Chapter 290: What Do You Say, What Should I Do With You?

Sophia's words made everyone breathe a sigh of relief.

Someone was taking the fall. That meant they'd all be spared. Perfect!

Lancelot raised an eyebrow. The anger in his expression faded somewhat, but he didn't look pleased when he looked at her.

"Ms. Percy sounds very noble. If I don't give you this opportunity, it would seem rather inappropriate."

Sophia: 'She worked so hard—where did she go wrong? Taking the blame and getting mocked for it!'

Everyone else: 'Wait, isn't Sophia supposed to be Mr. Clifford's sweetheart? This doesn't feel right.'

The key thing was that everyone thought Sophia had improved all the project teams' profits. That was a contribution.

Even if she wasn't rewarded, she shouldn't be punished, right?

And how would he punish her?

Just because she'd interfered with other teams' business?

But as deputy director, that wasn't exactly a mistake, was it?

Everyone felt a storm brewing. They all sat up straight, eyes fixed ahead, not daring to look around.

Inwardly, they were panicking. What now?

The director got demoted, the deputy director was getting punished—could they escape?

Just as the air grew so tense it felt suffocating, Lancelot spoke.

"Everyone's performance has been excellent lately. Naturally, your bonuses won't be small. Keep up the good work. Meeting adjourned."

That's it?

No one felt excited about the bonus increase. Instead, they felt unmoored.

They had the distinct feeling that the CEO's anger hadn't fully vented, that things weren't over—yet he was just letting them go?

Everyone got rewarded except the two directors who got punished?

What was the boss trying to say?

They couldn't figure it out.

But as they passed Sophia, still sitting in her seat, their eyes held various emotions.

The person who'd put in the most effort was the one getting punished.

If Elowen's situation was an undeserved disaster, then Sophia's was textbook innocence.

Sophia was crying injustice in her heart too. Why should she be punished?

Once only the two of them remained in the conference room, the resentment in her eyes was impossible to hide.

"Mr. Clifford, how are you going to punish me?"

She wasn't accepting this!

She'd personally organized materials for all the project teams, provided solid suggestions, and massively boosted the profits of several projects.

And now she was getting punished?

Was anyone going to do something about this?

Lancelot raised an eyebrow, as if her reaction surprised him. "Weren't you the one who said you should be punished? Why are you feeling wronged now? Or were you not being sincere?"

Sophia fell silent.

In that situation, did she willingly accept punishment?

Lancelot had done it on purpose!

Sophia pressed her lips together. She naturally couldn't say that, but the grievance in her heart was about to overflow.

She didn't even realize that this wasn't how a superior and subordinate should interact.

Her expression right now looked exactly like she was acting cute.

Watching her resentful look, Lancelot was in an excellent mood.

He stood and walked over, leaning close. "Tell me, what should I do with you?"

His soft, gentle tone made Sophia's heart skip. Her face instantly flushed.

What was happening?

It was just normal conversation—why was her face hot and her heart racing?

No, no. She had to keep her distance.

She immediately stood and put space between them. "Mr. Clifford, you're joking. The company is yours. All the employees are under your leadership. Naturally, whatever you say goes. Besides, the current problems with the project teams..."

What problems?

Doubled profits were a problem?

Sophia bit her lip and started lying through her teeth. "Were all caused by me, so punishment is appropriate."

Lancelot nodded agreeably. "Then let's go. The company just acquired a hotel. I need to go check it out."

She'd recently gone through all of the Clifford Group's projects, so she knew immediately.

"The Hilton? I heard there's a lot going on behind that deal."

"You certainly know your stuff." Lancelot curled his index finger and tapped her lightly on the head. "Whether or not it's your job, you've paid attention to everything. Should I just hand over my CEO position to you?"

"I wouldn't dare."

Sophia said she wouldn't dare, but inside she was frustrated.

Shouldn't bosses love employees like her—hardworking and asking for nothing in return?

Even if he didn't reward her, he shouldn't punish her, right?

Besides, her original intention was to repay him. How had it turned out like this?

Watching her angry but not daring to speak, Lancelot sighed. "Go get ready. Half an hour. Underground parking garage."

"Yes, sir!"

---

The moment everyone left the conference room, they saw the latest performance evaluation system posted on the company website.

Transparent and fair. Rewards and punishments were reasonable.

