The Substitute Bride

"Don't say that, Irene. We understand that your president must be very busy. It's very nice of you to come and meet us." Sheryl would not pay attention to such things. After all, a collaboration between Cloud Advertising Company and Tarsan Corporation has already improved their status.

Truth be told, the fact that Tarsan Corporation sent the CEO's assistant to meet with them was already proof that Cloud Advertising Company was being respected and taken seriously by the former.

"Please have a seat, Ms. Xia." Irene, the assistant, smiled and gestured toward two velvet chairs. She then gracefully raised a hand to call the attention of the man standing just outside the door. "Zachary," she said with a sweet, warm voice, "kindly pour out some tea for Ms. Xia and this beautiful lady."

"Okay, Irene," said Zachary before quietly walking away.

"Irene, please take a look. This is my first draft of the plan." Sheryl went straight to the point, not a second after politely sitting down.

Irene respectfully held out her hands to receive the plan book. She studied it carefully. Sheryl, who sat across from Irene, looked intently at the assistant. She could feel her own heart beating. She needed this to work.

Moments later, Zachary came in and served the guests some tea. When he was finished, he left courteously, without a word.

It took Irene a whole hour to go through the entire draft. For Sheryl, every second in that quiet room felt like an eternity. She realized just how serious Irene was and felt reassured that Tarsan Corporation was indeed the right entity to work with.

"Well, I'm impressed," a voice finally cut through the silence. "This is a great plan." Irene's approving taps landed on the cover of the now-closed plan book.

"Really?" Isla could not help but ask.

"Of course! I think it's excellent. Ms. Xia deserves the honor of being named the best planner in Y City. Tarsan Corporation is very lucky to be collaborating with Cloud Advertising Company," Irene smiled, still full of praise.

"Irene, are there any parts that need improvement? This is just the first draft. I can..." Sheryl felt waves of happiness and excitement come over her.

"In my opinion, the plan is perfect as it is. I see nothing that needs to be modified. To tell you the truth, Ms. Xia, I am just in awe of your talent. You don't have to worry about making arrangements. I will relay the final review to our president at once. If she approves it, you can proceed with this plan on the day of the reception."

"That's great

you?"

"You may take your leave now." Charles politely dismissed David.

The secretary nodded and left the president's office with obvious unease.

"Charles, how long has it been since we last saw each other? It's been three years. Do you still hate me this much?" Rachel closed the door after David left.

Charles did not want to talk to her.

"Well, since Mr. Lu doesn't want to talk to me about personal matters, can we talk about business instead?" Rachel was frustrated, but she did not intend on giving up so easily. She held out her right hand with a professional smile. "Mr. Lu, maybe we can start over and get to know each other again. I'm Rachel Bai, president of Tarsan Corporation."

"What do you want?" Charles regarded her with a cold stare. He did not shake her hand.

"Mr. Lu, do you think I returned to Y City because of you?" Rachel sneered. "Or do you think that after all these years, I would still be missing you? Don't be so full of yourself...

Charles, to tell you the truth, I liked you in the past. But what happened after that caused me to get tired of your love. I heard you are now with Autumn—no, Sheryl—and that you have two children.

But I already have what I want. Now I'm the president of Tarsan Corporation. To be frank, now that I have everything that I want, why would I have to chase you? Am I that stupid? Knowing that there's a person out there who already has your heart, it would be utterly shameless of me to still beg for your love. Am I not allowed to be happy?"

Charles believed that Rachel was saying these things from the depths of her heart. "So," he said, "you've been abroad for three years, and I think that you have changed."