polite, as always, but there was a hint of excitent that was hard to miss. It was the kind of enthusiasm that made you want to root for soone. For a mont, Victoria felt her own excitent flicker to life.
But she knew better. This wasn’t sothing she could leave to chance. She had to handle this contract herself. She began typing a reply, her fingers moving with a renewed sense of purpose.
"Hi Zinnia, thank you for sending over the draft. I appreciate your effort, but I’ll take care of drafting a new contract. I’ll be coming over to your company this afternoon to discuss it. We can go over everything together then."
Victoria hit send and leaned back, exhaling slowly. She wondered how Zinnia would react to the final terms. Would she see the strategic play behind Lily’s decision, or would she be as confused as Victoria felt?
She had to make this partnership work. It was crucial, not just for the company, but for their careers. Lily had been clear—get the deal done, no mistakes. Yet, even now, Victoria’s mind kept circling back to the sa question. Why had Lily been so firm, yet so secretive?
No one outside the upper managent even knew who Lily really was. Victoria had always been the one handling the public side, the face of Lily Oceanic Industries in this country. It was part of the strategy, but it also ant carrying the weight of Lily’s decisions without revealing her identity. That wasn’t easy, and it made monts like these feel even heavier.
She took another breath, steadying herself. She couldn’t afford to let her doubts interfere. This contract had to be flawless. The stakes were too high, and there was no room for errors.
She pulled up the old draft and started revising. Each line was carefully reworded, every clause scrutinized. Hours slipped by, but Victoria didn’t notice. She was too focused on making sure every detail was perfect. Once this went to Lily, there wouldn’t be much room for changes. It had to be right the first ti.
Finally, after what felt like an endless session of edits, Victoria leaned back and scanned the contract one last ti. Satisfied, she saved the docunt and opened a new email. She addressed it to her boss, the elusive CEO.
"Hello Miss Aquila, I’ve attached the revised contract draft for your review. Please let
know if there are any further adjustnts needed. I’ll finalize it as soon as I hear back from you."
She hit send, feeling a mix of relief and anticipation.
anwhile, across town, Lily was at ho, savoring a rare mont of quiet. When her phone chid, she glanced at the screen and saw Victoria’s na. Her eyes brightened as she opened the email, scrolling through the contract. A smile curved on her lips as she read. It was exactly what she’d been hoping for.
Lily leaned back, letting her thoughts drift to Zinnia. There was a flutter of excitent in her chest. Helping Zinnia grow her career, giving her a bigger platform, was sothing Lily had wanted for a long ti. But beneath the excitent, a flicker of anxiety crept in.
What would Zinnia think if she found out Lily was behind all this? Lily hadn’t been able to talk about what happened with Jas. The guilt lingered, making her hesitant to bring it up, even now. She wanted to support Zinnia, to be there for her, but she didn’t know how to bridge that gap without reopening old wounds.
Lily sighed, brushing those thoughts aside for now. She’d deal with that later. Right now, she needed to make sure this collaboration went smoothly. She quickly typed out a response to Victoria, confirming that everything looked good.
"Looks perfect, Victoria. Go ahead and finalize it. Thank you for your hard work."
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