Chapter 10
Shea couldn’t remember exactly how she had left the manor. All she knew was that she’d rushed to get dressed while Hansen was in the shower and had bolted out without even touching
breakfast.
It was just too embarrassing.
Only after driving all the way to the Carrington Group headquarters did the flush on her cheeks begin to fade.
Looking up at the towering skyscraper, her emotions were tangled.
“It’s time to put an end to this,” she muttered.
With that, she stepped out of the car and made her way into the Carrington Group headquarters.
The office environment was pleasant. Each floor had a tea room stocked with complimentary
coffee, beverages, and light snacks, and there were dedicated break rooms where employees could
relax.
Shea was walking past the pantry on her way to her office.
She hadn’t intended to stop, but as she neared the door, she caught her name in the idle chatter drifting from inside.
Shea instinctively stopped in her tracks.
“Have you heard about Ms. Carrington?”
“Of course! I heard she publicly announced an open marriage. That’s scandalous!”
“Apparently, she was switched at birth and isn’t actually a Carrington at all. The real daughter,
Ms. Aria, has returned, and that’s why she was so resentful. She deliberately caused a scene at the
wedding to embarrass the family!”
“What? That’s absolutely heartless! After all, the Carringtons raised her as their own all these
years!”
The three gossiping employees exchanged disdainful glances and shook their heads.
Shea’s expression hardened as she listened in silence.
Reese, standing behind her, flushed with anger and stepped forward, ready to intervene, but Shea stopped her.
She wanted to hear every single word these backstabbers had to say.
“Exactly! And now she’s talking about cutting ties with the Carringtons? What an ungrateful
wretch! Aria, on the other hand, is beautiful and kind-hearted, unlike her, who always wears that sour expression!”
“Exactly! A fake will always be a fake. How could she even compare to the real heiress? Mark my words, Aria will replace Shen sooner or later!”
Hearing this, Shen let out a cold laugh.
What a bunch of opportunistic snobs who thought they were better than everyone else.
Shea clapped slowly as she strode into the pantry, her heels clicking sharply against the floor.
The three gossiping employees froze the moment they saw her, spilling their coffee in shock.
“Ms. Carrington…”
Shea swept her cold gaze over them and sneered. “What’s wrong? Why did you stop talking?”
The trio instantly lowered their heads, too afraid to speak.
“It seems you’re not busy enough if you have time to stand around gossiping,” she said, her smile vanishing into a stern expression. “Aren’t you going to get back to work?”
Hearing this, the three of them bolted from the pantry in fright.
“What a bunch of snobs!” Reese said angrily as she watched their backs disappear down the hall.
“Ms. Carrington, you poured your heart and soul into building Carrington Group into what it is today! They’re not only ungrateful, but they even have the audacity to gossip about you behind your back! What has Aria ever done for this company anyway? She stole your achievements, and now those bootlickers are falling over themselves to praise her!”
“It doesn’t matter,” Shea said softly with a sigh.
Reese looked at Shea with concern. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine. Don’t worry about me.” Shea gave her a faint, weary smile. “And don’t say things like that again. It’ll only make you a target.”
“But…”
“No buts. Don’t worry. I’ll handle this.”
Meanwhile, inside the Carrington Group’s conference room.
The representatives from Solis Group sat across the table, dressed in sharply tailored suits. They
were all prominent figures in their fields. After all, not just anyone could make it into a corporation as powerful as Solis Group.
Both parties carefully reviewed the documents before them. In truth, most of the project details had already been thoroughly discussed in earlier meetings. This session was more of a formality before signing the contract.
However…
“If I remember correctly, wasn’t Ms. Carrington the one overseeing this project? It’s signing day today. Why isn’t she here?”
Chapter100
Victor Solano, one of the Solis Group representatives, glanced at Aria and Justin, seated opposite him, his tone laced with curiosity.
From previous collaborations, Shea had always struck them as a responsible professional, It was unlike her to be absent from such an important occasion.
Before Justin could respond, Aria, seated beside him, immediately interjected, “You’re talking about my sister, right? She’s stepping down from Carrington Group. I’ll be taking over her position, so she can’t make it!”
Upon hearing this, Victor’s brow furrowed slightly. He found Aria unprofessional and needlessly dramatic.
Still, with the contract signing just around the corner and future partnerships at stake, he decided to let it slide.
Aria, meanwhile, wore a triumphant smile.
So what if Shea had devoted herself to this project?
In the end, wouldn’t all the credit fall to her instead?
Once the contract was signed, she could rightfully take Shea’s place.
With that thought, Aria could hardly wait to snatch up the contract and sign her name.
But just as the pen was about to touch the paper, the conference room door burst open.
Every head turned toward the doorway where Shea stood with an easy smile, giving the group a polite nod.
“Apologies, everyone. I’m late.”
Seeing Shea, Aria froze in surprise. In her panic, the pen slipped from her fingers and clattered
onto the table.
“Shea… Shea, what are you doing here?” Aria swallowed hard, forcing a smile. “I’ve already closed this deal. Showing up now, right before the signing ceremony, don’t you think that’s a little inappropriate?”
Shea was about to respond, but Justin cut in before she could speak.
“What are you doing here?” Justin snapped, glaring at her. His expression darkened, eyes brimming with impatience and irritation. “Don’t you have any manners?”
He had never liked Shea to begin with.
What use was a girl, no matter how capable she was?
She couldn’t carry on the family name.
And ever since he learned she wasn’t his biological child, his resentment had only grown deeper.
Hearing this, Shea stayed perfectly composed. She strolled into the conference room at an
unhurried pace, pulled out a chair, and sat down with quiet confidence
“I’ve been overseeing this project from the very start. Now that it’s time to sign the contract, isn’t it only natural that I’m here?”
Leaning back, Shea crossed her legs with an air of ease and authority.
“Aria, what gives you the right to be here? This project has nothing to do with you.”
She fixed her gaze on the visibly uneasy Aria, a faint, mocking smile tugging at her lips.
Aria’s fists tightened, her complexion draining of color. “You…”
The tension in the room spiked instantly. The representatives from Solis Group sitting nearby all furrowed their brows.
It seemed a major internal conflict had broken out within Carrington Group, seemingly rooted in family ethics.
Victor had no interest in such issues and certainly didn’t want to get caught up in them.
He turned to Justin and asked directly, “Mr. Carrington, we have no intention of involving
ourselves in the internal affairs of Carrington Group. I simply need to know who is ultimately in charge of this project and who will be signing the contract.”
