Chapter 168

Chapter 168

When the words fell, everyone looked at Benjamin. Sophia followed their gaze and unexpectedly met Benjamin's eyes.

But it only lasted a second before Benjamin looked away and raised his voting card without hesitation.

He voted for Alice!

Sophia's heart sank. Her hand tightened around her own voting card.

"The vote is now closed. Ms. Baker and Ms. Brown will remain as the project leads. If neither of you has any objections, we'll hold a press conference shortly to formally introduce you both."

Delbert finished speaking and started clapping. The other team members were about to follow, but when they saw that Nicholas and Sophia weren't moving, they quietly put their hands down.

Sophia looked up at Delbert. "In that case, there's no need to include my name. If Ms. Baker wants the title of project lead, she can have it."

With that, Sophia stood up and walked out of the conference room. Nicholas let out a cold snort and followed her out.

It was obvious that Sophia and Nicholas were unhappy, but Delbert didn't seem to care. He turned to his assistant and said, "Do what Ms. Brown said. Since she doesn't want to be project lead, remove her name."

That afternoon, the project team's official account announced Alice as the project lead, and it immediately blew up online.

Fans who had been following the project flooded into Alice's account and started showering her with praise.

In just two hours, Alice gained nearly 200,000 new followers. Her public image had never been better — people went from only knowing her as Benjamin's girlfriend to praising her as a strong, independent woman making it on her own.

This move did a lot for Alice's reputation.

"This open secret is finally out. As one of Alice's fans who watched her every step of the way, you have no idea how hard it's been keeping this to myself."

"Now I can finally properly introduce our girl Alice! This is a government-backed project that's going international. Who else could pull that off?"

"I used to think Alice had nothing going for her besides her looks when it came to matching Benjamin. But seeing what she's achieved now, I have to say they're truly made for each other. No one else could be worthy of Benjamin."

"This is hands down the best 'boss girl' storyline of the year. In my next life, can I please have Alice's script? I don't even need a partner as good-looking as Benjamin — just give me her career luck."

Nicholas saw all the praise people were heaping on Alice and threw his phone aside in frustration.

Sophia, on the other hand, was completely calm. She poured a glass of ice water and set it in front of him.

"I honestly envy you. Someone's already walked all over you, and you're still this unbothered." Nicholas downed the entire glass in one go, but the anger on his face didn't fade at all.

Sophia smiled lightly. "What's the rush? What's mine, I'll take back."

"So you've got a plan." Nicholas was curious. "Tell me. I can't wait to see Alice crash and burn. Did you see how smug she was in that meeting today? She really thinks having Benjamin in her corner means she can do whatever she wants."

"Alice did win this round, and she won it well. Saying she can do whatever she wants isn't much of an exaggeration." Sophia's voice was calm, but there was a cold flash in her eyes.

"But look at this." Sophia pointed at the screen. It was a tweet Alice had posted just ten minutes ago.

The tweet already had over a million likes, and the comments were endless.

Countless popular marketing accounts had reposted it, sending even more traffic Alice's way.

Nicholas glanced over with a dismissive look, but the moment he saw it, he shot straight up from the couch.

"How is that fair? What has she done to deserve this?"

"She stole the project lead title from you, and the Buckner family's invitation should have been yours too. Not only did she take it, but she's also out here making a huge show of it. She's got some nerve."

Sophia held Nicholas back. "Don't rush. Let's hold off for now. I told you — what's mine, she can't keep."

"The Buckner family invited Alice because of her title as project lead. And the reason she's getting all this attention right now is because of that same title."

"What do you think would happen if we exposed her at the Buckner family's party, right in front of everyone?"

Nicholas froze for a moment after hearing that, then broke into a wide grin.

"After putting up with all of this for so long, you've actually turned a little wicked."

Sophia raised an eyebrow. It felt like the most genuine compliment she'd received in a while. "Nice people get walked on. Sometimes it doesn't hurt to be a little calculating."

"Alright. I'll get Ethan on it right now to gather the evidence. When the time comes at the Buckner family's party, we'll throw it all out there and see if anyone still dares to praise Alice as project lead."

Over the next few days, Sophia, Nicholas, and Ethan went through the entire project from start to finish.

They clearly laid out exactly what Alice had contributed — and whether that contribution was anywhere near enough to justify the title of project lead.

Whenever she had free time, Sophia would go visit Finnegan at the hospital. He was still in the ICU, and while his condition had stabilized, he hadn't woken up.

Ethan stopped by occasionally too. When he ran into Sophia, he would just smile and nod from a distance — nothing like the warmth he used to show her.

Noticing the shift in Ethan's attitude, Sophia knew he had understood what she said that day.

A week later, Benjamin and Alice left the country in a very public way. Almost everyone knew they were heading to the Buckner family's party.

The Buckner family was old money — a noble family that had been around since the last century, and one of the few that had never lost its standing over a hundred years. Some of them went into business, some into politics, and even the ones who ended up in entertainment were still a cut above the rest.

Over the years, the Buckner family had a presence in nearly every industry. Their businesses spanned the globe. They weren't just a symbol of wealth — they were a symbol of power.

The reason they had invited Alice was that they were impressed by her work on the project and wanted her to design something for them.

For Alice, this was the highest honor she could imagine. So before she even left, she had already paid off some of the country's top media outlets, determined to make the whole thing into a massive spectacle.