Chapter 104: The Boardroom Gambit

The afternoon sun reflected off the glass buildings surrounding the street as Matthias and Mindy walked out of Virello Restaurant together.

For the first time in days, Matthias looked relaxed. He kept glancing down at the velvet box in his hand—the white-gold cufflinks.

His fingers unconsciously brushed over the engraved cursive M.

A small smile appeared on his lips again.

Inside the car, Samuel sat in the passenger seat. Every few seconds he secretly looked into the rear-view mirror, then at his boss, then back again.

"..."

The driver did the same. Samuel sighed inwardly.

"Three hours ago, the office felt like Antarctica. Now he looks like a lovesick puppy."

He quickly pushed the thought aside before Matthias could notice.

A moment later, Matthias asked Samuel.

"Isn’t there an auction scheduled for next week?"

Samuel nodded. "Yes, Mr. King. The Maison de Royale Auction."

"Will the Roselle Necklace be among the items being auctioned?"

Samuel looked slightly confused by the question, but he nodded. "Yes, it will."

"Then reserve a bidding slot under my name."

Samuel’s eyes widened slightly.

Was Mr. King planning to buy the necklace for Miss Wilson?

Rona Design

Mindy arrived at the headquarters shortly afterward. These days, most of her time was spent at Rona Design.

LUXT had already stabilized—the managers, designers, and finance department knew exactly what they had to do. Rona was another story entirely. She walked straight into Layla’s office.

Layla was discussing something with Sienna. Mindy smiled before sitting opposite her. "What did you find?"

Layla nodded toward Sienna. Sienna immediately handed over a thick file.

Mindy flipped through it. One page. Two pages. Five pages. Ten pages.

Her expression slowly darkened. She looked up. "...Is this what I think it is?"

Layla nodded. "It is."

A dangerous silence filled the office. Finally, Mindy closed the file. "...How dare they." Layla leaned back. "I said exactly the same thing."

Sienna swallowed. She had never seen someone become this calm after discovering fraud. Layla smiled. "We’re not exposing it."

Mindy immediately understood. "No. We’re not. It’ll be much more interesting when everyone is present."

Both women smiled. Sienna felt a chill run down her spine.

"They’re terrifying... Mr. and Mrs. Wilson, what exactly did you teach your grandchildren?"

The office phone rang. Layla answered.

"...Spencer sisters?" She looked at Mindy.

"We didn’t hire anyone named Spencer."

"I did. Send them in."

A moment later, Amelia and Vivian entered.

Both saluted instinctively before stopping awkwardly.

Mindy smiled. She introduced them to Layla and briefly explained everything that had happened at lunch.

Layla raised an eyebrow. "So lunch went well."

"It did." Then she turned toward the sisters.

"Have you unpacked?"

"Yes."

"Did you like you the cottage and your rooms? If anything is missing, tell Mrs. Bennett. She manages everything in the estate."

Amelia nodded quickly. "They’re perfect."

Vivian remained quiet she thought, "Perfect? My bathroom is larger than our hotel room. And she gave each of us our own room. Best client ever."

Layla looked at both women. "So they’ll be staying with us?"

"Yes. In the Cottage"

Layla looked at them for a second, then smiled. "Perfect"

Vivian almost laughed. "I thought rich heiresses are difficult. She isn’t difficult at all."

Layla clapped once. "Back to work. So, what’s your plan?" Layla slowly smiled. "You’ll see. I’ve already called for a board meeting.

It starts in an hour. You ready?" Mindy smiled. "I’m always ready."

One Hour Later

The boardroom gradually filled.

Martin Leis.

Alexander Matt.

Raymond Hawthorne.

Department heads. Independent directors.

Mindy and Layla were already seated and waiting for them. Sienna and Amelia stood behind them—Mindy had sent Vivian on an errand.

Missy entered confidently before taking her seat. Her eyes immediately landed on Amelia standing behind Mindy. She smiled. "Sister... is that your bodyguard? What happened? Did someone scared you?"

Mindy didn’t even look at her. Instead she calmly asked,

"Why? You want to steal her too?"

Layla burst into laughter.

Even Amelia smiled.

Missy’s expression stiffened. "I was only asking out of concern. You don’t have to be rude."

Raymond frowned. "Mindy. She was only worried."

Mindy finally looked at him. "Mr. Hawthorne. I’ve told her repeatedly. I’m not her sister. She knows I dislike it. Yet she insists."

She looked directly at Raymond. "So perhaps you should teach your daughter some manners instead of expecting me to tolerate them."

Raymond’s face darkened. "I’m your father."

Mindy smiled coldly. "And?" Silence filled the room.

