By the time Yvonne finished drinking her beer, she had pretty much said everything that had been on her mind. She looked at Stephen, her eyes rather glassy thanks to the alcohol.

She looked gorgeous.

Stephen's breath caught, and his gaze darkened a little.

Yvonne smiled and said seriously, "No matter what, thank you. You've turned the Group into my dream version of it."

For a long time, Stephen said nothing. He merely looked at Yvonne intently.

The room fell into silence.

Yvonne felt a little uneasy. She feigned a casual tone and said, "Alright. I've already said what I wanted to say. It's late. You should rest."

Then, she threw the bottle into the bin from a distance with a perfect arc.

Stephen looked away as Yvonne left the room and turned to face the window once more.

He raised his bottle as if raising a glass to Emerald Group, and then he downed the rest of his beer.

…

Two days later, Emerald Group had a board meeting at Yvonne's request.

Garrett knew Yvonne's true ide