"This is the latest model from V—my sister gave it to me. This bag alone costs thirty-eight thousand."

Sharon Sherman held up the palm-sized little bag, her face alight with glee.

Her group of friends all looked at her with envy. "Sharon, you’re so lucky to have such a generous sister."

"Thirty-eight thousand! Your sister gave it to you without batting an eye. She must be loaded."

Sharon Sherman reveled in their envy, her vanity thoroughly satisfied.

Her lips curled up. "My sister is the chief engineer for Zenith’s rocket project. The Grant Group begged her to stay and offered her the highest possible salary!"

"She has more money than she can spend!"

"No wonder she can buy such an expensive bag for a cousin like you!"

"Oh, right, I heard your sister recently became the person in charge of some project. I also think I heard it’s a project led by Lead Aerospace. Is that true?" one of her friends asked.

Sharon Sherman was smug. "Well, my sister is just that capable."

"But I helped her out with this matter, too."

"What did you do to help? Tell us, tell us!"

Sharon Sherman deliberately kept them in suspense, refusing to say.

She only said, "Anyway, I’m my sister’s favorite person right now. Forget a thirty-eight-thousand-yuan bag, she’ll buy me anything, no matter how expensive!"

Just as Sharon Sherman finished speaking, her vision suddenly went dark.

She looked up in annoyance, about to tell the person to move, when she saw a gentle and stunningly beautiful face.

"Sophia Shaw?"

Sharon Sherman froze for a moment and looked around.

She confirmed it was her own house.

"What are you doing in my house?"

Sophia Shaw watched her quietly. "Were you the one who showed my grandmother that video yesterday?"

Sharon Sherman had suffered at Sophia Shaw’s hands a few times before and was a bit afraid of her.

But then she remembered that the current Sophia Shaw was just a sore loser to her cousin, and her courage returned. She said loudly, "It’s her own fault for being so stubborn, insisting that Vincent doesn’t like my sister. I was just showing her the proof!"

"I’m telling you, Shaw, you better get the hell out of my house right now, or else... AHH!"

Sharon Sherman’s words turned into a scream as she clutched her eyes and fell to the ground.

She rolled around ceaselessly on the floor.

This scene scared her friends, who all backed away, looking at Sharon Sherman, completely baffled as to what had happened to her.

Hearing the scream, Selina Zelia and Brian Sherman both ran downstairs.

They were both shocked to see Sharon Sherman rolling on the ground.

Their gazes inevitably fell on Sophia Shaw, and they both gasped when they saw the bottle in her hand.

"Sophia Shaw, what did you do to my daughter!"

Sophia Shaw held up the bottle and swished it gently at them. "This time it’s just pepper water. If there’s a next time, it’ll be sulfuric acid!"

"You... you’re audacious!"

"To come into my house and hurt my daughter, I..."

"Are you going to call the police?" Sophia Shaw said coolly. "My grandmother is still lying in the hospital. We might as well have the police check the surveillance footage. Maybe they’ll find evidence of you shoving her."

"Who knows, maybe it was because you pushed her that she was too disoriented to even see the car!"

"We didn’t!"

Brian Sherman quickly denied it.

His face was pale with fright.

He had made inquiries; Old Mrs. Shaw still wasn’t out of danger.

If Sophia Shaw really decided to press the issue, they would be in a lot of trouble.

Brian Sherman didn’t dare say anything more, allowing Sophia Shaw to stride out the door.

Selina Zelia glared viciously at Sophia Shaw’s departing back.

She was always the one throwing tantrums and threatening others. Being threatened by Sophia Shaw in return made her feel extremely uncomfortable.

"Mom, my eyes hurt so much! They hurt!"

Hearing Sharon Sherman crying out from the floor, she finally rushed over and helped her up.

Not long after Sophia Shaw left the Sherman residence, she received a call from Mrs. Sawyer.

"Faye, the people you asked for last night are ready. Is there anything else your godmother can do for you?"

She had visited Sophia Shaw last night, and Sophia had asked for a few people.

"There’s no need, Godmother," Sophia Shaw said.

Mrs. Sawyer was still a little worried. "If you’re planning to do something, it would be more appropriate for me to handle it."

Mrs. Sawyer was afraid her future would be affected.

"Don’t worry, Godmother. I won’t do anything illegal."

"That’s good."

Mrs. Sawyer knew Sophia Shaw’s temperament. If she said she wouldn’t break the law, she meant it.

Still, she said, "Use the people however you see fit. If any problems arise, your godmother will take care of them for you."

"Okay."

’It’s precisely because Godmother is backing me that I won’t use them recklessly.’

’But I won’t let a single person who deserves it get away!’

...

At three in the afternoon, Sophia Shaw received a notice for a meeting about the joint project.

When she arrived, Joanna Sherman was just arriving as well.

Vincent Grant had been taken away by the Grant Family, so Joanna Sherman appeared alone, with only Jack Holloway in tow.

Sophia Shaw had also only brought Jacobs.

Levin Sawyer was also in the desert and couldn’t make it back.

Their eyes met. Joanna Sherman’s expression was cold and distant, as if she didn’t know her.

Sophia Shaw had no desire to interact with her either and strode inside.

The two of them entered the conference room at the same time.

Inside the conference room sat the heads of several telecommunications companies, as well as eight experts.

"Professor Lane, Professor Yellen, Professor Fletcher..." Joanna Sherman greeted them one by one.

Sophia Shaw just gave a slight nod and walked straight to her seat to sit down.

Professor Lane’s eyes widened, very displeased with Sophia Shaw’s cold attitude.

He spoke up, "Miss Shaw, you were absent from yesterday’s competition without reason. You really have no respect for us!"

Professor Yellen also said, "It’s because you people at Lead Aerospace kicked up a fuss that we had to waste our time on a competition for your so-called fairness. And what do you do? You stand up all of us experts and ignore us! If you didn’t have the skills, you should have said so beforehand. What is the meaning of this?!"

Professor Fletcher sighed faintly. "Young people these days... all ambition, no skill. They think the world of themselves, but when it’s time to actually compete, they don’t even dare to show their faces! Fortunately, Miss Sherman’s performance was outstanding. She didn’t let us down."

The company heads had already heard that Joanna Sherman had won the competition. They previously thought Sophia Shaw had some ability, but hearing the professors talk like this, they all assumed she was just a pretty face with no substance and sighed in disappointment.

They held a deep resentment towards Sophia Shaw.

And they became much more polite to Joanna Sherman.

Sophia Shaw knew that failing to arrive on time and losing the chance to compete was irrefutable.

But their words weren’t just about her tardiness; they were questioning her abilities.

She couldn’t help but ask, "Did you gentlemen review my application materials?"

"You didn’t even show up, why would we look at your materials!" Professor Yellen snapped.

Professor Lane also snorted. "You don’t even have a bachelor’s degree. Even if your materials were embroidered with flowers, they couldn’t compare to Miss Sherman’s!"

"Miss Sherman has a doctorate and studied under Master Hawthorne. Less than a year after graduating, she built a rocket and launched it successfully. Forget her peers—even old folks like us have to admit defeat."

"Even though the project is Lead Aerospace’s, Miss Sherman is the most deserving person to be in charge," another professor said.

Professor Lane nodded. "This time, it’s thanks to us experts that we were able to withstand the pressure and save Cathan, all the major companies, and even Lead Aerospace from a lot of unnecessary losses!"

"Indeed, indeed."

The group of crooked old experts felt a shared sense of glory for making such a great contribution.

Imagining their names being recorded in the future book of merits, their mouths twisted into wide, greedy smiles.