"Your uncle isn’t afraid of the company going bankrupt. It’s just that after fighting for so many years, not only has he failed to clear his sister’s name, but he’s also dragged down so many employees who believed in him... He’s consumed by guilt.

"He hasn’t eaten or had anything to drink for days. You can see how haggard he’s become. I’m really afraid he won’t be able to hold on."

June Evans’s voice broke several times over the phone.

Sophia Shaw’s heart ached as if a knife were slicing through it.

All Uncle wanted was for those scumbags to get on their knees and apologize to her mother. It’s the simplest of requests. Why do they have to be so cruel?

Instead of apologizing, they continue to trample all over the Shaw family!

Sophia Shaw knew perfectly well that Vincent Grant was behind all of this. It was because he had her back that Yvonne Sherman could act with such impunity.

Revenge can wait. The company has to survive! To break this curse, she had to go to Vincent Grant.

Sophia Shaw hung up the phone and strode outside.

"Faye, where are you going? Have lunch before you leave," Ms. Archer said as she walked over, holding Bun.

Worried Ms. Archer would be overwhelmed, Sophia Shaw had hired a dedicated cook. She took Bun and kissed him. "I can’t."

"You can’t just keep skipping meals like this." Ms. Archer’s heart ached seeing how sharp Sophia’s chin had become.

Between her job and her uncle’s company, Sophia Shaw had been under immense pressure lately.

But every time she saw Bun stick out his little tongue and smile at her, more than half her stress would melt away.

The luckiest thing that ever happened to her was having Bun.

Sophia Shaw smiled, reluctantly handed Bun back to Ms. Archer, and strode out the door.

...

"Miss Shaw?" Jack Holloway was taken aback for a moment when he saw Sophia Shaw.

Sophia Shaw had resigned from the company a while ago. This was her first time back since she left.

Sophia Shaw didn’t waste any words. "I’m here to see Vincent Grant."

Sophia Shaw used to be so meek and subservient around him, always acting so proper. Now that she’s quit, she’s suddenly putting on airs.

Jack Holloway frowned. He really didn’t like Sophia Shaw. Still, he figured she’d just pull rank as Mrs. Grant, so he called upstairs anyway. "President Grant, Mrs. Grant is here to see you."

Sophia Shaw was close enough to clearly hear the person on the other end of the line pause for a moment before saying, "I have a very important private appointment right now. I’ll have five minutes in two hours."

To Sophia, Vincent Grant’s hesitation felt like he was questioning her status. Then again, they were about to get a divorce. It really wasn’t appropriate for her to be called Mrs. Grant anymore.

"From now on, when you’re speaking to President Grant, just call me Miss Shaw," Sophia Shaw said.

Jack Holloway gave her a puzzled look but remained noncommittal. He didn’t think Sophia Shaw was finally accepting her new status. He just figured she was playing games.

"Jack." Joanna Sherman hurried in from outside. She wore a suit-style sleeveless vest over a long, white cotton dress, its hem fluttering as she walked.

Her wavy hair swayed with her movements, catching the light from behind her in a way that was both striking and beautiful.

Jack Holloway immediately dropped the nonchalant attitude he’d had with Sophia Shaw. He straightened his posture. "Miss Sherman."

"Where’s Vincent Grant?" Joanna Sherman asked, her gaze barely grazing Sophia Shaw before landing on Jack Holloway.

Jack Holloway immediately called upstairs. "Miss Sherman is here to see President Grant."

"President Grant is in a very important appointment. It’s not a good time..."

"Let her come up," Vincent Grant’s voice came through.

"But, sir... Yes, sir."

Hearing the response, Joanna Sherman gave Jack Holloway a little wave and headed off.

Jack Holloway hadn’t hung up the phone yet when he overheard a conversation on the other end.

"Didn’t President Grant say this client was very important and that no one should disturb him?"

"How could any client be more important than Miss Sherman?"

"That’s true. President Grant would rather lose a hundred important clients than let Miss Sherman feel the slightest bit inconvenienced."

"..."

Jack Holloway quickly hung up, clearing his throat in embarrassment. It’s not like he was trying to provoke Sophia Shaw on purpose. There was no need.

