The Substitute Bride

The project manager of Tarsan Corporation was not one of the saints who viewed people only by their good virtues. The intention behind Shinning Company to come up with Plan A was obvious, but it brought no benefit to Tarsan Corporation. Even if the plan was agreed upon, the deal would be of little value or interest to Tarsan Corporation.

"I disagree with Plan A. Now that we've mutually decided to cooperate with each other, we should take both of our mutual interests into account. Plan A will take too much time and cost too much resources; it is far from being feasible for Tarsan Corporation. I suggest we move with Plan B, because it will do good not only to both of our companies, but also to our entrusting company."

Once the representatives from Shining Company heard those words, they rolled their eyes at once, indicating strong opposition. Shining Company would obtain nothing if they were to follow Plan B. On the surface, it looked as though Plan B aimed to profit both sides, but that was simply not true.

As a result, the meeting seemed to have run into a dead-end in the middle of the negotiation process. Without showing any intention of compromising, the project manager from both sides argued sharply against each other.

"Everybody please calm down! If we wish to come to an agreement, we must remain calm. Now, why don't we all take a break?" Holley decided to cut in and get involved. When she realized that the situation was about to get out of hand, she stood up and acted as an intermediary to settle everyone down. She declared a time-out, before the argument worsened. However, sitting still in his chair, composed, Charles seemed to have a card up his sleeve.

Soon, peaceful silence permeated the meeting room, as most of people walked out one by one leaving behind a few people still sitting in their chairs.

Holley went out to call her secretary in, and reminded her secretary to tell the project manager to prepare a PPT before the second-half meeting began.

Holley wanted to regulate every member from her company, in preparation of the battle during the next half of the meeting. After explaining the assignment to her secretary, she began to think of anything else that might help. As she kept thinking, she looked around the room; at last, her eyes stopped on Charles.

She walked over to him and said, almost in an imploring tone, "Mr. Lu, may I have a word with you in private about the joint project?"

She couldn't afford to make any mistakes. The project meant too much to her company. If today's meeting failed to come up with a unified goal, the project would have to be delayed. And that would be financially disastrous for Tarsan Corporation.

On behalf of Tarsan Corporation, this time Holley was picked to be the decision maker on the joint project. To earn the opportunity, she had made a play for this significant task. Although she was doubted by most of shareholders during the board meeting, she survived against the other candidates in the end.

It didn't take Charles too long to figure out what exactly Holley was going to discuss with him. Nonetheless, he was ready to disagree with any of her suggestions. But since he didn't want to be bl

tugging with each other, their bodies got closer and closer. At first glance, if passers-by didn't observe closely, they would only assume that Charles and Holley were a couple engaged in intimacy in public.

Suddenly, a shrill sound of thud rang out, alerting Holley as she loosened her grip without a conscious thought. Judging from the sound, she assumed it was created by a man who threw a hard punch to the wall. 'Who is punching at the wall, with so much force?' she wondered. Without rhyme or reason, she had no idea why she felt cautious. Before she made her decision to find the source of the sound, she even thought of escaping from the scene as soon as possible. Nervously, she tilted her head and looked towards the direction where the sound came from.

Meanwhile, Charles couldn't be more tired of Holley's persistent tangle. He had run out of patience with her and her impetuous behavior didn't help him to feel any better to give a thought about compromising. On the contrary, he felt disgusted as he started to consider whether he should even cooperate with a company in which Holley was a part of. When he noticed her distracted state, he forcefully shook her hands away and quickly walked back into the meeting room.

It was Black who had thrown the punch causing the disruptive noise. Before he spotted what Charles and Holley were doing outside, he was hoping to ask Holley out to lunch. But now, he was completely infuriated. He couldn't bear the thought of seeing the woman he loved the most having intimate interactions with another man, especially in public!

As Black recalled what Holley had told him about her relationship with Charles, Black couldn't help shaking his head in disappointment. He felt utterly stupid for believing everything she had said. 'I thought you said you and Charles were just normal partners!' he thought to himself.

Livid and broken-hearted, Black felt like a man both cheated and betrayed by his own stupidity. His face darkened with a mirthless glare, like the sky riddled with dark clouds. The fire in his eyes indicated the torrents of rage and wrath that were about to unfold.