Outside the CEO's office, the usually calm and unruffled Jonah Sutton wore a troubled expression.
"Ms. Sutton, what's wrong? You don't look so good. Did Mr. Winslow give you another impossible task?" her assistant asked, leaning over with a curious look on her face.
"Every time Mr. Winslow's flavor of the week visits, he makes us completely sanitize his office again. Ugh! It's driving me crazy. I swear it's a sickness that needs treating," Jonah complained. It was rare for her to vent to others, but her boss was perfect in every way except for how quickly he went through women. And, of course, his outrageous germaphobia.
"Oh..." the young assistant mused. "So that was Mr. Winslow's lover who just went in! Wait, no! She's the ex-lover now. She is stunning, though, and so elegant. I almost thought she was a celebrity!"
The assistant wore a dreamy expression. That woman was truly beautiful, especially those enchanting eyes that seemed to pull you right in. Even as a woman, she had felt mesmerized after just one glance—who knew what kind of effect it had on men! To think Mr. Winslow would dump such a breathtaking beauty after just six months... what an absolute waste of a masterpiece!
Over the course of a month.
Shalma Hughes had been working herself to the bone. The instigator of all this misery was none other than Julian Winslow. She drafted proposal after proposal, handing them in only for him to reject every single one.
It had been a month since the two companies began their collaboration, yet their progress continued to lag—it even seemed to be going backward. The board members of The Hughes Group were keeping a close eye on the project. Upon learning of the dismal results, they convened a shareholders' meeting where everyone voiced harsh criticisms, clearly intending to pressure Marcus Hughes into replacing the project manager. Marcus was forced to put his foot down, guaranteeing that the project's schedule would catch up within a month.
Early the next morning.
Thea Grant pushed open the office door. Catching sight of the woman collapsed asleep on the sofa, she almost screamed.
In fact, she did exactly that.
Shalma was jolted awake by the piercing shriek. She slowly opened her sleep-heavy eyes, sat up, and rolled her stiff neck. "Thea! Is it really necessary to yell that loud? Did you see a ghost or something?"
Thea stood there, stunned. "Ms. Hughes, did you pull another all-nighter? You can't keep doing this. You're going to burn yourself out. Sleep is the most important thing for a woman's health. Without enough of it, your skin will suffer."
Shalma stood up and stretched her entire body. She was still wearing yesterday's clothes, which were now a mass of wrinkles. Her normally lustrous, beautiful hair had gone untended and looked like dry straw. Yet, despite her disheveled state, that outrageously stunning face still glowed with an absolute, dazzling radiance, showing no signs of defeat.
Looking at her, Thea couldn't help but marvel inwardly that a true beauty always remained a beauty.
"I've finished the new proposal. Please deliver it to Assistant Sutton at Winslow Corp for me," Shalma instructed. "I need to go home, shower, and change."
Thea nodded. "Understood, Ms. Hughes! Don't worry, just go home and catch up on your beauty sleep."
Right at that moment, Shalma's phone rang.
She picked it up from the desk. A warm, radiant smile bloomed across her bright face when she saw the caller ID.
"Miss Laura! How have you been? I'm so sorry I haven't called lately, I've been incredibly busy!" Shalma said affectionately, her beautiful eyes sparkling with a childish playfulness.
However, the person on the other end remained silent for a long moment.
"Miss Hughes, it's me."
"Mama Archer! Why is it you?" Alarm flashed in Shalma's eyes, and her face rapidly drained of color. "Why are you calling me from Miss Laura's phone? Did something happen to her?"
Why did she suddenly have such a terrible premonition about this?
"Please don't panic, Miss Hughes! The madam is alright. She was just in a minor accident yesterday—she accidentally got bumped by a car while she was out. The doctors have already checked her over and said there's no major damage. She just hasn't woken up yet."