Nobody wanted to get caught in the crossfire.
Summer lowered her lashes slightly and shifted her arm just so.
One of the male employees was holding a steaming cup of coffee.
With Summer’s subtle movement, his arm was nudged forward.
The hot coffee splashed out – spilling directly onto Margaret.
Margaret had worn a bright pink Chanel suit today. Now, a large brown stain spread across the fabric like an ugly ink blot.
Margaret shrieked, frantically grabbing tissues to clean it off. “Are you blind? Do you know who I am? Spilling coffee on me – do you want to be fired?”
The male employee paled. He had no idea what had just happened. He stammered, “I-I’m so sorry, Ms. Margaret. It was an accident.”
Summer chuckled. “It’s not that he wasn’t watching where he was going – it’s that he simply couldn’t see certain creatures. Alright, you can go now.”
The man hesitated, then bolted as fast as he could.
Now, it was just the two of them again.
Margaret clenched her jaw. “You did that on purpose!”
Summer’s lips curled slightly. “Which eye of yours saw that? Lewis just had an accident. You shouldn’t be so petty. This is Stewart Group, not your house. Dad wouldn’t like it if you made a scene.”
Margaret was furious.
Looking down at her ruined outfit, the humiliation of last night flashed through her mind. Rage boiled over. She lifted her hand, ready to slap Summer across the face.
But just as her arm swung up, Summer caught her wrist midair.
Without hesitation, she yanked Margaret forward, dragging her straight toward the stairwell.
Margaret shrieked, struggling. “Ah! What are you doing? Summer, let go of me!”
Summer ignored her and didn’t stop until they reached the stairwell. Then, she shoved Margaret away.
Margaret stumbled backward, slamming into the wall with a painful thud.
She clutched her chest. “What do you think you’re doing? You b*tch! Summer, this is Stewart Group! If you touch me, I’ll tell Mom and Dad!”
Summer laughed coldly. “Oh, I don’t plan on doing anything. I just think your mouth is filthy. That coffee only cleaned your clothes. Your mouth needs a wash too.”
She glanced at the trash can nearby. Inside was a cup of expired milk tea, half-full and already curdling.
Summer’s lips curled into a wicked smirk.
Margaret wasn’t expecting it at all.
Summer grabbed the cup and flung it at her.
The sour, rotting liquid splattered all over Margaret’s perfectly styled hair, her makeup, her jewelry – soaking her completely.
A sharp, ear-piercing scream shattered the silence of the office floor.
Margaret stood there, dripping, her once-pristine suit stained, her hair reeking of spoiled milk.
Summer shot her a bored glance, wiped her hands off, and walked away without a care.
Margaret’s eyes turned red with rage.
With a furious howl, she lunged forward – ready to kill her.
As soon as Summer stepped out of the hallway, she saw Jasper walking out of his office with a few secretaries and senior executives.
They had all heard Margaret’s scream and came out to see what was going on.
Summer glanced at Margaret behind her.
She was clenching her fists, looking furious, ready to charge at her.
An idea flashed through Summer’s mind. She raised an eyebrow, quickly put on a frightened look, and darted behind Jasper.
“Dad, Dad! Margaret’s acting crazy! She suddenly tried to hit me – please save me!”
“You bitch, Summer! Don’t run! I’m going to ruin that face of yours today!”
Margaret had been running too fast. As soon as she rushed out of the stairwell, she didn’t even have time to stop when she saw the crowd.
Jasper cared about his reputation. Seeing Margaret drenched, reeking, and acting out of control, his face darkened.
“Margaret, have you made enough of a scene?” he snapped.
Margaret’s anger boiled even hotter when she saw Summer hiding behind Jasper, pretending to be weak.
She took a deep breath, pointed at Summer, and shouted, “Dad! I’m not making a scene! Summer spilled coffee all over me first, and then she – she took milk tea from the trash can – “
Summer interrupted her, her tone soft. “That’s not how it happened. Lewis was holding the coffee, but his hand slipped a little, and a tiny bit spilled on Margaret. She got upset and thought I told him to do it on purpose. Then she tried to throw milk tea at me, but I dodged, and it ended up spilling all over her instead.”
Lewis stood nearby, head down, carefully adding, “Mr. Stewart, I really didn’t mean to spill coffee on Ms. Margaret.”
“Summer, you’re lying! You’re making things up! Dad, don’t believe her! It was clearly – “
Jasper’s face turned even darker as more and more people gathered around to watch. “Enough! Have you caused enough trouble yet? Margaret, this is a company. Watch your behavior. If you keep this up, I’ll have your mother cut off your allowance.”
The moment she heard that, her face paled.
No more allowance? That meant no more Hermès bags, no more Chanel clothes, and no more shopping sprees at Belvare.
Margaret clenched her teeth, unwilling but afraid Jasper would really go through with it. She swallowed her anger and forced out, “Dad, I’m sorry. I won’t do it again.”
Summer stood to the side, smirking. Oh, you know how to put on an act? Well, so do I.
“Dad, I won’t hold it against Margaret,” she said sweetly. “What really matters right now is securing the investment for the Global
Project. I’ll put the bigger picture first.”
Jasper’s mood improved at that. The company’s affairs were his top priority.
These little fights between his daughters weren’t a big deal, as long as they didn’t go overboard in public.
“Both of you need to focus on securing that investment,” he said. “Whoever gets it will receive ten percent of the Stewart family’s shares – and I’ll prioritize their future.”
With that, Jasper walked off with the executives for their meeting.
Everyone else quietly returned to their offices.
As Summer walked past Margaret, she gave her a once-over, wrinkled her nose, and deliberately waved a hand in front of her face.
“Margaret, you stink. If I were you, I wouldn’t even show my face.”
She threw Margaret’s own words right back at her, then walked away without looking back.
Margaret’s eyes burned with fury. She gritted her teeth and flung her Hermès bag to the ground.
“Summer, just wait. Once I secure that investment, I’ll rip that smug mouth of yours apart.”
At Larson Group, Trevor tossed his suit jacket onto the couch and told Andrew to call the CFO, Yannick, to his office.
Less than ten minutes later, Yannick stood before Trevor’s desk. He glanced at Andrew, silently asking what this was about.
Andrew shrugged. He had no idea either.
Trevor leaned back in his chair, his cold, unreadable expression making the entire room feel tense. After a moment, he finally spoke.
“Prepare six hundred million in budget funds.”
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.