Bianca deeply frowned, and she looked so serious.
Worried she had upset her boss, Juliet quickly tried to apologize. “I’m sorry, Bianca… I didn’t mean to say that.”
Bianca looked at Juliet for a moment, her expression softening as a faint smile appeared. “It’s okay. Thanks for being honest with me. Don’t worry. The company won’t go bankrupt. I’ll handle everything. Just focus on your tasks.”
“I will, Bianca!” Juliet nodded.
Juliet felt relieved. Bianca had that kind of presence. With her in charge, she seemed able to handle any problem smoothly.
Once Bianca was back in her office, she called Diana.
Diana had just arrived at the office and quickly answered her phone. She was surprised by Bianca’s serious tone. “Diana, come to my office,” Bianca said.
Diana’s hand froze around the phone. She looked up and noticed the door to Bianca’s office was closed.
Was Bianca already inside her office?
She glanced at Juliet, quickly putting the pieces together. Juliet wasn’t the type to keep things from Bianca, so she must have shared what had happened recently.
With a nervous swallow, Diana gathered her courage and walked in.
When Diana entered Bianca’s office, she saw Bianca sitting at her desk, furrowing her brow as she examined the documents before her.
Diana couldn’t keep the secret any longer. She rushed forward and blurted out, “Bianc, I owe you an apology for hiding the company’s problems. But I did it to protect you so you could get some rest. You’re such a hard worker. Knowing that all these partners wanted to cancel their contracts would’ve only made things worse for you, even if you were sick in bed. I didn’t want to overwhelm you, so I…”
“I get it.”
Bianca’s calm response surprised Diana for a moment.
Bianca looked up. Her pale face and empty eyes said everything. There was no anger in her voice-she seemed at peace.
“Gather all the old contracts. If they want to cancel, we’ll fight back.” Bianca stood up, facing Diana.
But at that moment, Diana felt like Bianca was towering over her. She stared at her in shock.
“Bianc, you mean…”
“Our company may be new, but we’re not pushovers. According to the contract, if they want to cancel and it’s not our fault, they have to pay a termination fee-at least what they agreed to in the first place.”
“I’ve said that,” Diana replied. “But they’ve come up with all kinds of excuses. Some say our artists aren’t good enough, others claim there’s too much negativity, and some are even talking about your behavior. They’ve got a whole list of reasons.”
At Diana’s words, Bianca’s lips curled into a slight sneer. “Fine! Add defamation to the list.”
She then looked into Diana’s eyes and said, “Let them know. They’ll be getting a letter from our legal team.”
Diana hadn’t expected Bianca to be so firm. She had grown tired of these people herself, but for Bianca and the company’s sake, she had hoped to resolve things peacefully.
Seeing Bianca’s determination to face them, Diana felt a surge of strength. She straightened up, focused, and replied, “Right away!”
After Diana left, Bianca picked up her phone and searched for Reece’s number, the lawyer who had helped Sophia before. Sophia had given her his contact, but she hadn’t needed it until now. Only Reece could help her.
She dialed the number, and after a moment, someone answered. “Hello, who’s this?”
“Mr. Barton, it’s Bianca Scott.”
“Bianca?” Still half asleep, Reece sat up in bed when he heard the name. Realizing he might have sounded too eager, he quickly corrected himself. “Oh, Miss Scott. Why the early call?”
“Mr. Barton, you helped Sophia win her case before. I’ve been meaning to invite you to dinner. Are you free tonight?” Her polite and gentle tone made it hard to say no.
Having no plans for the evening, Reece thought for a moment before answering, “Sure, I have no plans tonight.”
“Great. Let’s meet at Whispering Mist at 7 pm.”
After ending the call, Bianca leaned back in her chair.
This was her way of distracting herself-filling her day with tasks to push thoughts of Dave out of her mind, if only for a little while…
Under Lucas’s instructions, Skylar arrived at the Phoenix Alliance Group for her first day.
Dave had asked his chief secretary, Emilee Lambert, to help her settle in and find a spot in the office.
Skylar had hoped that being around Dave would give her more chances to interact with him.
But he was in the conference room all morning, only contacting Zane when necessary. His office stayed quiet the entire time.
Despite spending the whole morning there, Skylar never saw Dave.
Still, she kept herself busy, asking Emilee several questions and looking for opportunities to get closer to her.
It wasn’t until noon that Dave returned to his office after the meeting. When Emilee heard about it, she brewed a coffee, which was Dave’s usual routine after meetings.
Seeing Emilee with the coffee, Skylar quickly got up from her seat and approached her, quietly asking, “Is that coffee for Dave… Mr. Evans?”
The secretary nodded with a smile. “Yes.”
“Let me take it. I have nothing to do here. Trust me with this.”
Emilee hesitated. “Miss Larson, as Mr. Evans’s fiancee, I can’t let you do that. He’s asked me to look after you.”
“That’s exactly why I should do it,” Skylar insisted, giving Emilee a knowing look.
Understanding her intention, Emilee finally agreed.
“Thank you.” She handed over the coffee without saying more.
Skylar walked toward Dave’s office with the cup in hand, knocked, and entered.
Dave was focused on his computer, typing quickly. Emilee usually brought him coffee at this time, so he wasn’t expecting anything different.
Skylar entered quietly and set the coffee beside him. She couldn’t help but watch him work; she found his focus attractive.
Dave’s typing stopped when he sensed something was off. He looked up and saw Skylar, whose eyes widened for a moment before she quickly looked away, her cheeks turning pink.
Dave furrowed his brows, confused. “What are you doing here?” he asked, turning back to his screen.
“I brought you coffee,” Skylar said with a smile, batting her eyelashes. She pointed to the cup and gently nudged it forward. “You’ve been working nonstop since morning. Coffee will help you recharge. If you’re tired, I can give you a shoulder massage too. I know a few tricks! My skills even impressed your grandpa…”