Every project team, from top to bottom, received their respective bonuses.

Not only that, but Elowen and Sophia also received appropriate rewards for their positions.

However, Sophia's extra efforts didn't receive corresponding compensation.

Niamh wasn't happy about her doubled bonus. Instead, she looked furious.

"How can they do this? You're clearly the biggest contributor, but your bonus is only this much? It's so unfair!"

Sophia looked at Niamh's indignant expression, feeling rather helpless.

"How about you take a trip to Mr. Clifford's office? Give him a good lecture about how unfair this is?"

Niamh naturally didn't dare.

She pursed her lips. "How can Mr. Clifford do this? You worked so hard this past half month, and this is all you get for a bonus. It's like you handled everything effortlessly."

The more Niamh talked, the angrier she got. If she kept going, she really might storm straight to the executive office.

Sophia didn't dare let her do that. "Stop, stop, stop. From the beginning, I wasn't doing this for a bonus. Now I still got one. Isn't that good enough?"

"How is that good?" Niamh wasn't satisfied. "I used to think Mr. Clifford was fair, but today I realized he's unjust!"

"Then what do you think he should do to be fair?" Sophia asked.

She'd done this for Lancelot from the start. As for personal gain, she hadn't thought about it at all.

As for what the project managers were thinking, she knew a little.

There really were all kinds of people.

As for Elowen, she appeared neutral on the surface, hadn't done anything—but really, she wanted to go along with those plotting against Sophia and drive her out of the Clifford Group.

Resolving this wasn't easy.

Sophia hadn't figured out a strategy yet when Lancelot staged this whole show, saving her the trouble.

CEOs really were CEOs. Always one step ahead.

After hearing her explanation, Niamh finally understood. "So Mr. Clifford did this for you."

"Stop!"

Sophia felt uncomfortable. "This is the most appropriate solution, for the company's stability. Don't go spreading rumors."

"Don't worry, Ms. Percy. I know what to do!" Niamh's dissatisfaction vanished instantly, replaced by a beaming smile.

Sophia saw that time was almost up and didn't have time to argue with her.

"You'd better." After a few more reminders, Sophia grabbed her bag and headed to the underground parking garage to meet Lancelot.

---

Revised Version:

Sophia's words made everyone breathe a sigh of relief.

Someone was taking the fall. That meant they'd all be spared. Perfect.

Lancelot raised an eyebrow. The anger in his expression faded somewhat, but he didn't look pleased.

"Ms. Percy sounds very noble. If I don't give you this opportunity, it would seem rather inappropriate."

Sophia: 'She worked so hard—where did she go wrong? Taking the blame and getting mocked for it.'

Everyone else: 'Wait, isn't Sophia supposed to be Mr. Clifford's sweetheart? This doesn't feel right.'

The thing was, everyone thought Sophia had improved all the project teams' profits. That was a contribution.

Even if she wasn't rewarded, she shouldn't be punished, right?

And how would he punish her?

Just because she'd interfered with other teams' business?

But as deputy director, that wasn't exactly a mistake, was it?

Everyone felt a storm brewing. They all sat up straight, eyes fixed ahead, not daring to look around.

Inwardly, they were panicking. What now?

The director got demoted, the deputy director was getting punished—could they escape?

Just as the air grew suffocating, Lancelot spoke.

"Everyone's performance has been excellent lately. Naturally, your bonuses won't be small. Keep up the good work. Meeting adjourned."

That's it?

No one felt excited about the bonus increase. Instead, they felt unmoored.

The CEO's anger hadn't fully vented. Things weren't over—yet he was just letting them go?

Everyone got rewarded except the two directors who got punished?

What was the boss trying to say?

They couldn't figure it out.

But as they passed Sophia, still sitting in her seat, their eyes held various emotions.

The person who'd put in the most effort was the one getting punished.

If Elowen's situation was an undeserved disaster, then Sophia's was textbook innocence.

Sophia was crying injustice in her heart too. Why should she be punished?

Once only the two of them remained in the conference room, the resentment in her eyes was impossible to hide.

"Mr. Clifford, how are you going to punish me?"

She wasn't accepting this.

She'd personally organized materials for all the project teams, provided solid suggestions, and massively boosted the profits of several projects.

And now she was getting punished?

Was anyone going to do something about this?

