Chapter 25
The next morning, as soon as Ophelia arrived at the Smith Group, she saw Ainsley and Freya standing in the lobby, looking at her with ugly expressions on their faces.
"Ophelia, have you lost your mind?" Ainsley pointed at her, fuming with anger. "Who told you to book the rooftop garden? How can you entertain clients in such a shabby place?"
"Ms. Smith, the rooftop garden has a great view and beautiful night scenery. It's not shabby at all," Ophelia said calmly. "Plus, this way we can save quite a bit of the budget and spend the money where it really matters."
"Save the budget? I think you're trying to save money to pocket the difference!" Freya fanned the flames from the side. "If the clients aren't satisfied, it'll be the Smith family's reputation on the line. Can you handle that responsibility?"
"Of course I can," Ophelia looked at them with firm eyes. "If I mess this up, I'll leave the Smith Group voluntarily."
Ainsley didn't expect Ophelia to be so bold. Caught off guard, she could only say bitterly, "Fine, I'd like to see what tricks you can pull off!"
With that, she turned and left, with Freya following behind.
Ophelia watched their retreating figures and sneered inwardly.
She knew Ainsley and Freya just wanted to see her fail, but she wouldn't let them have their way.
Throughout the next day, Ophelia stayed busy, refining every detail and confirming the menu, sound system, lighting, and various other matters.
At dusk, the last string light on the rooftop garden was lit up. The warm yellow glow wrapped around the vines, making the entire garden look gentle and bright.
Ophelia had just directed the workers to arrange the last set of rattan tables and chairs when she heard the sound of high heels clicking on the ground behind her—urgent and heavy.
Without turning around, she knew it was Ainsley and Freya.
She turned around to see them standing at the garden entrance, their mocking expressions frozen on their faces, eyes wide open as if they'd seen something unbelievable.
"This is the rooftop garden?" Freya took two steps forward and reached out to touch a nearby bamboo basket decoration, her voice full of disbelief. "You really pulled this off with a hundred thousand dollars?"
Ainsley also came to her senses and quickly walked over, circling half the garden. Her eyes swept over the string lights, greenery, and the aroma wafting from the temporary kitchen in the distance. Her expression darkened.
"Impossible!" She raised her voice as if trying to convince herself. "A hundred thousand dollars isn't even enough for a decent venue rental. You must have secretly misused company funds!"
Ophelia leaned against the railing, arms crossed, her tone casual. "If Ms. Smith doesn't believe me, feel free to have the finance check. Every expense has a receipt—the property cleaning fee, the decoration company's setup fee, the farm's ingredient costs, and the string lights bought wholesale online. Not a penny off."
"I will check!" Ainsley immediately pulled out her phone, about to call the finance department. "I want to see if you're lying!"
Freya pulled her back and whispered, "Ainsley, don't be impulsive. So many workers are watching. If the check shows no problem, how embarrassing would that be?"
Ainsley's movement paused, her eyes flickering.
She could actually tell that while the decorations looked refined, the materials were all practical, without any luxury items. It really did look like getting the most bang for your buck.
But she just couldn't accept it. Why should Ophelia be able to create this kind of effect with a hundred thousand dollars?
"Even if the accounts are fine, don't get cocky!" Ainsley put away her phone, her tone still tough. "The clients have all seen grand occasions. This kind of simple setup—who knows if they'll even like it!"
"If the clients aren't satisfied and the Smith family loses face, let's see how you explain yourself!" Freya chimed in from the side, her eyes full of resentment.
Ophelia smiled and didn't argue with them. "Whether it's good or not, we'll know once the clients arrive tonight. There's no point saying more now."
She knew clearly that Ainsley and Freya just couldn't stand seeing her succeed. More words were useless—better to let the facts speak.
Ainsley was left speechless. Seeing Ophelia's confident look made her even angrier, but she couldn't find a reason to argue back.
After all, the anniversary celebration was about to start. If she really made a scene here, it would be the Smith family's reputation on the line in the end, and she couldn't bear that responsibility.
"You just wait!" Ainsley left with a harsh warning, her eyes full of threat. "If you mess up this anniversary celebration, I definitely won't let you off!"
With that, she turned and left, her high heels pounding the floor loudly, as if venting her dissatisfaction.
Freya glanced at Ophelia, then quickly followed, not forgetting to glare at her before leaving.
Watching them leave, Della couldn't help but complain, "They're too much. The setup looks so nice, and they're still nitpicking."
"Get used to it." Ophelia rubbed her sore shoulders, a trace of fatigue showing on her face. "As long as the clients are satisfied tonight, it doesn't matter what they say."
After being so busy these past few days, she was already aching all over. Now she could finally catch her breath a little.
Della was about to say something when Ophelia's phone rang. It was William calling.
"Hello, Mr. Brown." She answered the phone, her voice carrying a bit of lingering fatigue.
"Done with work?" William's voice came through the receiver with a hint of concern. "I'm downstairs at the Smith Group. Just finished talking with a business partner. Want to grab dinner together?"
Ophelia was stunned. "How did you know I was at the Smith Group?"
"I guessed," William chuckled. "The anniversary celebration starts tonight, so you must be doing final preparations. Come on, let me take you to eat something, or you won't have energy to entertain clients tonight."
Ophelia hesitated. She was indeed hungry, and eating with William wouldn't require deliberate pretense, so she agreed. "Okay, I'll come down right away."
After giving Della a few instructions to watch over the final touches, Ophelia grabbed her bag and headed downstairs.
Downstairs, a black Bentley was parked by the roadside. William leaned against the car in a dark gray suit, his posture upright, drawing frequent glances from passing employees.
Seeing Ophelia come down, his eyes lit up, and he opened the car door. "Get in."
Ophelia got in, and a faint woody fragrance hit her, dispelling the dusty smell and fatigue from her body.
"Where are we eating?" she asked.
"There's a restaurant nearby with good food. It's on the way." William started the car, his profile looking particularly handsome under the streetlights.
Ophelia didn't think much of it. She leaned back in her seat and closed her eyes to rest, her mind still going over the evening's reception procedures. Before she knew it, she had fallen asleep.
When William woke her up, the car had already stopped in front of an elegantly decorated restaurant.
"We're here." William's voice was soft, afraid of startling her.
Ophelia rubbed her eyes and got out of the car. The moment she looked up, she froze.
At the restaurant entrance hung a large "Couples' Theme Dinner" poster. Both sides of the entrance were filled with red roses, the lighting inside was soft and intimate, and melodious violin music floated out.
"This is a couple's restaurant?" She felt somewhat awkward and instinctively wanted to step back. "Did we come to the wrong place?"