Chapter 60

Chapter 60

The sky was just beginning to brighten, but the office lights were still on, shining directly on the desk in front of Isabella, illuminating the design drawings she had worked on all night.

Isabella lowered her head and carefully revised a few more details before finally looking up. She reached up to massage her neck, feeling waves of soreness and pain.

Her body couldn't handle this work intensity anymore.

Drowsiness gradually crept over her, but Isabella still forced herself to stay alert. After drinking a cup of coffee, she took her design drawings and proposal to the conference room.

This was the second meeting for this project, and it was much more formal than the first one. Not only would Hayden be there, but Harold, who had handed over this project, would also be present.

Harold was famous in the industry for hiding a knife behind his smile, deciding someone's "fate" with casual conversation. Even Hayden had to tone down his aggression in front of him.

When Isabella arrived, everyone was already there. Hayden and Harold were sitting together, their heads close, talking about something.

The atmosphere fell into dead silence when Isabella pushed open the conference room door. Harold, sitting among the group, raised his eyebrows slightly. He stood up, a faint smile playing on his lips, and extended his hand.

"So this is Isabella, the daughter of the Taylor family. You're really talented and beautiful—your looks could rival any celebrity."

His tone was teasing. Isabella calmly extended her hand, a smile on her face as well.

"You're too kind, Mr. Rogers."

Isabella sat down facing Harold. The smile on Harold's face remained unchanged. "I could have skipped this meeting, but this project is quite tricky. I was worried Ms. Taylor might feel too much pressure."

Isabella smiled and shook her head. She picked up her design drawings and proposal, projecting them onto the screen behind her, immediately entering a serious work mode.

"For this project, I've prepared a brief design plan. I'll take just a few minutes of everyone's time so you can all take a look."

Her slender fingers lightly touched the screen as she clearly and concisely explained the purpose of these design drawings.

Then she brought out the proposal.

"The budget for this project has been cut down to only one-third, which technically isn't enough. So we have no choice but to use eco-friendly, cheaper building materials as substitutes in some areas. But everyone can rest assured—there will be absolutely no compromise on quality."

Harold, sitting in the audience, darkened his gaze, a barely noticeable calculation flashing in his eyes.

The smile on his lips faded considerably. He glanced at Hayden sitting beside him. As expected, Hayden was very satisfied with Isabella's arrangements and was listening carefully.

Isabella's abilities were indeed not to be underestimated. She had accomplished quite a lot since her return.

Harold slowly sipped his coffee, feeling some regret—regret for pushing this project onto Hayden, and even more regret for letting Isabella handle it.

His original intention was to use this project's failure to gradually swallow up the Taylor Group, but now it seemed he had made the wrong move.

Isabella, on stage, didn't notice what Harold was thinking below. She tried to explain her design and completed proposal in the shortest time possible.

After finishing all the content, her mouth was dry. She took a sip of water and explained the next step.

"We need to start construction right away. We don't have much time left. We need to get everything done while we still have some spare time."

"I've already finished the design drawings, and I've had my assistant contact suppliers for eco-friendly, affordable building materials. They should get back to us soon with confirmed prices."

"I'll also make sure to find good workers. Building the facilities in this design won't be easy, and we absolutely can't be careless."

Hayden nodded with satisfaction. "Good, let's do as you say. We'll follow your plan from here on out."

Harold, on the side, narrowed his eyes. The corners of his mouth turned up inadvertently as he gave Isabella a round of applause, showing his support.

Then he spoke with a half-smile.

"What comes next will be challenging. I can tell Isabella has been pulling all-nighters working on this, right? Look how much weight she's lost."

He seemed to deliberately close the distance between himself and Isabella by calling her by her first name, his tone carrying the affection of an elder toward a junior.

"How about this—I'll arrange for someone to come over and help you out. You can completely trust this person, Isabella. He's been with me for a long time, and you can give him any orders you want."

The conference room suddenly fell silent. A flash of surprise crossed Hayden's eyes, and Isabella was also taken aback.

Harold suddenly inserting someone into this project wasn't a good sign. If this person came just to slack off, it would greatly delay their project's progress.

But if it were someone domineering, that wouldn't be good for Isabella either. Currently, the project's direction was entirely in her control.

Following her arrangements, they would definitely complete the project before the deadline. But if someone difficult showed up, that would be hard to say.

Isabella's heart skipped a beat, but her face maintained a calm smile as she politely declined Harold's offer.

"No need to trouble you, Mr. Rogers. You must have a lot on your plate. Losing someone would be an inconvenience for you, too."

"Please don't worry, Mr. Rogers. I can handle this project completely on my own. We don't need additional staff."

Hayden chimed in from the side.

"That's right, Mr. Rogers. No need to go through the trouble of sending someone over. I trust my daughter's abilities. She's more than capable on her own. Besides, the design drawings are already done. Now we just need to start construction and supervise the work on site."

Harold looked over thoughtfully, the smile gone from his face.

"Why are you both so resistant to me sending someone over? Do you think I'm going to sabotage your project?"

The smile disappeared from Harold's face, and his words carried an oppressive pressure. The atmosphere in the conference room instantly became tense and frozen.

It was clear Harold had lost his patience. Isabella paused, took a deep breath, and slowly spoke.

"That's not what we meant at all, Mr. Rogers. You've misunderstood. Since you're willing to send someone over, we're naturally happy about it. Having someone to help will probably make the project finish even faster."

"So thank you for your kindness, Mr. Rogers."

She knew that once Harold made an offer, he probably wouldn't take it back. Since he'd already said it, there was no point in struggling. Better to just accept the person and deal with any problems later.

A smile returned to Harold's face, but it carried a hint of coldness.