Chapter 59
1003 Words
"What's wrong? Do I have something on my face?" Jonathan touched his face.
Olivia shook her head and smiled. "Thank you."
Jonathan smiled back. "You're my wife. I'll never let anyone bully you."
Olivia blushed and lowered her head. Her heart beat faster. Ruby, who had been watching, covered her mouth and giggled. "Mommy's shy!"
Olivia playfully chased after Ruby, pretending to be angry. "Ruby, what are you saying? I'll spank you!"
"Daddy, save me!" Ruby squealed and ran into Jonathan's arms.
Olivia glared at him. "You just spoil her!"
***
Chad and Sally stormed out of the cabin and furiously smashed the gifts they had brought on the ground. "Mom, Jonathan is so arrogant! How could he talk to us like that?" Chad fumed.
Sally snorted, "We wouldn't be here if it weren't for the partnership with the Apex Group. For the next few days, you keep an eye on her until the project proposal is done. The proposal must be good, so we can finally rise to the top. That's all I care about!"
Chad nodded and gritted his teeth. "They'd better not mess up this time. If they do, let Grandpa be a bit satisfied. Maybe we can secure some projects later."
Four days went by quickly. In the Harrison Group's meeting room, the decision meeting for two project proposals was underway.
Both proposals were anonymous. The thirty-plus managers, general managers, and board members voting had no idea who had submitted the proposals.
Jonathan, not being part of the Harrison family or the company, couldn't attend the meeting and had to wait outside.
Sophia and Olivia sat at the conference table, awaiting the votes. Sophia sat confidently with her arms crossed. Olivia looked anxious. Her eyes were full of worry.
"Olivia, just give up. My proposal is definitely winning. What could you come up with in just four days? You should leave now to avoid embarrassment," Sophia sneered and shot Olivia a disdainful look.
"Yeah, get lost! What can a nobody like you write?" Maeve, standing beside Sophia, added mockingly.
The other Harrison family members were equally confident. They had already decided on their votes. Among the two proposals, one was excellent and even perfect while the other was immature and rushed. It wasn't hard to guess which one was Olivia's.
"It's obvious. One is outstanding, and the other is trash."
"Exactly. I can't believe she's still holding on."
Olivia remained silent under the executives' sneers. She and Sophia couldn't directly see the proposal numbers. So, like most, she doubted her own proposal.
The only one who believed in her was Jonathan. He had encouraged her to dress up nicely today. In a white dress and black heels, she sat gracefully like a fairy. But without Jonathan by her side, the pressure of the meeting made her incredibly nervous and scared.
Jagger, Sally, and Chad sat nearby. Their faces were gloomy. They had seen the two proposals earlier, and they knew the gap in quality was significant. They had given up hope.
Sally and Chad resented Olivia deeply. 'She's useless!'
"Alright. You've all seen the proposals. Both are decent. Let's vote."
Samuel sat at the head of the table. He tried to be fair to both his granddaughters.
As the voting proceeded, Olivia's heart raced, while Sophia grew more and more confident.
Finally, the results were in.
The first proposal received 80% of the votes. It was a landslide victory.
"Now I'll announce the winner," Samuel said and glanced at the list from his assistant with a faint smile. He believed that Sophia was the winner. After all, Sophia had been with the company for years. She was experienced and capable.
Sophia stood up with a smug smile on her face. She was sure she would hear her name.
"See? I'm going to win," she sneered at the tense Olivia.
"The winner is... Olivia?" As Samuel read the name, he was stunned. He looked at the list again and confirmed it with his assistant, who nodded helplessly.
Everyone was shocked and gasped in surprise.
"What? Olivia? How could it be her?"
"No way. What's going on? Did Olivia's proposal win?"
"Is this some kind of conspiracy? How could Olivia beat Sophia in a proposal?"
The room buzzed with confusion and disbelief.
Sophia was equally shocked. She rushed to the computer and shouted, "No way! There must be some mistake! I need to see the signatures!" She opened the proposals and saw that the one with 80% of the votes was signed by Olivia. She was dumbfounded.
The rest of the Harrison family also saw Olivia's signature on the winning proposal on the projection. They were all taken aback.
"Grandpa, there must be some mistake. Olivia knows nothing. How could she write such a proposal? I suggest a re-vote," Sophia pleaded next to Samuel.
Samuel's face darkened. He had overseen the voting personally. If there was an issue, it had to be with Sophia herself. Disappointment flickered in his eyes as he stood up angrily and struck his cane against the floor hard. "You've been in the company for so many years, and you can't even beat Olivia, who just returned. You've let me down."
Samuel, who was too upset to say anything more, turned and left the room.
Sophia tried to follow but was blocked by Samuel's assistant. The other Harrison family members shook their heads in disappointment and left the room one by one.
"Unbelievable! Sophia's proposal was a mess."
"Exactly. I thought the poor one was Olivia's."
Listening to the murmurs, Sophia clenched her fists. Tears rolled down her cheeks. She glared at Olivia, who was still in shock, with venomous eyes. 'Even Olivia didn't expect to win. Something's fishy. It must be fake. Maybe the proposal wasn't even hers.'
Torn by thoughts, Sophia rushed toward Olivia in a fury. Olivia was surrounded by Sally and Chad receiving praises. Sophia yelled, "Olivia!"
Slap! She shoved Sally and Chad aside and delivered a hard, stinging slap across Olivia's face.
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