Chapter 107
The next morning at nine o'clock, Charlotte walked into the Sunrise Tech building alone.
When Jack saw Charlotte waiting in his office, he frowned slightly, with a hint of impatience in his eyes.
When he saw Charlotte pull documents out of her bag, that hidden irritation peaked, and the words that followed were anything but polite.
"Ms. Johnson, I thought I made myself pretty clear."
"The partnership between Sunrise Tech and the Langley Group has been terminated. There's really no need for you to..."
"Mr. Collins, why don't you take a look first? After all, we had a deal — if I could come up with a plan that satisfied you, you couldn't say no."
Charlotte held his gaze calmly, placed the tablet in front of him, and opened the core concept page.
Jack frowned and glanced down at the screen.
The moment he saw the bold slogan — "MindSync: Turn Every Heartbeat Into Forever" — something shifted in his eyes.
He reached out and began slowly scrolling through the content.
Charlotte stood quietly to the side, in no rush to speak.
As time passed, Jack's expression gradually shifted from impatience to seriousness, and finally to disbelief.
The entire proposal had been dramatically improved. From technical execution and market positioning to marketing strategy and projected returns, every section was backed by data and research that left nothing to pick apart.
What really got to him was the last page — a projection showing that over the next three years, market share was expected to grow by at least five percentage points, generating profits more than three times the original estimate. His breathing quickened.
"This proposal... did you put this together yourself?"
Jack looked up, his expression completely serious.
"The core concept was mine, but the data models were built by my team."
Charlotte's tone was calm and measured: "Mr. Collins, every figure in this proposal has been run through hundreds of simulations. We also have a working prototype of the jewelry."
"The numbers you're seeing? That's the worst-case scenario."
"If things are managed well, the potential profits and long-term value are honestly beyond estimation."
Her expression grew more serious.
"Mr. Collins, I understand that the recent personnel changes at the Langley Group created some friction around the contract."
"But I don't think that should stand in the way of our two companies working together. It takes time to find a rhythm — that's just how partnerships work."
"Besides, I don't think anyone in their right mind would walk away from a future this profitable, would they?"
Jack went quiet.
He had to admit — Charlotte was the real deal. And she had hit exactly the right nerve.
Charlotte watched the hesitation on his face and pressed on, her voice steady and persuasive.
"Mr. Collins, you're a forward-thinking person. You know how to recognize what's in your best interest."
"If we move forward together, Sunrise Tech won't just double its profits — it'll earn the right to define the next era of smart jewelry."
"I believe it won't be long before the jewelry people wear every day is something our two companies built together."
"And if I still say no?" Jack's eyes darkened slightly as he said it quietly.
As if she'd seen this coming all along, Charlotte didn't flinch. She smiled.
"That's completely fine, Mr. Collins. The Langley Group will move forward with this project either way."
Watching her sit there completely unruffled, Jack felt a jolt in his chest.
He knew she wasn't bluffing. Charlotte meant every word.
If the Langley Group partnered with someone else and launched the "memory jewelry" concept, Sunrise Tech's prized MindSync system would lose every edge it had.
Win or lose — it all came down to this moment.
Jack took a deep breath, stood up, and for the first time, extended his hand to Charlotte.
"Ms. Johnson, I owe you an apology for how I've been acting."
"This is a genuinely impressive proposal. On behalf of Sunrise Tech, I'm in."
"As for the contract details — can we lock everything down this afternoon?"
"Absolutely." Charlotte shook his hand, a small smile crossing her face. "Mr. Collins, looking forward to working together."
She walked out of the Sunrise Tech building right at noon. The sun was directly overhead, almost blinding.
But the weight she'd been carrying finally lifted. She felt herself relax.
The first move had landed.
But before she could fully exhale, the moment she stepped through the doors of the Langley Group, her assistant Mireille came rushing toward her, face completely drained of color.
"Ms. Johnson, something's wrong — something really bad has happened!"
Charlotte frowned. "Calm down. Tell me what's going on."
"Mr. Moreland wants you in his office right now! He sounds furious — his tone was really intense!"
That caught Charlotte off guard.
Mr. Moreland was one of the group's most senior figures, overseeing production and safety. He'd always kept to himself and stayed neutral — they'd barely had any dealings with each other.
So why was he suddenly calling her in?
Turning it over in her mind, Charlotte took the elevator straight to the executive floor.
She knocked on the door. A voice came from inside — low, barely containing its anger. "Come in."
The moment she pushed the door open, Mr. Moreland — nearly sixty years old — snatched up a document and slammed it to the floor in front of her. The sound cracked through the room.
"Charlotte, is this how you run your department?!"
"You've barely been in this role — and you're already running this company into the ground!"
Charlotte looked at him, his rage barely contained. She pressed her lips together, then glanced down at the papers scattered across the floor.
One of them read: "Emergency Safety Incident Report."
Her heart dropped. She picked it up and read quickly.
At the Lakeside Estates construction site on the west side of the city, a worker performing work at height had used an old, compromised safety rope in violation of safety regulations. He fell from the 23rd floor and died on the spot.
The news had spread fast. Media outlets had already swarmed the site.
This was serious. A major safety incident.
But what confused Charlotte was this — in all the time she'd been with the company, every project she'd touched was still in the evaluation phase. As for Lakeside Estates...
Something clicked. She looked up at the man glaring at her from across the room.
"Mr. Moreland, as far as I know, this project was already under construction before I took this position. It's been under the previous director's oversight. This has nothing to do with me..."
"You took over the role, so it's your responsibility now!" Mr. Moreland pointed a finger at her, his voice rising like she'd said something absurd. "The project is in trouble, so the blame falls on you!"
"Or are you telling me you had no idea what was happening in your own department? Is that the kind of work ethic and competence you're bringing to this job?!"