Chapter 300 William’s Call

Chapter 300 William’s Call

That last line dripped with sarcasm.

It wasn't that Elowen didn't want to complain to Lancelot—it was that every issue involving Sophia, no matter how justified Elowen's complaint, got shut down by Lancelot's favoritism.

Bottom line: Lancelot was CEO of the Clifford Group. He could do whatever he wanted. It wasn't her place to criticize.

Elowen's fists clenched. The words squeezed through her teeth. "Don't get cocky. The project team issues might seem resolved, but do you know how much those managers hate you? They'll never let you off the hook!"

She couldn't attack Sophia openly for interfering with the project teams, but what they might do behind the scenes was anyone's guess.

Sophia smiled faintly, completely unbothered. "Thanks for the heads-up. I'll definitely be careful."

"Mr. Clifford's waiting to discuss a new project with me. If there's nothing else, I need to go prepare."

Without giving Elowen a chance to respond, Sophia walked away.

As for the furious glare boring into her back, Sophia didn't care one bit.

She loved watching people rage at her while being completely powerless to do anything about it.

Still, Elowen had reminded her of something important—she needed to watch out for the other project teams joining forces against her.

"Niamh." She gestured, quietly giving several instructions.

Niamh nodded seriously, confirming she'd handle everything, then asked quietly, "Really? That would damage company interests. Would they actually do that?"

"Damage company interests? They only care about maximizing their personal interests."

"Got it, Ms. Percy. Don't worry, I'll get it done."

After a few more reminders, Sophia headed to the executive office with her laptop.

"Sophia." Aiden handed her a bag with a grin. "Seafood porridge. Perfect stomach-friendly breakfast."

"Isn't this inappropriate?"

It wasn't like she'd worked late. Eating breakfast in the CEO's office so openly?

Was she too bold or too stupid?

Aiden clearly didn't sense her unease. He gave her a gentle push. "Go eat in the conference room. You need fuel to work well."

Sophia protested, "No way! Mr. Clifford said I need to be in his office in half an hour!"

Aiden replied, "Exactly. Less than half an hour, and the food will get cold."

"..."

She belatedly noticed the logo on the bag—takeout from a famous Emerald City hotel. Not cheap.

Lancelot had specifically arranged this. And it was food she liked.

It was really hard not to read into his intentions.

Aiden watched Sophia stare at the bag. "What's wrong? The taste is amazing. Ryan and I tested it for you—guaranteed safe!"

Clearly, people experienced things differently. They were stuck on the food's appeal while Sophia had already moved on to the appeal of the man behind it.

Beauty in any form—no one could escape it.

Fifteen minutes later, after finishing breakfast, Sophia knocked on Lancelot's office door.

"Come in."

His deep voice snapped her into work mode. She pushed the door open and stopped half a meter from his desk.

"Mr. Clifford." Sophia held her laptop, all business. "Hilton's positioning aligns with the company's overall hotel direction. But Hilton had that incident where a female guest was harassed, which tanked the hotel's reputation..."

Sophia thought she'd done thorough research, but as she spoke, her confidence wavered.

Lancelot had been working with his head down. Now he leaned back in his chair, watching her, fingers tapping lightly on the desk, his expression somewhere between amused and mocking.

Sophia's confidence dwindled until her voice was barely a whisper. Unable to take it anymore, she asked, "Did I get something wrong?"

Lancelot said, "No, it's perfect. You've identified Hilton's biggest pain point and the direction we need to change. Spot on."

Then why was he looking at her like that?

She didn't need praise, but this didn't feel like she was about to get chewed out either.

"What, Ms. Percy doesn't have confidence in her own abilities?" Lancelot watched her wide-eyed expression, then continued unhurriedly, "Maybe you should take a vacation."

"After all, you wrote planning proposals for all the project teams."

"And now you've done detailed background research on the hotel we just acquired."

"What, the deputy director position isn't enough for you anymore? Want to try my seat?"

Sophia fell silent.

She'd never thought about that. She just wanted to repay him. How had it suddenly turned into a power grab?

That wasn't it at all!

"Mr. Clifford, you know I just want to work hard..."

"At the cost of your health?"

Lancelot gave her a cool look, cutting off the rest of her sentence. "Early mornings, late nights, constant overtime—are you trying to make everyone think I'm a slave driver?"

Sophia's conscience was clear. She'd been working so hard to repay him. How had that become deliberately smearing his reputation?

The problem was, remembering how Sawyer had called Lancelot a "slave driver" on the phone last time, Sophia couldn't argue.

So she stood there with her head hanging, looking like she'd done something wrong, utterly pitiful.

At least Lancelot couldn't stand seeing her look so pathetic.

He stood and walked over, leaning down slightly. "Ms. Percy loves money so much—how about paid vacation?"

Getting paid while traveling and seeing new places sounded amazing. Still, Sophia shook her head.

"No need. I haven't earned it. I won't accept undeserved rewards."

"You solved all the project teams' problems. Now you're saying you haven't earned it. What, you think I lack basic judgment?"

"..."

Even though Sophia knew his anger in yesterday's meeting had been to help her, his mood swings now left her completely lost.

She snuck a glance at him, unsure of his mood, though he definitely wasn't angry.

After a few seconds' thought, Sophia ventured, "Paid vacation isn't necessary. I won't work overtime anymore."

"That won't do. How can the company function without Ms. Percy? I've hired so many people, and not one compares to Ms. Percy."

"..."

Why did that sound so passive-aggressive?

And she had no idea how to respond.

Just as she was floundering, her phone rang. William's call.

Sophia instinctively looked at Lancelot. He sneered. "Fiancée's in lockup, so he remembers his ex-wife. Ms. Percy, getting too close to someone with that kind of bad luck won't end well for you."

That seemed reasonable, but somehow it rubbed Sophia the wrong way.

She smiled awkwardly. "Mr. Clifford, I need to take this."

Under Lancelot's burning gaze, she took her phone and left the office.

The moment she answered, William's obviously angry voice hit her. "Why'd you take so long to answer? Were you just with Lancelot?"

Sophia had just been lectured. Her mood was already sour.

William walked right into her line of fire.

"We're divorced. Who I'm with is none of your business."

"If you have something to say, say it. Otherwise, I'm hanging up."

"I don't need to explain anything to you!"