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Robert froze abruptly and cautiously looked at me.
“Ms. Sterling, you must be kidding, right? How about this? Name your price! Anything!”
A cold smile touched my lips. “Name my price?” I echoed, my tone laced with dangerous amusement.”Are you proposing to… buy your way out of this with money?”
My gaze sharpened. “Frankly, I’ve encountered formidable individuals throughout my career. But rarely have I met an heir so utterly reckless and dismissive of any authority as your son.”
“Tell me. Had this happened to an ordinary citizen today… would you have even stirred? Or would a simple phone call have resolved it?”
Robert trembled all over, not daring to meet my gaze.
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“Ms. Sterling, today was a profound disgrace by my family. I accept full responsibility and make amends.”
“Just name your terms, and I won’t haggle-my word is my bond!”
Witnessing his father’s unprecedented abasement struck Samuel’s pride like a physical blow. Desperate to reclaim some shred of dignity in front of the spectators, he lunged forward again.
“Dad, this is Baycrest. We don’t have to bow to anyone!”
I raised my head to meet his gaze, a hint of mockery in my tone.
“So…you genuinely believe, even now, that the Rockwells hold unchallenged dominion over Baycrest?”
Having witnessed realms of power far beyond Samuel’s comprehension, his boast was frankly pathetic. Their wealth, their influence? Irrelevant compared to the currents I navigated.
“Listen here, I’m not my old man! You can’t intimidate me with connections! Just show me this power you claim
to have! Prove it!”
I glanced pointedly at my watch. A cold, humorless chuckle escaped me.
“Mr. Rockwell, confidence is commendable, but blind arrogance is your fatal flaw.”
“The Rockwell Dynasty you trumpet so proudly means nothing in my eyes.”
Robert’s face contorted in fresh horror. He opened his mouth to plead, but I silenced him with a sharp, dismissive
gesture.
“You must’ve heard what your son just said, right?”
“If I let such insolence pass unanswered, people might think I’m… manageable.”
As if choreographed by fate itself, Samuel’s phone shrilled sharply, shattering the tension.
He glanced at it, then at me, suspicion warring with disbelief. After a beat of hesitation, he answered, thumb jabbing the speakerphone button.
“What? Say that again!”
Samuel widened his eyes, staring at me with utter disbelief.
“…The company accounts…? Frozen? Indefinitely?!”
“An investigation team from the capital?”
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The voice confirmed the catastrophe. Samuel was completely stunned.
“You… did all this?”
Samuel’s expression told me that he still refused to believe in my capabilities.
But this time, the furious roar came from his father.
“Idiot! You brainless fool! Is the hole you’ve dug not deep enough?! Must you bury the entire Rockwell name?!”
Robert slammed a fist onto his own thigh, a picture of utter despair.
“Why do you think I arranged this match?! Why?!” he cried, the words ripped from him.”I could overlook your usual stupidity! But you offended her! Jane Sterling!”
Robert grew increasingly agitated.
There wasn’t a single exaggeration in what he just said.
What was more, Samuel’s secretary stole my seat.
Finally, under the onslaught of his father’s desperate fury, a flicker of understanding ignited in Samuel’s eyes.
“Dad…… You mean… her background… her connections… are beyond… beyond the Rockwell family’s reach? We… can’t afford to offend her?”
Across the vast terminal hall, the atmosphere shifted palpably. The collective gaze fixed upon me wasn’t just respectful now; it was laced with primal fear.
Zoey, still pinned by security, shrank further, trembling violently, her eyes firmly glued to the floor, utterly unable
to meet mine.
“Mr. Rockwell, you should be grateful your secretary didn’t cross any further boundaries with me.”
“Otherwise, bankruptcy would be the least of your company’s worries right now.”
