Chapter241 The Site Visit
The next morning.
Miranda came down the spiral staircase and stopped.
Celeste was sitting on the living room sofa, her right hand resting awkwardly at her side. The skin around her wrist was visibly red and swollen, a souvenir from copying out the Prescott family rules.
The moment Celeste heard Miranda on the stairs, she snapped her head up. The look in her eyes was pure venom.
"Where's my cousin?" she demanded, not bothering to soften a single edge.
Miranda didn't slow down. She crossed to the dining table and sat down before answering.
"He's away on business."
Something shifted in Celeste's eyes instantly. The hostility flickered, and underneath it came a surge of barely contained excitement.
Away on business?
Perfect.
Her mind started moving fast. With Clifton gone, all she had to do was get the grandfather out of the way. After that, she had plenty of ways to make Miranda regret crossing her.
She was already savoring the thought when she reached for her coffee.
Her fingertips barely grazed the warm cup before a sharp, searing pain shot up from her wrist.
She hissed and yanked her hand back, face going white.
Miranda caught it from the corner of her eye and felt nothing. Her brother's debt hadn't been settled yet.
She finished breakfast quickly, grabbed her bag, and headed for the door.
Governor Ava was coming to inspect the company today. This visit could determine whether they landed the government-backed clean energy project, and Miranda intended to be at her absolute best.
--
At ten that morning, there was a knock at the CEO's office door.
"Miranda." Lisa's steady voice came through. "Governor Ava and her party have arrived."
"Good."
Miranda stood, smoothed her blazer, and walked to the reception room.
She already knew what she was walking into. Ava's project required at least three companies working together, but more than a dozen top firms in the industry were all chasing the same opportunity.
The competition had started the moment Ava walked through the front door.
Miranda had to show her the sharpest version of the company and of herself if she wanted to stand out from the rest.
"Governor Ava, welcome." Miranda extended her hand with an easy, polished smile.
Ava shook it, a flicker of approval in her expression.
"I've put together a full agenda for today." Miranda stepped aside and gestured toward the hallway, handing over a neatly designed booklet as she did. "It should take about an hour."
Ava took it and flipped it open.
One look, and her interest sharpened.
This wasn't like the packets other companies had handed her, stuffed with pages of statistics and company timelines. Instead, it used clean visuals and brief descriptions to lay out each core department, what it did, and who ran it. In thirty seconds, you had a working picture of the entire company.
Ava was quietly impressed.
Miranda was both thoughtful and smart.
For someone walking into a completely unfamiliar company, this kind of introduction handed control to the visitor rather than locking her into a scripted tour led by whoever was on talking points that day.
Miranda had put the decision-making power in the hands of the person doing the evaluating.
That combination of confidence and respect made Ava smile a little more genuinely.
Miranda's voice came in at exactly the right moment.
"There are refreshments set up in the lounge whenever anyone needs a break. But we can also start the tour now, whichever works best for everyone."
"Let's start the tour." Ava closed the booklet and looked up, something curious in her expression. "Your R&D department caught my eye. Can we go there first?"
"Absolutely." Miranda's smile settled into something calm and assured. "Follow me."
The R&D department was where Miranda had poured most of herself into building this company. It ran across two main tracks: clean energy technology development and next-generation electronics innovation.
It was also the reason she felt confident walking into a room with a dozen top-tier competitors.
--
An hour later, in the company's reception lounge.
Ava lifted her coffee and took a slow sip. She set the cup down and spoke without hesitation.
"I'll be direct. Your team's clean energy technology is ahead of the other companies I've visited. By a noticeable margin."
Miranda smiled, genuine and unhurried.
"Getting to lead a team this talented is something I don't take for granted."
She picked up her own coffee. After an hour of talking through everything for Ava and her team, her throat was dry.
Ava watched her from across the sofa, and her satisfaction quietly reached its peak.
This visit had been worth every minute.
Two things stood out clearly. First, the core technology this company had developed was among the most advanced available in the current market, with serious long-term potential. Second, Miranda herself. She was clear-eyed, grounded, and instinctively gave credit to the people around her instead of hoarding it.
A company with that kind of leadership was one that could actually last.
As the conversation wound down toward noon, Miranda extended an invitation with a polite smile.
"Governor Ava, would you do us the honor of joining us for lunch?"
Ava shook her head with a warm smile.
"Thank you, but I have another company to visit this afternoon."
She stood. Miranda rose with her.
"One week from today," Ava said, her tone shifting into something more deliberate, "we'll select the three companies best suited for the project and extend formal invitations."
She paused, and the look she gave Miranda carried open confidence in her.
"I have high hopes for you. Don't let me down."
She extended her hand.
That last sentence had stepped well outside the boundaries of formal politeness. It was a personal statement, one person to another, about what she believed Miranda was capable of.
The message was clear. Miranda had done exactly what she set out to do. She had made the Governor remember her.
Miranda felt it land, and she reached out and took Ava's hand firmly.
She met the Governor's eyes with a calm, steady smile, her voice clear and sure.
"I won't."