Chapter 19
She deliberately left out the fact that Ophelia was already good at these things, only saying she wanted to make things difficult for her, and the outcome backfired.
"What's there to be mad about? If she did well, she did well," Ainsley replied.
"No!" Freya immediately protested. "She must have used shady methods! I saw her getting really close to Mr. Nelson. During meetings, Mr. Nelson's eyes were practically glued to her. Who knows what's going on between them!"
"Plus, she's a woman who got dumped, and right after joining the Smith Group, she's showing off like this. If she's not relying on men, then what?"
When Ainsley saw these messages, she exploded. Her voice message was full of anger: "Are you serious? That woman has no shame! How dare she pull these tricks at the Smith Group!"
"Freya, don't be upset. I'll handle this for you!"
"I want to see what her deal is, daring to act up on my turf!"
Ainsley had always been proud of being the Smith family's daughter. She'd always been arrogant at the Smith Group and couldn't stand people who "took shortcuts."
Plus, Freya was her good friend. When a friend was wronged, she naturally had to back her up.
Seeing Ainsley's reply, Freya was thrilled, her earlier frustration completely gone.
She knew Ainsley would help her!
With Ainsley stepping in, Ophelia definitely wouldn't be able to stay at the Smith Group.
"Ainsley, you're the best to me!" Freya immediately replied, her tone full of gratitude. "But don't be too impulsive. Don't let her affect your mood."
"Don't worry, I know what I'm doing," Ainsley replied. "We'll talk more when we go shopping this afternoon. I'll have my driver pick you up now."
"Okay!" Freya replied happily.
She leaned back in her chair and started planning. Once Ainsley dealt with Ophelia, she could be the team leader in peace and wouldn't have to be overshadowed by Ophelia anymore.
By then, let's see how Ophelia will still act so arrogantly!
Meanwhile, Ophelia had no idea about Freya and Ainsley's scheming.
After organizing her files, Ophelia opened her computer and started researching the Smith Group's next major project - market promotion for new building materials.
This project had potential collaboration with the Moore Group, and the Moore Group was a client she had personally handled back in the day. She knew their needs and working style inside and out.
If she could land this project, she could not only establish herself at the Smith Group but also show Mireille that she had real ability.
She studied it carefully, occasionally jotting down key points in her notebook, not even hearing the gossip her colleagues were discussing nearby.
When Wayne passed by her desk and saw her looking at the new building materials project materials, he couldn't help but come over and say in a low voice, "Ophelia, you want to work on this project?"
"Yes, I think it has good potential." Ophelia looked up at him and smiled.
"This project isn't easy. The competition is fierce. Several senior employees have their eyes on it." Wayne sighed. "Plus, I heard Ainsley wants to do this project too. She relies on being the Smith family's daughter, so she'll definitely grab resources."
Ophelia raised an eyebrow, not too concerned: "It's the same whoever does it. What matters is the proposal and ability, not status."
She started from scratch at Jeffrey Technologies back then. What kind of competition hadn't she experienced?
Ainsley's status meant nothing to her.
"That's true, but Ainsley has wide connections in the company. Even Mr. Nelson has to give her some face." Wayne was still a bit worried. "You just got here and don't have any foundation. I'm afraid you can't compete with her."
"I'll try. How will I know if I don't try?" Ophelia smiled and lowered her head to look at the materials again.
Seeing her determined attitude, Wayne didn't say more. He just patted her shoulder: "Then good luck. If you need any help, just say so."
"Thanks." Ophelia looked up and smiled at him.
Over the next few days, Ophelia put all her energy into this project.
She collected a lot of market data, analyzed domestic and international development trends in new building materials, and combined it with the Moore Group's needs to create a detailed promotion plan.
During this time, Freya gave her trouble several more times, deliberately assigning her unimportant odd jobs to delay her project work.
"Ophelia, make thirty copies of these files and deliver them to each department. Don't get the quantities wrong."
"Ophelia, pick up a package for me downstairs. It's a big one, be careful."
"Ophelia, I need this report tomorrow morning. Work overtime tonight to finish it, and don't make mistakes."
Each time, Freya put on her team leader airs, her tone bossy, as if Ophelia were her personal servant.
Colleagues couldn't stand watching it and talked privately about how Freya was going too far.
Wayne even secretly told Ophelia, "Ophelia, ignore her. She's deliberately making things difficult for you. These odd jobs aren't your responsibility."
But Ophelia didn't get angry, just calmly agreed: "It's fine, just something to do on the side."
She knew clearly that Freya just wanted her to back down and give up on this project.
But the more Freya acted this way, the more she wanted to persist.
So what if she worked a bit more overtime and did more tasks? Back at Jeffrey Technologies, she had endured days ten times harder than this.
Every day after work, when all her colleagues had left, Ophelia was still in the office working overtime, either handling the odd jobs Freya assigned or perfecting her project proposal.
Sometimes she worked until late at night, alone in the office, with only the computer screen's light illuminating her face.
When Ophelia was hungry, she ate some bread she'd prepared in advance. When thirsty, she drank water. When tired, she rested her head on the desk for a few minutes, then continued working.
She worked so hard not just to land the project, but to prove herself.
She didn't want to rely on the Smith family's status or William's connections. She wanted to rely on her own ability to establish herself at the Smith Group and show those who looked down on her and schemed against her that she wasn't someone to be pushed around.
Hard work pays off. A few days later, Ophelia's project proposal was finally complete.
Ophelia's proposal was detailed and professional. It not only analyzed market prospects but also laid out specific promotion strategies, even considering budget and risk control. It was more comprehensive than the proposals done by several senior employees.
She printed out the proposal, bound it neatly, and prepared to submit it to Jerry the next day.
When she left the Smith Group building after work that evening, she saw William's car parked by the roadside.
The window rolled down, revealing William's face. He was wearing a black suit and looked somewhat gentler than usual.
"Off work?" William's voice came through the car window, carrying a magnetic quality.
Ophelia was stunned for a moment, a bit surprised: "Mr. Brown, what are you doing here?"
"Just passing by, thought I'd check on you." William smiled and opened the car door. "Get in, I'll give you a ride home."
"No need, I can just take a taxi home. It's quite convenient." Ophelia declined.
She didn't want to get too close to William to avoid giving Freya ammunition to spread more rumors.