She continued, "Do you only raise your voice at me, your own daughter? Or..."

She tilted her head. "Is Miss Hawthorne actually your real daughter? That’s why you side with her?"

Every director froze. Missy’s face instantly turned pale.

Raymond slammed the table.

"MINDY! Watch your mouth!" Mindy calmly leaned back.

"This is me being rude. If you don’t want to see worse, control your daughter."

Layla calmly added, "This is a board meeting. If personal emotions are difficult to control, anyone is free to leave."

Raymond had never been spoken to like this, especially by his own daughter.

He slowly sat back down, then turned toward Missy. His cold glare made her lower her head. She remained silent. But inside, hatred burned.

Sienna quietly locked the boardroom doors. Layla stood.

"Good afternoon everyone. There are three agenda items today."

She clicked the remote. The company logo appeared.

"First, twenty days from today, Rona Design will begin a comprehensive internal audit across every department."

Several directors nodded.

Missy spoke first. "But our routine audit happens every six months. Why another one?" Layla smiled professionally.

"Because this company has undergone a takeover.

We need complete transparency. It protects everyone."

No one objected. Except Missy’s fingers slowly tightened beneath the table.

"Second, LUXT recently received several major international projects. We’ve decided some of those projects will be handled by Rona Design."

The room immediately became excited.

One slide appeared: Twin Royal Wedding Collection. Every executive’s eyes widened. Martin smiled. "That’s enormous."

Layla nodded. "It may become our biggest project this year. And some members of the LUXT team will be shadowing this project here in Rona Design."

Everyone nodded.

"Third, this year marks Rona Design’s fifteenth anniversary."

The room became quiet. Layla smiled softly. "I’d like to revive one of Maria Hawthorne’s traditions."

Several older employees exchanged nostalgic glances. "The anniversary banquet." Even Raymond looked surprised.

Layla continued. "But this year, we’ll do something different."

The next slide appeared:

Department Challenge.

Every department would compete. Each team would submit a theme, decorations, budget, and event proposal. The winning department would organize the anniversary banquet. The company would fully fund the proposal. And the winning team would receive a special company reward.

Martin immediately smiled.

"I like this." Alexander nodded.

"It’ll motivate every department." Others quickly agreed.

Raymond himself finally spoke. "This will help unite everyone after the acquisition."

Layla smiled. "I’m glad everyone agrees."

Beside her, Mindy quietly looked toward Missy. She smiled. Just once. A tiny smile. Missy frowned. For some reason, that smile made her feel uneasy. Very uneasy.

She didn’t know why. But she suddenly had the strange feeling that the Wilson sisters had already begun moving their chess pieces. And she had just walked exactly where they wanted her to.

Sienna looked at both Mindy and Layla, seeing their hidden smiles and glances. She thought, "The Wilsons are Monsters... all three of them."

The board meeting ended with everyone discussing the upcoming anniversary banquet.

Executives left the conference room one after another, still excitedly talking about the department competition Layla had announced. The energy in the hallway was palpable—people were already forming teams, debating themes, arguing over budgets before they’d even been assigned.

The board meeting ended with the executives discussing the upcoming anniversary banquet. Some had already begun debating themes and forming teams before they even reached the hallway.

Inside Mindy’s office, the atmosphere was much calmer.

Mindy settled into her chair and glanced at the notes spread across the table.

"So, we’re certain Mrs. Victoria Vale will be attending the banquet?" she asked. "And what have we found out about Veloura Fashion?"

"Zac is looking into it," Layla replied.

Mindy lifted an eyebrow. "You’re making your boyfriend work?"

"Why not?" Layla asked with a mischievous smile. "Maybe you should accept Matthias’s proposal. Then you can ask him to investigate things for you too."

Mindy groaned. "Not this again. I’ve told you countless times. Matthias and I are friends, and that’s all we’ll ever be."

"Fine," Layla said, though her amused expression made it clear she wasn’t convinced.

She picked up one of the documents and glanced at Mindy.

"What about your husband? Are we inviting him?"

"Of course." Mindy leaned back in her chair. "Even if we don’t invite him, his dear girlfriend will probably bring him as her plus-one."

Layla nodded. "That’s true."

"Wade also said he won’t be able to attend," Mindy added. "Apparently, he has to travel overseas."

"Then it’ll just be the two of us," Layla said.

Mindy nodded. "He’s going to miss a lot."

"He certainly is."

Before they could continue, someone knocked on the door.

Sienna entered with a tablet in her hand. "Miss Hart, access has been granted to LUXT employees. They can now access the office systems and the projects they’ll be assisting with."

Layla’s expression became focused.

"Good. Let’s get started."