#Chapter 11
“Of course it’s Aria!” Justin said firmly. “Shea’s been fired. She’s no longer with Carrington Group, so naturally this project has nothing to do with her.”
“Exactly!” Aria chimed in eagerly, emboldened by Justin’s support.
Then, with a triumphant glint in her eyes and a hint of provocation, she turned to Shea. “I know
you’re upset, but the decision’s been made. You should stop making a scene.”
“No matter how much you resent it, Shea, in the end, everything here belongs to me,” Aria thought
smugly.
“Shea, enough of this nonsense! Get out!” Justin snapped.
A woman trying to cause trouble? How absurd.
“Pfft!”
Instead of getting angry about being thrown out, Shea burst into laughter as she was ushered from
the room, leaving the conference hall in stunned silence.
“Mr. Carrington, do you think I’m making a scene? I’d say you two are the real clowns here.” Shea’s tone dripped with scorn as her gaze locked on Aria, her intensity cutting through the air. “Aria,
since you’re taking over this project, you must be very familiar with it, right? Then why don’t you
tell us what the project’s core focus is?”
The sudden question froze Aria in place. She hadn’t even read the proposal, so how could she possibly know the answer?
But with every pair of eyes on her, she had no choice but to stammer, “It’s… it’s…”
Her words trailed off. She couldn’t form a single coherent sentence.
Seeing this, Shea pressed on, “If you can’t define the core focus, you should at least know the target demographic for this project, right?”
“Um…” Aria faltered again, though this question seemed easier than the last. “Of course I know! It’s… It’s aimed at young people!”
That couldn’t possibly be wrong, right?
But Victor seated nearby darkened at her words.
Even Justin, seated beside her, frowned.
It was obvious now that Aria wasn’t just unfamiliar with the project. She was completely out of her depth.
She hadn’t put in any effort at all.
1
Chapter
The primary target for this project was affluent retirees, with the core objective of establishing a high-end retirement community.
How could Solis Group possibly feel confident partnering with a project manager who didn’t even understand such basic information?
“It seems Ms. Aria isn’t familiar with this project,” Victor finally said, unable to hold back any longer. “It gives the impression that Carrington Group isn’t taking this collaboration seriously. We’ll have to postpone signing the contract for now.”
He could tell that Shea was doing this on purpose, but he refused to be used as her pawn. So, he
simply announced that the partnership was terminated.
At his words, Justin’s and Aria’s faces turned pale. When Victor stood up to leave, the two scrambled to stop him.
“No, please! Carrington Group is completely sincere!” Justin rushed forward anxiously. “Aria! Didn’t I tell you to go through this project proposal thoroughly? What have you been doing?”
He turned and shouted angrily at Aria.
Feeling wronged but knowing she had to calm the client, Aria quickly bowed and apologized. “I’m so sorry! It’s my fault. I was up late working last night, and I must’ve been too tired to think
straight.”
“About this contract…” Justin began.
But Victor simply waved him off and strode out of the conference room without another word.
Standing nearby, Shea watched the scene unfold with a bright, satisfied smile. Even if she didn’t land the project herself, she wasn’t about to let Aria have it either.
“Shea! You did that on purpose!”
Seeing Shea’s radiant grin, Aria glared at her in fury.
Shea, however, seemed entirely unfazed, her expression saying plainly, “So what?”
After all, even if the deal fell through, she’d make sure Aria didn’t get it.
Just as Victor stepped out of the conference room, his phone rang.
He glanced at the caller ID and quickly answered. After listening for a few seconds, his expression shifted slightly in surprise.
“Understood. I’ll take care of it.”
He took a moment to compose himself, fixing his expression into a practiced, professional smile before stepping back into the room.
he could cou a word Victor walked
“Ms. Shea, I believe our collaboration can move forward.”
Shea blinked in surprise at the sight of Victor standing before her. She had assumed the deal was long dead.
“Rest assured, we’ll only be partnering with you on this project and no one else.” As he spoke, he cast a deliberate glance at Aria and Justin.
Aria, standing nearby, grew agitated upon hearing this. Jealousy flashed across her face as she snapped, “Shea, you really know how to play your cards, don’t you?”
Shea looked at Aria without expression.
“Am I wrong?” Aria scoffed. “Who knows what kind of dirty tricks you pulled behind the scenes to land this deal?”
Victor frowned slightly at her outburst.
Watching Aria lash out like a rabid dog only made Shea’s smile widen.
She couldn’t be bothered to waste her breath on Aria’s nonsense. Instead, she turned to Justin. Mr. Carrington, you heard him. If you want this project, I’ll have to be the one leading it. Of course, if Carrington Group isn’t interested, I can always step aside.”
With that, Shea folded her arms and shot Aria a taunting smile. “After all, it seems my dear sister is awfully eager to see this collaboration fall apart.”
“You!”
“Enough!” Justin snapped, cutting Aria off with a sharp glare. “Be quiet.”
For Justin, profit always came before his daughter.
The partnership with Solis Group was critical. Landing this project would propel the entire Carrington Group to new heights and solidify their influence in Ulta.
10
So even though Justin couldn’t stand Shea, she was the only one capable of securing this deal. He had no choice but to tolerate her.
“Shea, handle this project well. I still believe in your abilities,” Justin said, his tone softening as if he hadn’t just berated her moments ago for being disrespectful.
“Dad…” Aria looked at Justin anxiously. “But this is my project…”
“Enough!” Justin snapped, his glare sharp as he seized Aria’s wrist and dragged her out of the
room.
