Upon seeing the two in the room, I felt slightly awkward. I wondered if I had interrupted a private moment.Atticus immediately smiled and said, "Ms. Chloe, please come in. We've been expecting you!"I nodded graciously and stepped inside. The woman in the room looked at my face, then my bandaged arm, smiling faintly.Atticus turned to the woman and said, "Let me introduce you. This is Chloe Hartz from Tanum Corporation."He then turned to me and said, "Ms. Chloe, this is the boss of the Vanderberg Palace, Ms. Bella Vanderberg." I extended my hand to her. "Hello, Ms. Bella. It's a pleasure to meet you!"Her smile deepened as we shook hands. She was very amiable.As we settled into our seats, Atticus looked at my arm and asked, "Still not healed?""Well, it's almost time to take the cast off. Once that's done, I'll be good as new!" I chuckled awkwardly. "A new injury added to the old one. Oh, speaking of my injury, I must thank you for sending your bodyguards to assist me in a

I settled back into my seat and asked, "Mr. Atticus, did you have something to discuss?""Nothing too urgent. The design for the downtown project is complete, and construction will begin soon." He sipped his tea and said, "I had some free time, so I thought I’d invite you for a chat."I quickly said, "If you're looking for staff, the project with ATL Empire is about to wrap up. Your team will be back in no time! I have been meaning to thank you, but it seemed insufficient."Atticus chuckled. Since I met him, I always thought he had a captivating smile that was also mysterious."Do you think I invited you here just to reclaim the team?" He lounged on the couch and asked, "So, any interest in continuing our collaboration?"“Yes, I’d love that. But that depends on how fruitful you think our partnership has been.""The downtown project's architecture and interior design may be synchronized. I considered doing it myself, but my energy is limited. So I'm thinking of outsourcing it."A

Atticus smiled faintly. "Unless Celine is willing to go all out."My heart raced. He was right that if Celine went all in, ATL Empire wouldn't be the only one affected.Was Atticus trying to imply something to me? However, since it involved Liora, I couldn't openly ask.I had always consciously avoided discussing Liora with Atticus.Atticus asked, "Is your inclination towards high-end designs inspired by Pinnacle Group?"I nodded. "Yes."After all, it was Atticus who introduced me to Dominic."A word of caution. Don't rush things. Pinnacle Group has an exceptional planning team, considered among the global elite. But that means no one has replicated their success yet. Be careful!" Atticus warned."Are you trying to set me back?" I asked with a light laugh."Not at all. I'm merely offering a reminder. Some things require the perfect alignment of timing, location, and personnel," he advised."Got it. Thanks for the advice. I'll proceed cautiously," I replied, feeling a heighten

Harmony's agent immediately countered, "Ms. Harmony doesn't have that much time to move back and forth. Do you think we have nothing better to do?"I looked at Harmony's agent, Eloise. I had seen her before, and now she stood arrogantly looking down at me.Ivanna had complained about Eloise a long time ago. She had been trying to use Harmony's influence to push Ivanna down.She felt empowered to bully the weak because Harmony was highly successful and had a benefactor like Atlas.Ivanna was the one who assigned her to Harmony, but Harmony's assistant claimed that Eloise and Stella were secretly connected.Inspiration struck me. I could stage a situation by having Eloise deliver a message to Stella. We would openly disagree with Harmony, causing Stella to return.The idea was set, and I had no intention of backing down."We must go to the showroom to solve the problem and satisfy Ms. Harmony. It’s the quickest way to identify and solve problems." My tone was firm as I said, "I'm

The head of ATL Empire looked at me with some hesitation and said, "Well... I need to get approval for this.""That's fine, I can wait!" I declared, taking a seat in the conference room.I could see Ivanna suppressing a smile. However, Eloise was no longer composed. "Ms. Chloe, what do you mean by making us wait?""What else?" I challenged her with a provocative tone.In a low, questioning growl, Eloise demanded, "What do you mean?"The project head seemed a bit anxious. "Ms. Chloe, can we...finalize the plan first? Then seek approval from higher-ups?""No need!" A cold, clear voice suddenly declaredAtlas strode into the conference room, Harmony never leaving his side. He glanced at everyone present, his eyes sliding over my still-raised arm."Let's go with Ms. Chloe's suggestion and add the sponsorship!"My heart skipped a beat. I hadn't expected Atlas to agree to my request.Eloise immediately put on a fawning smile and said, "Mr. Atlas, um... Isn't this against the requ

