Chapter 20
"Get in the car." William's tone left no room for argument. "It's so late. It's not safe for a girl to take a taxi alone, and I have something I want to talk to you about."
Ophelia hesitated for a moment, then pulled open the car door and got in.
The car drove smoothly, and the cabin was very quiet.
"How's the project proposal coming along?" William suddenly asked.
Ophelia was a bit surprised. "How did you know I was working on this project?"
"I have eyes and ears at the Smith Group." William smiled, his tone somewhat playful. "Besides, this project involves the Moore Group, so naturally I'd pay attention."
Ophelia acknowledged with a sound and didn't ask further.
"Running into trouble?" William glanced at her. "I heard Freya has been giving you a hard time."
Ophelia was stunned for a moment, not expecting him to know even this.
"It's fine, just small stuff." She smiled, not wanting him to worry.
"Small stuff?" William raised an eyebrow. "Making you photocopy documents, pick up packages, stay up late doing reports—you call that small stuff?"
"She just wants you to give up the project."
Ophelia didn't say anything, which was basically an admission.
"Do you need my help?" William looked at her.
"No need, but thank you, Mr. Brown." Ophelia shook her head. "I want to win this project on my own ability."
Her tone was firm, with a hint of stubbornness in her eyes.
William looked at her, a smile of appreciation playing at the corners of his mouth. "Alright, I support you."
Ophelia felt warmth in her heart and nodded. "Thank you, Mr. Brown."
The car soon arrived at the entrance to Ophelia's villa.
"Thanks for driving me home." Ophelia unbuckled her seatbelt, preparing to get out.
"Wait." William stopped her, picking up a bag. "This is for you."
Ophelia took the bag with confusion. Opening it, she saw several boxes of delicate pastries and a bottle of milk inside.
"You've been working overtime a lot lately. Don't just eat bread all the time—it's bad for your stomach." William's voice was gentle. "I had someone make these pastries specially. They're low sugar and low fat, so they won't make you gain weight."
Ophelia felt a wave of emotion, her eyes slightly moist.
These past few days, she'd been busy with the project and hadn't been eating properly. She hadn't expected William to notice.
"Thank you, Mr. Brown. You've gone to so much trouble." She said, a bit embarrassed.
"It's no trouble." William smiled. "Get some rest early, and don't work yourself too hard."
"Goodbye, Mr. Brown." Ophelia took the bag and pushed open the car door to get out.
The next morning, as soon as Ophelia arrived at the Smith Group, she submitted the project proposal to Jerry.
While Jerry was reviewing the proposal, his brow was furrowed the whole time. Ophelia felt nervous, thinking there might be problems with the proposal.
After reading for over ten minutes, Jerry suddenly slapped the desk and said loudly, "Excellent! This is so well done!"
"Ophelia, this proposal is even better than I expected. The data is detailed, the strategy is clear, and it's thoroughly thought out. I'm putting you in charge of this project!"
The surrounding colleagues were all stunned. They hadn't expected Ophelia to actually win the project.
When Freya heard the news, her face instantly turned deathly pale, and the documents in her hand dropped to the floor with a smack.
She couldn't believe it, no matter what. She'd gone to such lengths to make things difficult for Ophelia, yet Ophelia still won the project!
How was this possible?
She rushed to Jerry, her tone urgent. "Mr. Nelson, this won't work! This project is so important—how can you put a new employee in charge?"
"And she's still an intern with no experience. What if she messes it up?"
Jerry frowned, looking at Freya with some displeasure. "Ms. Stewart, that's not right."
"Ophelia's proposal is better than anyone else's, and she has experience liaising with the Moore Group. I feel confident putting this project in her hands."
"Experience is accumulated gradually. If we don't give her opportunities, how can she grow?"
Freya wanted to argue back, but Jerry waved his hand. "Alright, that's settled. As team leader, you should support Ophelia's work."
With that, Jerry took the proposal and walked out of the office, leaving Freya standing there. Her expression was terrible.
Colleagues all looked at her with sympathetic eyes. Everyone knew she'd been making things difficult for Ophelia, and now her scheme had backfired—instead, she'd helped Ophelia win the project.
Freya felt her face burning, as if she'd been slapped in public. She glared fiercely at Ophelia, then turned and ran back to her workstation, collapsing on her desk with her shoulders trembling slightly.
She felt both angry and hateful inside, wishing she could tear Ophelia to pieces.
Why? Why did everything always go so smoothly for Ophelia?
While she kept getting humiliated by Ophelia again and again?
Just then, another message from Ainsley came through: "Freya, are you done yet? I'm downstairs at the Smith Group. Come shopping with me."
Seeing the message, all the grievances in Freya's heart suddenly welled up. She replied, "Ainsley, I feel terrible. Ophelia... she won that new building materials project."
Ainsley replied instantly: "What? She actually won the project? Is Mr. Nelson blind?"
"I told you something was going on between her and Mr. Nelson. See, I was right!"
Freya immediately replied: "Exactly! She must have used improper means. Otherwise, why would Mr. Nelson give such an important project to her?"
"Ainsley, you have to help me. I simply can't swallow this indignity!"
"Don't worry, I'm definitely handling this!" Ainsley replied. "I'm coming up right now to ask Mr. Nelson what the hell is going on!"
Seeing the reply, hope immediately ignited in Freya's heart.
She didn't believe that even with Ainsley personally stepping in, they still couldn't bring down Ophelia!
Before long, the sound of high heels came from the office entrance. Ainsley walked in with her head held high, wearing a designer dress and carrying a limited edition handbag.
Two bodyguards followed behind her. Her presence was commanding, and she attracted everyone's attention as soon as she entered.
"Where's Mr. Nelson? Tell him to come out!" Ainsley crossed her arms, her tone arrogant, not taking anyone seriously at all.
Hearing the commotion, Jerry quickly came out of his office. Seeing Ainsley, he immediately put on a smile. "Ms. Smith, what brings you here? Is there something I can help you with?"
"I'm here to ask you why you gave the new building materials project to Ophelia?" Ainsley pointed at Ophelia in the distance, her tone unfriendly. "She's a new employee with no experience. What gives you the right to put such an important project in her hands?"
"Did she slip you some benefits, or is there some shady deal between you two?"
As soon as these words came out, the office instantly fell silent. Everyone held their breath, looking at Jerry and Ophelia.
Jerry's expression immediately turned very ugly. He hadn't expected Ainsley to be so direct and to say such nasty things.