Sophia Shaw let out a self-mocking laugh. But she couldn’t stop her heart from clenching.

Vincent Grant would dote on Joanna Sherman unconditionally, but he would only spare five minutes for his own wife. The irony was staggering. 𝗳𝐫𝚎𝗲𝚠𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝘃𝚎𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝗺

No wonder Joanna Sherman didn’t even see her as a rival. She wasn’t even worthy of being one.

For Sophia Shaw, two hours felt like an eternity. Fortunately, she could use her phone to take care of some work.

Without another word to Jack Holloway, Sophia Shaw went to the waiting area, ordered a coffee, and got to work.

Jack Holloway watched her constantly scrolling on her phone, assuming she was just browsing short-form videos. He shook his head, speechless.

It wasn’t that he looked down on Sophia Shaw; she was just a hopeless case. Before, she relied on Timothy Morgan for everything. He’d do all the reports for her and let her take the credit as a figurehead.

Then she started exploiting Jenna Judd, making her do her work to the point where Jenna often couldn’t finish her own tasks.

And Sophia Shaw still dared to throw a fit about not getting the ’Most Valuable Employee’ award!

Jack Holloway was Sophia Shaw’s indirect superior. And since Vincent Grant had specifically instructed him not to give her any special treatment, he often paid close attention to her performance.

Sophia Shaw worked at an incredible speed—a pace that only someone with Timothy Morgan’s professional capabilities should have been able to match.

Jack Holloway refused to believe that a novice could be that brilliant. Plus, after Jenna Judd came on board, she constantly complained that she didn’t have enough time for her own work and was always being taken advantage of.

She had insinuated, both subtly and overtly, that Sophia Shaw slacked off during work hours, often just watching videos. This only strengthened his conviction that Sophia was using her status and seniority to exploit everyone in the marketing department.

If someone like her hadn’t schemed her way into a relationship with President Grant, she wouldn’t have even been able to get a foot in the door here.

When the two hours were up, Sophia Shaw put away her phone and went upstairs.

Vincent Grant and Joanna Sherman were seeing the guest out together. When Sophia Shaw saw who it was, she froze for a second.

The guest froze as well.

"This way, please." Joanna Sherman extended a hand, subtly blocking the guest’s view of Sophia Shaw.

The guest stepped into the elevator.

The three of them went downstairs.

"That woman just now..."

Inside the elevator, the guest looked toward Vincent Grant. "Is she an employee here?"

Vincent Grant pressed his lips together for a moment before nodding. "Yes, she is."

"She looks a lot like..." The man searched his memory, but ultimately shook his head. That young prodigy disappeared many years ago. They can’t show up in a place like this.

Sophia Shaw hadn’t expected Vincent Grant’s important guest to be from NASA. She had met him a few times back when she was at NASA.

The man had an eccentric personality and would refuse to meet with anyone who wasn’t exceptionally talented.

From his interaction with Joanna Sherman just now, it was clear that she had won him over with her charm.

"You needed something?"

When Vincent Grant returned, he was alone. An air of nobility flowed from the man’s cool, refined features as he glanced down at his watch.

Remembering he’d only given her five minutes, Sophia Shaw quickly said, "Vincent Grant, can you do me a favor? Let my uncle participate in your company’s bidding."

As long as her uncle could show up at the Grant Group’s bidding presentation, it would prove Vincent Grant wasn’t targeting Swiftstream. All the wild speculation would vanish on its own.

Her uncle’s business would be able to survive.

"I’m willing..."

"Sophia Shaw, my company’s bidding process isn’t a tool for personal favors." Vincent Grant cut her off before she could finish. "Yancy Shaw’s company does not meet the bidding criteria!"

"Swiftstream’s scale might be a little small, but their proposal..."

"Scale is a mandatory requirement!" His voice was hard, laced with impatience.

"The only reason Swiftstream doesn’t meet the size requirement is that the Sherman Family is using you to deliberately crush it!" Sophia Shaw’s chest heaved as she stared at Vincent Grant.

All this time, she had never once voiced her discontent with his actions. She didn’t want to seem too subservient. But now, she couldn’t hold back any longer.