Lancelot raised an eyebrow, as if her reaction surprised him. "Weren't you the one who said you should be punished? Why are you feeling wronged now? Or were you not being sincere?"

Sophia fell silent.

In that situation, did she willingly accept punishment?

Lancelot had done it on purpose.

Sophia pressed her lips together. She naturally couldn't say that, but the grievance in her heart was about to overflow.

She didn't even realize that this wasn't how a superior and subordinate should interact.

Her expression right now looked exactly like she was pouting.

Watching her resentful look, Lancelot was in an excellent mood.

He stood and walked over, leaning close. "Tell me, what should I do with you?"

His soft, gentle tone made Sophia's heart skip. Her face instantly flushed.

What was happening?

It was just normal conversation—why was her face hot and her heart racing?

No. She had to keep her distance.

She immediately stood and put space between them. "Mr. Clifford, you're joking. The company is yours. All the employees are under your leadership. Naturally, whatever you say goes. Besides, the current problems with the project teams..."

What problems?

Doubled profits were a problem?

Sophia bit her lip and started lying through her teeth. "Were all caused by me, so punishment is appropriate."

Lancelot nodded agreeably. "Then let's go. The company just acquired a hotel. I need to go check it out."

She'd recently gone through all of the Clifford Group's projects, so she knew immediately.

"The Hilton? I heard there's a lot going on behind that deal."

"You certainly know your stuff." Lancelot curled his index finger and tapped her lightly on the head. "Whether or not it's your job, you've paid attention to everything. Should I just hand over my CEO position to you?"

"I wouldn't dare."

Sophia said she wouldn't dare, but inside she was frustrated.

Shouldn't bosses love employees like her—hardworking and asking for nothing in return?

Even if he didn't reward her, he shouldn't punish her, right?

Besides, her original intention was to repay him. How had it turned out like this?

Watching her angry but not daring to speak, Lancelot sighed. "Go get ready. Half an hour. Underground parking garage."

"Yes, sir!"

---

The moment everyone left the conference room, they saw the latest performance evaluation system posted on the company website.

Transparent and fair. Rewards and punishments were reasonable.

Every project team, from top to bottom, received their respective bonuses.

Not only that, but Elowen and Sophia also received appropriate rewards for their positions.

However, Sophia's extra efforts didn't receive corresponding compensation.

Niamh wasn't happy about her doubled bonus. Instead, she looked furious.

"How can they do this? You're clearly the biggest contributor, but your bonus is only this much? It's so unfair!"

Sophia looked at Niamh's indignant expression, feeling rather helpless.

"How about you take a trip to Mr. Clifford's office? Give him a good lecture about how unfair this is?"

Niamh naturally didn't dare.

She pursed her lips. "How can Mr. Clifford do this? You worked so hard this past half month, and this is all you get for a bonus. It's like you handled everything effortlessly."

The more Niamh talked, the angrier she got. If she kept going, she really might storm straight to the executive office.

Sophia didn't dare let her do that. "Stop. From the beginning, I wasn't doing this for a bonus. Now I still got one. Isn't that good enough?"

"How is that good?" Niamh wasn't satisfied. "I used to think Mr. Clifford was fair, but today I realized he's unjust!"

"Then what do you think he should do to be fair?" Sophia asked.

She'd done this for Lancelot from the start. As for personal gain, she hadn't thought about it at all.

As for what the project managers were thinking, she knew a little.

There really were all kinds of people.

As for Elowen, she appeared neutral on the surface, hadn't done anything—but really, she wanted to go along with those plotting against Sophia and drive her out of the Clifford Group.

Resolving this wasn't easy.

Sophia hadn't figured out a strategy yet when Lancelot staged this whole show, saving her the trouble.

CEOs really were CEOs. Always one step ahead.

After hearing her explanation, Niamh finally understood. "So Mr. Clifford did this for you."

"Stop!"

Sophia felt uncomfortable. "This is the most appropriate solution, for the company's stability. Don't go spreading rumors."

"Don't worry, Ms. Percy. I know what to do!" Niamh's dissatisfaction vanished instantly, replaced by a beaming smile.

Sophia saw that time was almost up and didn't have time to argue with her.

"You'd better." After a few more reminders, Sophia grabbed her bag and headed to the underground parking garage to meet Lancelot.