Chapter 1028
Chapter 1028
Sharon feigned surprise. “Didn’t you call me here?”
+25 BONUS
Silas’s expression stiffened before he quickly recovered. “I’m a manager. If anyone can just walk into my office without notice, then what-should I turn it into a marketplace?”
Sharon smiled lightly. “Oh, Silas, what are you saying? I’m your sister, not an outsider. Besides, we’ll soon be working under the same roof. I may not know much yet, and I haven’t achieved anything worth boasting of, but I do hold more shares than you. So when you see me, shouldn’t you be greeting your superior?
“As a company executive, of course, I should be free to enter any office in the Kalen Group.”
Her tone was mild, but every word struck like a needle beneath Silas’s skin. Just imagining this woman-this woman he had never respected-standing above him in rank made his stomach twist with disgust.
When Sharon first returned to the Kalen family, he hadn’t openly mocked her, but only because he thought she wasn’t worth the effort. To him, even sneering at her would have been a waste of time.
Silas gave a derisive laugh. “Sharon, you haven’t even officially joined the Kalen Group yet, and already you think this place belongs to you?”
Sharon remained unruffled. “I’m part of the Kalen family. What’s wrong with treating my family’s company as my own?”
She sighed. “Silas, we share the same parents. Why do you always look at me like I don’t belong? Why are you so determined to dislike me?”
Her words dripped with innocence, but the performance made Silas’s scalp prickle.
A sharp unease ran through him-was she secretly recording this? Or worse, livestreaming it again?
Victoria had warned him to stay cautious. He needed to keep his guard up.
He quickly composed himself. “You’re overthinking things. I don’t dislike you, and I don’t treat you as an outsider. The reason I asked you here is because you injured two innocent men in a car accident. They’re at the door right now, demanding an explanation. Regardless of the reason, injuring someone is wrong. An apology from you doesn’t seem too much to ask, does it?”
“Of course not,” Sharon said with an easy nod.
Her ready agreement caught him off guard.
Recovering quickly, he stood. “Good. I’ll take you to meet them.”
The oil tycoon and the financier-fathers of the two spoiled brats she’d allegedly hit-were far from kind men themselves. When they saw the woman who had nearly crippled their sons, they would want her blood.
A faint, cold smile tugged at Silas’s lips as he led her toward the door.
Just as they stepped into the hallway, they ran into Scott and Victoria. All four of them froze for a brief moment before Victoria broke the silence.
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Chapter 1028
“Silas, Sharon, where are you two headed?”
“To see Dad,” Silas replied, glancing at them. “And you?”
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Victoria smiled sweetly. “Scott said the board has already approved my entry into the Kalen Group, so he’s showing me around, helping me get familiar with the place.”
“Familiar with the place,” she said, though everyone knew the truth: Scott was formally introducing her to the department heads.
The Kalens never believed in concealing their lineage or “starting from the bottom.” Their idea of training rarely involved hardship-it was more a matter of formality.
Kalen Group’s operations were already running smoothly. This little show was unnecessary. But Silas knew exactly what Scott was doing-he was helping Victoria establish authority early on, so she wouldn’t be bullied once she officially joined.
After a moment’s thought, Silas turned to Sharon. “Dad’s office is on the top floor. I’ll have my assistant escort you there. I’ve got other matters to handle, so I won’t be going up with you.”
Each of the three Kalen brothers oversaw their own divisions and territories within the family empire.
Though Rick was the designated heir, Silas and Scott each controlled vast projects of their own-none inferior in scale or profit. If either of them outperformed Rick, surpassing him wouldn’t be difficult. 1
The Kalen Group tower itself had been built exclusively for the group-each brother occupied an entire floor, complete with independent teams and loyal subordinates.
Silas’s plan was simple: introduce Victoria to his trusted executives so they would watch over her once she officially joined.
Sharon merely nodded. “Got it.”
After she left, Scott turned to Silas. “Silas, how did she even get up here? Didn’t you say it was impossible?”
Silas’s face darkened. “She must’ve used her title as the Kalen heiress to bluff her way in. She’s mastered the art of throwing her weight around.” 1
Her methods might be simple, but in a family as intricate as the Kalens, they worked. If Sharon couldn’t even get past the lobby today, she’d have no hope of surviving what came next.
The Kalen Group was a web of power and politics-so entangled that even the Kalen brothers themselves weren’t entirely free from internal checks and balances. A newcomer like Sharon? She’d be swallowed whole.
If today’s test had gone as planned and she’d been humiliated downstairs, she’d have entered Kalen Group as a lamb among wolves-ripe for the tearing.
And since Silas had already made it clear he disapproved of her, no one else in the company would have dared go against him to defend her.
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