Chapter 177

Chapter 177

Because Sloane's presentation content was almost identical to Evelyn's leaked proposal.

Even the slide order was barely changed—just the logo and formatting were different.

The thirty-minute presentation ended quickly.

Thunderous applause filled the room. Dairy Haven Group's shareholders and Xander clapped most enthusiastically.

They hadn't expected Sloane's proposal to be this good—truly innovative.

After leaving the stage, Xander excitedly grabbed Sloane's hand.

"Miss Elikin, this proposal is excellent, perfect for our company!"

Sloane smiled and blinked. "You're too kind. Zenith Enterprises Group's proposal hasn't been presented yet."

A nearby shareholder laughed. "I don't think there's any need for them to present."

"A company that came back wrapped in a foreign shell—how could they possibly create a good proposal?"

Hearing this, Sloane instinctively glanced toward Evelyn.

The shareholder's voice wasn't loud, but Evelyn sat close enough to hear clearly.

She'd expected Evelyn to panic, but nothing happened.

Even during her own presentation, when Evelyn saw the proposal, her expression had been calm—like watching a performance that had nothing to do with her.

Sloane sneered inwardly: Anyone can pretend to be calm.

Honestly, when she'd first gotten this proposal, she'd been insanely jealous.

Because it was so much better than what she'd prepared.

But so what?

She'd seized the initiative and presented it first.

She wanted to see what Evelyn could possibly present when she took the stage.

Thinking this, Sloane gave Evelyn a mocking smile.

But unexpectedly, Evelyn's lips curved up too, returning a contemptuous smile with a scornful gaze.

Sloane's heart skipped.

The next second, Evelyn stood up composedly and walked onto the stage.

Because equipment was still being tested, there were a few minutes before the official presentation.

Mira moved beside her, lowering her voice worriedly. "Miss Gray, what do we do?"

"She plagiarized our proposal and presented before us. This is very unfavorable for us..."

Before Evelyn could speak, Sloane walked over with a smile.

"Adam, I heard this is your first project back home? And your first presentation?"

Evelyn nodded slightly.

"Then I wish you success." Sloane struggled to suppress the curve of her lips, but the smugness in her eyes nearly overflowed.

She couldn't wait to see Adam embarrass herself in front of Matthew.

Mira was furious and wanted to confront her.

Evelyn held her back, patting her hand soothingly.

"A scrapped proposal isn't worth getting angry over."

Sloane's heart tightened. "What do you mean?"

"Exactly what I said." Evelyn stopped looking at her and lowered her head to organize materials.

The presentation began.

The moment Evelyn clicked to the table of contents, Sloane's expression darkened bit by bit.

This was completely different from the proposal she'd stolen!

As the presentation deepened, Sloane's face grew paler and paler.

She realized this proposal had completely discarded the version she'd stolen and been redesigned from scratch.

More infuriating—it was even better than hers!

She couldn't sit still.

Neither could Dairy Haven Group's shareholders.

But they couldn't sit still from excitement.

Unlike Sloane's highly innovative proposal, Evelyn's greatly preserved Dairy Haven Group's core culture.

Themed around revitalizing national enterprises, tailored around Dairy Haven Group's distinctive features.

They could hardly believe this proposal came from a returnee company.

Matthew's gaze hadn't left Evelyn since she took the stage.

She was so radiant up there, so confident, glowing all over.

He'd always known Evelyn was capable, but now he was deeply shaken.

He'd never realized so clearly that Evelyn was meant to shine like this.

When she'd stayed by his side before, she'd actually been constrained.

The presentation ended. Evelyn closed the slides, her gaze sincerely sweeping over the gray-haired shareholders below.

They were people who'd accompanied Dairy Haven Group through decades from prosperity to decline.

"All along, our company has maintained a heart of reverence and care for traditional domestic enterprises." Evelyn's voice wasn't loud, but it landed heavily in everyone's ears.

"We deeply understand how difficult it is for such companies to survive foreign encirclement, and we know that only when such companies thrive in Novaria can they benefit more people and help them remember where their roots are."

Evelyn paused.

"That's why we created this proposal. We want more young consumers to know how many significant contributions and charitable acts Dairy Haven Group has made for Novaria."

"We also hope more people know that Dairy Haven Group has never forgotten its original purpose and retains the soul of a traditional domestic enterprise."

She took a deep breath.

"Dairy Haven Group is the first project we've led since returning home."

"Zenith Enterprises Group sincerely hopes to work with traditional domestic enterprises like Dairy Haven Group to reshape the brand and create brilliance together."

Evelyn finished speaking, bowed deeply to the audience below, then walked to the side of the stage.

Unlike Sloane, her presentation didn't bring thunderous applause.

But her proposal was like a match, igniting a fire in the hearts of those wavering shareholders.

They showed no outward reaction, but the fire inside burned hotter and hotter.

Evelyn's proposal was completely different from the other three companies.

Sloane's looked good at first glance but felt superficial on closer examination, while Evelyn's was solidly impeccable.

The shareholders didn't even need to hesitate—they knew this was exactly what Dairy Haven Group truly needed!

They felt profoundly that this proposal's designer truly understood their soul and their pain.

What Evelyn hadn't expected was that the government officials attending had also extended an olive branch to her.