Chapter 5

Isabella suddenly looked up and met Lily's mocking gaze.

Lily casually flipped through a few pages of the proposal, her red lips curling into a sneer.

"Although you're not much of a person, your work skills are pretty good. Since you've already finished this proposal, let me borrow it!"

Lily threw her own proposal into Isabella's arms and was about to walk back to her seat in her high heels.

Isabella quickly stood up, pressing down hard on her shoulder, her expression turning cold.

"No matter how big an order Mr. Brown gave you, you can't steal my proposal. This is plagiarism. According to the law, if plagiarism is proven, you can be detained!"

Ever since she joined the Brown Group, Lily had constantly tried to steal her work. She had always put up with it before, but today's proposal was extremely important to her.

She had to use this proposal to earn more bonus money, because only then could she afford more medical expenses in the future.

So she couldn't tolerate Lily's workplace bullying anymore.

She thought Lily might back off a little, but when Lily turned around, there was only mockery in her eyes as she looked at Isabella.

She slowly walked closer to Isabella, and when they were less than a fist's distance apart, she said with a light laugh.

"Between you and me, you've never had a choice. Don't think I saw you getting into Mr. Brown's car last night. Once other people find out about this, do you think you can still stay at the Brown Group?"

Isabella's heart skipped a beat.

No wonder Lily was bullying her even more boldly than usual today—she had seen everything last night!

"Isabella, I suggest you behave yourself and do as I say. If you make me unhappy, I don't mind dragging you down to hell with me!"

Lily snorted, pulled Isabella's hand away, and went to sit at her own seat.

Anger flashed in Isabella's eyes as she stared at Lily's figure, her palms clenching and unclenching.

She couldn't make a scene with Lily right now. Compared to immediate benefits and her long-term job security, she could still tell which was more important.

If she lost her job because of Lily's rumors, it wouldn't be worth it.

Isabella forced down her anger, gripped Lily's proposal, and sat back down.

Five minutes later, the employees attending the meeting arrived one after another, and William showed up in the conference room right on time.

Today, he wore a black suit with a red polka dot tie. As he sat down, his cold gaze swept across the room, and the intense pressure made everyone instinctively lower their heads, afraid to meet his eyes.

Isabella had just finished reading Lily's proposal. When she looked up, she happened to meet William's eyes.

A trace of curiosity appeared in William's deep, pool-like pupils, and just one glance made Isabella's heart skip a beat.

She was about to casually look away when William stopped looking at her, giving her a chance to catch her breath.

The meeting started on time. At this meeting, William's main focus was on the Starlight Mall project.

Starlight Mall was a large shopping center about to be built in the city center. The Brown Group had invested over fifty million in it, but in recent years, competition in the shopping center sector had only increased.

What William wanted was for employees to come up with innovative proposals.

Whoever could do so would receive a fifty-thousand-dollar bonus.

That's why Isabella wanted to take a shot at it.

But now, her proposal had been stolen by Lily.

Lily stood up in front of everyone and proudly read out the proposal that Isabella had worked so hard to create.

After listening, William's constantly furrowed brow relaxed slightly. Although his face remained stern, the approval in his eyes was unmistakable.

"The proposal is well done, but you mentioned the nature and ecology that everyone has been paying attention to lately, wanting to add natural elements to the mall. Can you explain this in more detail?"

The corner of William's eye caught Lily's suddenly pale face. His fingertips played with his pen, tapping it against the table intentionally or unintentionally, making crisp sounds.

The sound seemed like a countdown of his patience, ruthlessly striking at Lily's heart.

Lily instinctively felt the time pressure, her shoulders beginning to tremble involuntarily, and a layer of cold sweat appeared on her forehead from nervousness.

She had thought that just reading out the proposal would win William's favor, but she hadn't expected him to test her on the spot.

The proposal had only been in her hands for about ten minutes. She hadn't even fully familiarized herself with the content. If she said something wrong and exposed herself in front of William, wouldn't she be fired?

In the eerie atmosphere, a figure firmly stood up, and a soft voice carried over everyone else, clearly reaching William's ears.

"Mr. Brown, I think we could divide the mall into several zones—one part with modern technology elements, another part with nature and ecology elements. For the nature and ecology elements, we could use indoor plant walls, natural lighting, sustainable materials, and so on."

Lily's face turned even paler.

That damned bitch Isabella—why did she suddenly speak up?

Wasn't Isabella publicly slapping her in the face?

William raised his eyelids and glanced lightly at Isabella sitting in the corner, his eyes slightly raised, showing a hint of surprise.

Isabella's ideas were indeed good, and after just hearing Lily's proposal, she could immediately organize her thoughts and express them. It made people feel like she had created the proposal herself.

William was silent for a long time, his eyelids slightly lowered, his indifferent expression showing no fluctuation, making it impossible to figure out what he was thinking. Isabella stared at him, her heart anxious and uneasy.

She had spoken up just now to fight for herself.

Even if she couldn't fully manage this project, she hoped to secure a place for herself in it.

But William hadn't said anything for so long. Could it be that he wasn't satisfied with her answer?

Suddenly, William put down his pen and stood up. His tall, upright figure cast a shadow in the light and shadow reflected from the window.

Isabella instinctively held her breath, waiting for the verdict.

The next second, she heard William speak calmly.

"The Starlight Mall project will be completed by Isabella and Lily together. Each will lead a team, responsible for the modern technology elements and natural ecology elements, respectively, handling the setup and promotion. If done well, the bonus will be doubled."

Isabella stood there stunned, dazed by the joy falling from the sky.

Had she heard wrong?

Was William really willing to let her handle half of the project?

Did this mean William recognized her abilities?

"Isabella, you're amazing! Just a few words and you changed Mr. Brown's mind. You have a bright future!"

Her colleague Hazel Fairchild nudged Isabella's elbow, her eyes full of praise.

Isabella lowered her head and smiled a bit shyly.

"I just bravely expressed my thoughts. I didn't expect Mr. Brown to give me this opportunity."

William wasn't as unapproachable as others made him out to be.

Even during their sex that night, he had been considerate of her feelings.

She remembered that at the end, he seemed to have patiently lowered his head and kissed the tears at the corner of her eyes.