Leah's POV
With rounds of applause, I walked down the podium and took my seat next to my brother.
He seldom revealed his true feelings in front of other people, but at that time, he couldn't help but look at me with approval.
Board members around the table commented -
"This is a great presentation on the Mediland market."
"Very insightful. Thank you, Miss Lewyn."
"We're very lucky to have such an aspiring young lady join our team."
Just as I was smirking inside, I heard a sharp, high-pitch voice at the other end of the table -
"I have some concerns regarding Miss Lewyn's plan."
I looked up and saw the Head of Eastern Market, Ava Dinara, glaring at me.
Being the only female member in this board meeting, she was definitely a sight to behold, with her striking features and commanding presence. Her dark, wavy hair was sleek and pulled back into a tight bun, framing her sharp jawline and piercing blue eyes. Her tailored suit hugged her curves in all the right places, easily making her the center of attention in this gentlemen's club.
However, she looked so confident and comfortable in her position, sitting there like a Greek Goddess or something. Everything that came out of her mouth was like a prophecy.
While I was making my presentation, she listened intently, but her expression remained stoic. I could tell that she had doubts, and she made it clear by speaking up in a voice laced with authority -
"I appreciate your enthusiasm, Miss Lewyn, I really do. But I'm afraid I have to disagree," she said with her eyes locked onto mine. "The situation of the Mediland market is way more complicated than you have expected. And the person who's in charge of this market should be someone more experienced with the Eastern Market. This kind of expertise only comes with time. You simply don't have the qualifications yet."
Her tone was firm and unwavering, leaving no room for argument. It was obvious that she was used to getting what she wanted and didn't have time to entertain any objections.
While she was talking, Gean whispered in my ear, "Ava was supposed to take over the Mediland Project if you weren't here."
"But now I am here," I whispered back. "I have to say something. I won't let her stop me from getting this project."
Gean lowered her voice and said, "Miss Lewyn, people in this meeting room are seasoned businessmen who have been through literally everything. I'm very confident about their expertise when it comes to choosing the right person for a post. My suggestion is, let Ava do the talking, and let those good gentlemen decide who's qualified and who's not."
"Mr. Lee, do you have any insights to share with the rest of the group?" Ava asked in her oracle-citing voice.
The way she stared at Gean was full of hatred, which I couldn't fathom.
Gean was an amiable person. I simply couldn't understand why people would hate someone like him.
"No, Miss Dinara," Gean Lee quickly replied with composure. I could tell that he had already gotten used to people's hatred against him.
Ava flickered her hair absentmindedly and said, "I've noticed that you've been busy prompting Miss Lewyn all these days. I fully understand the pressure you have when it comes to turning a doe-eye little girl into a capable, independent businesswoman, but I really appreciate it if you could remain silent while a board member is talking. After all, this isn't Limber Creek, where the rednecks in Blazebite Prowlers Pack haggle over the price of livestock or whores at a county fair."
This was outrageous. She shouldn't insult Gean by using his past traumatic experience, which hurt him the most in his entire life.
I felt the need to talk back and make her apologize for what she had said, but Gean pulled my sleeves in secret.
I realized that it was him trying to warn me not to say a word.
Ava was just trying to use this dirty trick to anger me. She wanted me to lose control of my anger and looked immature in front of the board members, so she could use it against me.
So, I held all the insulting words back and smiled faintly at Ava instead.
Gean slightly nodded at me with approval and turned to Ava.
"I'm sorry, Miss Dinara. I understand your frustration. Please continue," he said with an earnest smile on his face.
Ava gave him a dark glance with the creepiest, phoniest smile I had ever seen in my life.
"As I was saying, Mediland Project requires a lot of experience in handling rogues, who are a bunch of ruthless, morally declining degenerates. Even though Miss Lewyn had got married to one for five years, it didn't mean that she could do business with them. Oh, by the way, I heard that Miss Lewyn was rejected by her mate. So, I take it that she couldn't even handle one ruthless, morally declining degenerate, let alone 500,000 of them."
Attacking people by using their personal lives? This is really low. I thought to myself. The truth is, it's really easy to shame a woman in public. As long as you find out whom she's sleeping with, then, you can either make her a failure, or a slut. The nastiest part is, Ava is a woman who's stuck in this Alpha Male business and she knows about this more than anyone else. And now, she's using this kind of bullshit to trash me? I'm pretty fed up with this kind of shit and it's time to put it to a stop.
Just before I was about to say something, I heard Lucian's voice. According to Gean, my brother seldom spoke during board meetings, so everyone in this room looked surprised and strained their ears.
"Gean, you used to be a rogue, didn't you?" Lucian asked.
"Yes, Your Highness." Gean straightened up and replied.
"So that makes you the only person in this room who has the right to make a comment on Miss Lewyn's ability to work with rogues." Lucian stared at him and said.
"Your Highness, I would like to assure you, as well as all the members of the board, that it has been a great pleasure to work with Miss Lewyn. She's not a big talker, but a really great listener," Gean said.
Everyone in the meeting room nodded their heads when they heard Gean's words except Ava, whose face started turning red and white at the same time.
"Seriously?" She tapped the table emotionally and asked. "Are you kidding me? Are you seriously thinking of letting an ex-housewife take control of the most profitable market in this Kingdom? You're making a huge mistake and it will cost us an enormous amount of money! Miss Lewyn is clearly under the influence of her gay consultant. What she's proposing is basically bribing those imbecile rogues! And if I may remind you, Your Highness, a rogue's endorsement shouldn't be put into our consideration. Being a professional, I refuse to work with someone like Miss Lewyn and I suggest everyone in this room..."
Ava's eloquent speech faded into a whisper because she saw my brother's reaction -
Lucian was checking emails by fiddling with his mobile.
"Are you done with your speech, Miss Dinara?" Lucian asked without taking his eyes off the screen.
"Yes, Your Highness..." Ava lowered her head and whispered.
Lucian cut her short and announced in a low but steady voice, "Whoever refuses to work with Miss Lewyn can submit their resignation in the system today. This meeting is now dismissed."