Chapter 12
Soon, only Shea and the representatives from Solis Group remained in the conference room.
Shea wasn’t the least bit surprised by Justin’s sudden change of heart. After all, that was just the
kind of man he was.
Still…
“May I ask why you’ve suddenly changed your stance?” Shea asked calmly, looking across at
Victor.
From their expressions earlier, the Solis Group team had clearly been dissatisfied with Carrington
Group and its representatives.
So why the sudden turnaround, and why insist that she lead the project?
“It’s because our boss holds you in very high regard,” Victor replied with a polite smile. “He has great confidence in your professional abilities, Ms. Carrington. Entrusting the project to you is the only way he feels assured.”
So that was the reason.
Shea nodded. “But your boss might not know that I’ll be leaving Carrington Group soon. It’d be best
to find someone reliable to take over this project.”
“Ms. Carrington, I think you’ve misunderstood,” Victor said with a polite shake of his head.
“We value you, not Carrington Group. Wherever you go, this project goes with you.”
Their trust gave Shea a flicker of warmth and comfort, making her realize the sincerity behind
their offer.
She smiled and extended her hand. “In that case, I look forward to working with you.”
“The pleasure is ours,” Victor replied, shaking her hand firmly.
Half an hour later, Shea returned to her office with the signed contract in hand. Seeing her team. immersed in work, she couldn’t help but smile before announcing the good news.
“Wow, are you serious?”
“I thought Aria’s team was going to take over the project!”
“You’re amazing, Shea!”
The members of Shea’s team burst into cheers. They had been feeling disheartened. It was demoralizing to see a project they’d poured their hearts into become someone else’s stepping
stone.
“All of you have worked incredibly hard on this project. Once it hits the stable phase, I’ll make sure you all get bonuses!” Shea said with a warm smile.
all those late nights suddenly felt worth it.
After giving her team a few words of encouragement, Shea took the contract and headed back to
her office.
She had originally planned to resign today, but… since she hadn’t decided where to go next anyway, she might as well finish this project first. That way, the employees who had followed her could still receive their project bonuses, ensuring their hard work wasn’t for nothing.
It would also irritate Aria and Justin.
“Damn it! That project should’ve been mine!”
Standing outside the project department, Aria glared at the scene inside, her chest burning with jealousy as she watched the employees shower Shea with praise.
It was all Shea’s fault for barging in today!
The thought sent Aria into a rage. She stormed into Shea’s office in her sky-high stilettos and
screamed, “Shea! You bitch! How can you be so shameless? You knew you were not even part of the Carrington family, yet you’ve taken my place!”
Watching Aria’s outburst, Shea felt a strange sense of satisfaction.
“Take your place?” Shea laughed. “I earned my position at Carrington Group through my own
ability. Unlike certain people who relied on connections, I didn’t need anyone’s help to get here.”
“You…”
Aria was speechless, her face contorting with rage.
So what if she had used connections?
She was the Carrington heiress. Carrington Group would be hers one day!
Just then, through the glass wall of the office, Aria caught sight of someone approaching. Her
eyes lit up, and she flashed Shea a triumphant smirk.
“Shea, you’ll never beat me!”
With that, Aria ruthlessly slapped herself across the face.
“Shea, why did you hit me?” she whimpered, clutching her reddened cheek as tears welled in her
eyes.
Shea froze, utterly bewildered. “What…”
“You rebel! What are you doing?”
Before Shea could react, Justin stormed into the room, fury written all over his face.
And in that instant, Shea understood. Aria was pulling one of her stunts again.
“You’re ungrateful! How could you treat your sister like this?” Justin glared at Shea, his anger
flaring up.
Sensing her chance, Aria immediately threw herself into Justin’s arms, sobbing pitifully. “Dad, I just came to congratulate Shea for securing the project, but she slapped me for no reason…
Justin’s fury only intensified. He stepped forward, his hand lifting as if to strike Shea.
“Don’t you dare!”
Shea met his gaze with an icy stare, her calm yet commanding presence making him falter for a
moment.
But his pride refused to back down. Straightening his shoulders, Justin barked, “A father disciplining his daughter is perfectly normal! What’s there to be afraid of?”
“Fine, then go ahead and hit me!” Shea slammed her hand against the table and stood, her voice sharp and unwavering. “But the moment you do, the partnership between Carrington Group and Solis Group ends immediately!”
“You…”
Justin slowly lowered the hand he had raised, meeting Shea’s intimidating glare.
The partnership with Solis Group was far too important. He couldn’t afford to take any risks.
“Fine! You’ve become brave enough to challenge me now?” Justin’s chest heaved with fury. “After
everything the Carrington family has done for you, this is how you repay us? You can’t even stand
your sister, and now you’ve stopped respecting your own father?”
“Exactly!” Aria chimed in, her finger pointing toward Shea. “How could you talk to Dad like that?”
Shea’s eyes were cold as she looked between them. “Respect goes both ways. Show me some, and
I’ll return it threefold. But if you don’t, then don’t expect me to be polite.”
The shouting grew so loud that several employees outside began peeking through the door,
unable to resist their curiosity.
Noticing the curious glances from outside, Aria clenched her teeth and snapped, “Shea, you’re insufferably arrogant! Because of your selfishness, you almost ruined our company’s partnership with Solis Group! You never show a shred of consideration for the company!”
She deliberately raised her voice, making sure everyone outside could hear.
Shea scoffed, rolling her eyes. “Aria, haven’t I been kind enough to you?”
“Isn’t that exactly what you’ve done?” Aria’s voice trembled with anger as she grew increasingly agitated.
“You ignore the company’s interests, constantly isolate me, and make me your target! Do you want to drive me out just so you can seize control of Carrington Group for yourself? Shea, how could you
be so heartless?”
As Aria glared at her, Shea’s expression darkened.
Her gaze locked on Aria’s, and she took slow, deliberate steps forward, her eyes glinting with an
icy sharpness.
Aria had been ranting with growing satisfaction, but she finally sensed that something was off. As Shea advanced toward her, Aria instinctively took a step back, a flicker of fear crossing her face.
“What… what are you doing?”
Shea moved too fast. Even though Aria sensed the danger and tried to dodge, Shea’s hand still
struck her with a vicious slap across the face.
Her cheeks, already flushed, instantly reddened even more.
