Chapter 168

Chapter 168
ARIA

The room went dead silent. I caught Emma's expression changing from smugness to panic. God, watching her squirm gave me more satisfaction than I'd ever admit publicly.

"What you're about to see is my actual submission," I said, my voice cutting through the silence. "The previous proposal that Miss Grant presented was merely a draft I intentionally discarded."

The screen changed, displaying a completely different presentation. Executives gasped and leaned forward. Jessica's jaw dropped - she hadn't known about this either.

"My actual proposal features a limited-edition silk scarf collection designed specifically to complement LG Company's signature bags," I explained, advancing through detailed slides. "Each scarf creates a unique story while enhancing LG's existing product line."

I revealed a prototype silk-wrapped handbag that merged both companies' design languages. The pattern grabbed everyone's attention - modern yet timeless, bold yet elegant.

"This creates not just a product but an experience," I continued. "Customers don't buy luxury items just for the label - they buy how those items make them feel."

Thomas nodded appreciatively. Board members exchanged impressed glances. Blake maintained his poker face, but I noticed that slight twitch at the corner of his mouth. He approved.

I stole a glance at Olivia, who gave me a subtle thumbs up. This was working exactly as we'd planned. The board members were completely engaged now, their eyes bright with interest - nothing sells better than innovation paired with profit potential. Even the executives who came in supporting Emma couldn't hide their intrigue.

Emma jumped up, her face red with fury and embarrassment. "This breaks every rule!" she shrieked. "Arya obviously threw this together after somehow learning about my proposal!"

"That's ridiculous," I replied, keeping my voice steady. "Both proposals were submitted yesterday. Check the timestamps."

"Disqualify her right now!" Emma demanded, pointing at Thomas. "She's changing the rules whenever it suits her!"

I couldn't help but laugh. "Grow up, Emma. This is business, not preschool. The goal is maximizing profit, not following playground rules."

Emma's supporters shifted in their seats. They knew which way the wind was blowing.

Thomas cleared his throat. "While unusual, nothing in our guidelines prohibits multiple proposals. We'll evaluate based on which option benefits both companies most."

Emma's face turned almost purple. "You can't be serious! She's making a mockery of this whole process!"

"What I'm hearing," Thomas said firmly, "is that you don't understand how business works, Miss Grant. You should take notes from Ms. Taylor instead of stealing her work."

Damn. I couldn't have scripted it better myself.

"After reviewing both presentations," Thomas continued, "LG Company will proceed with Nouvelle Retail Group's proposal - the second one presented by Ms. Taylor."

My team erupted in applause. Jessica punched the air, her earlier tears replaced with joy. Olivia stood beside her seat, shooting Emma a victorious smile.

Emma screamed, her voice cracking, "This is complete bullshit! I didn't steal anything! Arya should be disqualified for breaking protocol!"

"Don't worry, Emma," I said, keeping my voice ice-cold. "I'll be pursuing legal action for your theft of proprietary business information. I warned you I wouldn't let this slide."

"You're out of your mind!" Emma hissed, glaring at me. "You have zero proof I stole anything! You want to make accusations, you better back them up!"

"Oh, I can." I tapped my tablet again, returning to the first proposal. "Notice anything strange about the bundled sales preset amount?"

Board members leaned forward, squinting at the screen.

"It says fifty billion dollars," I pointed out. "An absurd figure I deliberately included as a trap. Any competent businessperson would spot and fix such an obvious error."

Blake stepped forward. "And what do you know - Emma's proposal has the exact same error. She didn't even check what she stole."

The room went silent as a tomb. Emma's remaining supporters looked mortified, staring down at their shoes.

"I knew you wouldn't double-check," I said. "You've always wanted success without doing the work."

Emma's eyes darted around the room, desperate for escape. Suddenly her gaze fixed on someone in the corner, and her expression shifted.

"Fine!" she snapped. "Yes, I used Arya's proposal. But this isn't all my fault! Lily approached me first!"

All eyes turned to Thomas's assistant standing quietly near the back.

"Lily hates Arya!" Emma continued frantically. "She's had it out for her for years! She came to me suggesting we team up against Arya. She masterminded this whole thing, not me!"

I just watched, a small smile playing on my lips. The desperation in her voice was music to my ears. Emma had always been the type to throw others under the bus when cornered. I almost felt sorry for her - almost.

Lily stepped forward, completely composed. "Emma, before throwing me under the bus, you should've deleted our text messages."

Lily projected her phone screen onto the display. There for everyone to see were dozens of messages from Emma, detailing her plan to steal my proposal and manipulate the board.

"Just need to grab Arya's design, tweak it a bit, and call it mine," one message read. "These old fogeys on the board won't know the difference."

Thomas's face hardened seeing himself described as an "old fogey." Several board members exchanged furious glances.

Lily scrolled to another screen showing my original email submission. "As you can see, Aria submitted both proposals simultaneously. She broke no rules. She simply chose strategically which one to present first."

Emma looked ready to explode. "You set me up!" she screamed, pointing at me. "You and Lily planned this together! You played me for a fool!"

Jessica turned to me, eyes wide. "You knew all along? I nearly had a heart attack!"

"Had to keep it real," I whispered. "If you knew, Emma might've suspected something."

"I was about to cry!" Jessica whisper-shouted.

Olivia patted her shoulder. "Aria was avenging you too. Business is war - we do what it takes to win."

Emma frantically dug through her bag and pulled out a document, waving it triumphantly.

"None of this matters anyway!" she declared, standing beside Richard and Elaine. "I have the transfer agreement right here! Grant Group belongs to me regardless of tonight's outcome!"

She turned to Richard and Elaine with fake concern. "If they get upset over this and have health complications, you'll all be responsible!"

Emma crouched beside Elaine, her voice sickly sweet. "Aren't you angry? Don't you want to help me teach Aria a lesson?"

My stomach tightened. Something about Emma's manner seemed dangerous. Blake immediately moved in front of me, radiating protective energy. The temperature in the room seemed to drop several degrees as his cold, intimidating presence made several guests step back involuntarily.

Emma smiled, thinking she'd won. Her ultimate trump card - using Richard and Elaine against me.

To everyone's shock, Richard and Elaine stood up simultaneously. Emma's face lit up with vindictive anticipation.

"Aria is our most cherished, most beloved daughter," Richard announced clearly. "And we hereby declare, with all of you as witnesses, that this transfer agreement is null and void."

Emma's mouth opened and closed without sound. She dropped the document.