BILLIONAIRE'S SPOILED MRS

Chapter 8: The Broadroom

The 4:00 PM meeting arrived far too slowly. Maeve spent the last two hours staring at the glass wall, watching Elena linger in Cassian’s office. Every time the architect laughed, Maeve wanted to throw her stapler through the glass. She forced herself to focus, double-checking the budget error and polishing her presentation.

When Marcus finally announced that the board was ready, Maeve grabbed her things and headed to the grand conference room.

The room was filled with serious men in dark suits. At the head of the table sat Michael Williams. The moment Maeve saw him, her professional mask cracked for just a second. The stress of the morning, the heat of the bath, and the jealousy over Elena vanished.

"Daddy!" she exclaimed, her voice echoing in the silent room.

Every head at the table turned. Cassian, who was sitting to Michael’s right, raised a judgmental eyebrow. Maeve realized her mistake instantly. She cleared her throat, smoothed her hair, and stood up straight.

"I mean... Mr. Williams," she corrected herself, though her face was slightly pink.

She couldn't help it, though. She walked over and wrapped her arms around her father’s arm for a brief moment. "I missed you so much," she whispered, loud enough for Cassian to hear. "This work is absolutely exhausting. My brain feels like it’s been through a blender."

Michael laughed warmly, patting her hand. "Welcome to the real world, Princess."

"It’s a workplace, not a family reunion," Cassian’s cold voice cut through the air. He was looking at Maeve with total disapproval. "Can we begin, or does Miss Williams need a nap first?"

Maeve let go of her father’s arm. The warmth left her eyes, replaced by a sharp, icy focus. She stepped away from her father and took her seat at the table. She opened her laptop and clicked her pen. "I’m perfectly ready, Mr. Blackwood. In fact, I’m probably more prepared than anyone else in this room."

The meeting began with Elena presenting the architectural designs. She spoke with a lot of big words, acting like she was the star of the project. She kept glancing at Cassian, seeking his approval.

"The budget for the marble is set, and we are ready to move forward with the vendor," Elena concluded, smiling at Cassian.

"Actually," Maeve interrupted, her voice cutting through the room like a knife. "We aren't."

Elena’s smile dropped. "Excuse me?"

Maeve stood up and projected her screen onto the large monitors. "I reviewed the emails and the budget sheets sent to me at 1:00 PM. Mr. Blackwood, your team missed a major discrepancy. The vendor changed the price per square foot in the final contract, but the budget was still calculated using the old rates. If you sign that contract now, you’re losing $500,000 on day one."

The room went silent. Michael Williams looked at the screen, then at his daughter, his eyes shining with pride. The other board members began whispering and checking their own papers.

Cassian leaned forward, his eyes narrowing as he studied Maeve’s math. He looked at the numbers for a long time, then looked up at Elena, who was starting to look very nervous.

"She’s right," Cassian said quietly. The surprise in his voice was clear. He looked back at Maeve, and for a split second, the coldness in his eyes was replaced by something else—respect.

"I told you I had the eyes for this project," Maeve said, leaning back and crossing her arms. She gave Elena a look of pure triumph. "Maybe the lead architect should spend more time on her blueprints and less time... socializing."

Elena turned red, looking down at her notes. Maeve didn't stop there. She spent the next twenty minutes explaining her ideas for the interior, her tone perfectly professional and confident. She was no longer just the "spoiled daughter." She was a woman who had saved the company half a million dollars before her first day was even over.

When the meeting ended, Michael stood up and shook Cassian’s hand. "It looks like my daughter is going to be a bigger asset than you thought, Cassian."

"It appears so," Cassian replied, his eyes locked on Maeve.

As the board members filtered out, Maeve stayed behind to pack her laptop. Elena hurried out, looking embarrassed. Only Maeve, her father, and Cassian remained.

"Good job today, Maeve," Michael said, kissing her forehead. "I’ll see you at home?"

"Actually, Dad, I'm staying at my new apartment tonight," Maeve said proudly.

After her father left, the room was quiet. Maeve felt Cassian’s presence behind her. She turned around, expecting a compliment.

"You found the mistake," he said, his face returning to its usual cold mask. "Don't let it go to your head. It’s what you’re paid for. And in the future, try to keep the 'Daddy' comments for your private time. It’s unprofessional."

Maeve’s arrogant smile didn't fade. She stepped closer to him, her heels clicking on the floor. "I’ll stop calling him Daddy when you stop making mistakes that cost us half a million dollars, Mr. Blackwood. Goodnight."

She walked out of the boardroom, her heart racing. She had won. She had impressed her father, embarrassed her rival, and finally made Cassian Blackwood see that she was a force to be felt.