CHAPTER 9

At that moment The room fell into an uneasy silence, the executives exchanging uncertain glances, their hesitation palpable. Cecilia's sharp eyes swept across their faces, her patience thinning with every passing second.

"Since you have nothing to say," she said coldly, breaking the tension, "let me make it simple for you." She straightened in her chair, her voice firm and commanding. "Announce that Jonah Trade Center will be releasing a mega-billion-dollar investment plan. Rumor the amount to be fifty billion dollars. Let the world buzz about it. Meanwhile, the actual figure will be seventy billion dollars."

Immediately the jaws of every executive in the room dropped simultaneously. The sheer audacity of the announcement left them stunned.

Jonah Trade Center, valued at ninety billion dollars, would be allocating almost its entire worth into this plan. It was nothing short of jaw-dropping.

At that moment Cecilia rose gracefully from her seat, her movements slow and deliberate. She let the weight of her words settle into the room before she spoke again.

"And one more thing," she said, her voice sharp as a blade.

"I want every single document about the companies currently under our previous investment plans on my desk within the next thirty minutes."

Her eyes narrowed, her tone turning icy.

"If you can't handle something as simple as that, I'll sack the entire executive team. You were useless when I walked in here, and I won't tolerate you being useless again."

The entire building erupted into chaos as soon as Cecilia left the meeting.

Executives scrambled to gather the required documents, their panic evident in the hurried footsteps and whispered arguments echoing through the halls. No one wanted to face Cecilia's wrath or risk their position.

At the exact thirty-minute mark, Cecilia walked into her office. Her sharp eyes scanned the pristine space, immediately catching sight of a young lady nervously standing near her desk. The woman's hands trembled as she carried a large stack of documents, carefully placing them on the polished surface.

Then Cecilia raised an eyebrow, noting the absence of any executives.

"So," she said coolly, her voice cutting through the silence, "the mighty executives were too afraid to bring these themselves?"

Hearing eggs Cecilia just said.

The young woman swallowed hard, her face pale.

"Yes, ma'am," she stammered.

Cecilia stepped closer, her piercing gaze locked onto the woman. After a moment of silence, she spoke again, her tone deliberate.

"How would you like to be an executive?"

The woman's eyes widened, shock flickering across her face. Before she could form a response, Cecilia waved her hand dismissively.

"It's done," she said firmly. "From this moment forward, you're an executive. You'll personally attend to me whenever I visit this company."

The weight of Cecilia's words settled on the woman like a boulder. She stood frozen, unsure whether to feel elated or terrified. Her voice faltered as she tried to respond, but no words came.

The reality of her new position dawned on her, and she realized there was no escaping it.

She had delivered the documents to avoid Cecilia's wrath, but now she was bound to the very source of it.

Immediately her lips parted in a weak smile, though her eyes betrayed her inner turmoil. This wasn't a promotion—it was a sentence, she knows.

A life under Cecilia's sharp scrutiny promised no peace.

Cecilia's gaze lingered on her for a moment longer before turning to the stack of papers.

The young woman stood there, torn between gratitude and dread, as the realization settled in—she had just signed up for a lifetime of walking on eggshells.

At that moment She finally managed a timid.

"Thank you, ma'am," and turned to leave, her steps quick and shaky.

"Wait," Cecilia's cold voice cut through the air, stopping her in her tracks. The woman turned back, her face pale with anxiety.

"I need you to photocopy all these documents and have them delivered to me within the next hour," Cecilia ordered, her tone leaving no room for negotiation.

The woman nodded quickly, clutching the stack of papers tightly.

"Yes, ma'am," she stammered, hurrying out of the office as though her life depended on it.

Exactly an hour later, she returned, the neatly photocopied documents stacked in her arms. She placed them on Cecilia's desk, her breathing still uneven from rushing to meet the deadline.

Then Cecilia looked up from her phone and gestured toward the papers.

"Pack them up," she said curtly. "I'll read them at home."

Immediately the woman obeyed, carefully organizing the documents before carrying them out to Cecilia's car parked outside the building. She struggled with the weight of the files but managed to load everything into the trunk.

When she was done, Cecilia handed her a folded piece of paper.

"Take this to the cashier," Cecilia said nonchalantly, getting into the driver's seat without another glance.

The woman watched as Cecilia drove off, curiosity gnawing at her. She unfolded the paper, and her eyes widened in disbelief. It was a note authorizing her to withdraw one million dollars. Her hands shook as she reread it, her emotions a mix of shock and gratitude.

Cecilia, unaware—or perhaps unconcerned—about the woman's reaction, drove back to the mansion. She arrived just as Charles pulled into the driveway, his car rolling to a stop beside hers.

The two of them exited their vehicles, both carrying stacks of papers.

However Charles smiled at Cecilia, but she didn't even give her a look.

she walked straight into the mansion.

Once inside, they headed straight to Raymond's office and deposited the documents on his desk.