“No problem, Ms. Chloe.” The designer nodded earnestly. Ryan had brought her to Tanum Corporation from overseas. Her name was Hana Avila, a classmate of one of Ryan’s juniors, Joyce.She won the newcomer award in the International Interior Decoration Competition. Considering the room for growth in the industry, her remarkable achievement was exceptional. Her return followed Joyce’s.After we finalized the business plan adjustments, Ryan expanded our team. Reviewing my budget, I realized our major projects had laid a solid foundation for us. Lauren’s support also boosted my confidence.I planned to visit Solaris after removing my arm's cast to stabilize Hartz Construction’s foundation. Once the timing was right, I would merge the two sides.Upon entering the showroom, the design and layout gave me a sense of accomplishment. The furnishings were the cherry on top. It was simply absurd for Harmony to be dissatisfied. I only realized Atlas came when I entered. I didn’t expect him to be

There was something in Atlas’s eyes I didn’t understand. Soon after, he said, “I don’t believe you’re that stupid, Chloe.”Again, he called me stupid. I retorted, “Since you think I’m stupid, you ignore my feelings and do whatever you want. You’re too self-centered. Do you even know how to respect others? Don’t you know others also have dignity and rights?”I became agitated. “Yes, I’m stupid enough for you and your people to treat me like an idiot. Still, I willingly get hurt to play these deceitful games with you. I was stupid enough to sacrifice myself for you.”Suddenly, I saw his eyes narrow and his hands clenched."I was stupid enough to watch you turn your back on me while I was on the floor. You're right. I finally realized how stupid I was." I lowered my gaze, feeling tears welling in my eyes. After a while, I sighed, "Forget it.”When my words fell, I felt like a deflated balloon. I finally vented my frustrations. Although I managed to maintain my dignity, I felt I had l

I glanced at them triumphantly and dropped my smile as I turned and left. I felt a deep sense of pain and blamed myself for being forceful.I laughed at myself and felt exhausted. I gritted my teeth as I entered the room. I took a deep breath, not wanting anyone to see me so miserable. As I composed myself, Hana approached and handed me her tablet.She glanced at it and shook her head helplessly. She seemed to be speechless about something. I swiped through a few times and then looked at her. "Can you sort out this information if I call for a meeting now?”"Yes," she replied confidently."How long do you need?" I asked. I didn't want to waste any more time on this issue. Engaging with them would only ruin my mood, and I had more important things to do."Not long. Anywhere with a computer will do," Hana said, her confident look making me feel comfortable. I thought even women could be charming and capable.I nodded approvingly. "Good. Ask Harmony if she has other requirements. Dou

Eloise questioned, "What do you mean?"I knew she was displeased. Everyone knew she had always desired Ivanna's position. I answered by exaggerating each word, "I meant that literally. You fit the role of a celebrity manager best."Ivanna defused the tension, "Ms. Chloe, you've got it wrong. Eloise is ambitious and capable."I snorted. "Anyone can dream.""Who are you talking about?" She didn't catch what I said due to the distance and asked for clarification."Idiot." I winked at her and smirked playfully. Then, I turned to Harmony and said, "Ms. Harmony, is there anything else you want to add, or should we continue?"She greedily surveyed the surroundings, wishing to claim this showroom as hers. She had been holding onto Atlas's arm the whole time. Still somewhat dissatisfied, she said, "That's enough for now. Even if I say more, you may not meet my standards.""Whether or not we can meet them is my problem. Your manager was unhappy just now, saying you're too busy. Since you'

Hana first presented the showroom’s initial layout and decoration. The images depicted a splendid room with a grand style. The attendees occasionally nodded in approval. It seemed they were satisfied with the initial showroom.Hana then displayed a series of images. With each one, she asked, "Ms. Harmony, is this what you'd like?"Hana was soft-spoken as she guided Harmony. The latter became engaged this time, perhaps because she wanted to show off her thoughts to the audience. She appeared elegant and continued expressing her ideas.Whenever this happened, Hana would provide her with feedback before asking, "Is this what you want?"Harmony clapped, nodded in agreement, and occasionally exclaimed, "Oh, yes! That’s what I want. The effect is perfect. Wow, it's great. I love it!”Everyone in the room watched. The attendees were eager to see the overall effect and learn about the celebrity’s design preferences. Harmony’s excitement engaged everyone’s enthusiasm. It seemed she had a m