Leah's POV
Leah's POV
"I love this office! The view is amazing!" Laura smiled.
"Your office is just next to mine. We share the same view, and you're welcome to my office any time you like." I stood next to Laura, leaning on her shoulder while looking out of the window.
"I'm ready to work now! Where shall we start?" Laura tied up her hair and rolled up her sleeves as if she was about to start a fight.
"Gean has prepared some documents for our tender process," I replied. "It's for the Huffner Bridge. We would like to get the contract work, so we'll be able to take control of the trades around the Huffner River Region. That's our first step for our entire Mediland Campaign, so we need to make sure that everything happens according to our plan."
"Aha," Laura said with a frown. "That's Alpha Dire's territory. I don't like that old man. My mother said he's as canny as an old fox and he just doesn't die."
"He's making money for his business partners. If we work with him, he will make money for us. That's the only thing that matters," I said.
Laura still looked a bit upset and said, "Everyone who has worked with him absolutely hates him. He's the kind of man who doesn't hesitate to use other people's necks as a ladder to jump out of a sinking boat. Do you really think that we should do business with him?"
"Your mother is doing business with him," I said.
Laura mumbled, "My mother is doing business with him, but my mother never trusts him."
"Neither do I," I said and held her hands in mine. "Laura, I understand that you're worried and you want to protect me, but please trust me. Everything will be fine."
"Sure," Laura nodded. "I always trust you, Leah. Now, let's make some money together!"
I smiled with relief and said, "You can take a look at it and assess its quality. Also, we need to collect some information about our rivals. This bidding process will last only for three weeks, so we're running out of time. But anyway, Gean is very good at what he does. I'm sure you'll be in good hands."
"No problem! I'll take it from here," Laura patted her chest.
At that time, I heard Gean's voice outside.
"Miss Dinara, you can't get into Miss Lewyn's office without an appointment," Gean said.
"I've told you. I have urgent business. Get out of my way, Lee!"
The door open was pushed open abruptly and Ava showed up at the door, looking like a Valkyrie on fire.
Gean walked in behind her and said, "Miss Lewyn, I'm so sorry, but..."
"It's OK, Gean. Let me deal with it. You can go to Miss Parrish's office and wait for her," I said.
Looking reluctant, Gean said, "Yes, Miss Lewyn. If you need me, I'll be next door."
As soon as Gean left, Ava approached me while looking around.
"Wow, I've got to say, you must have spent a lot of time renovating this office," Ava said. "I wish you could spend more time on the Mediland Campaign."
Laura stared at Ava and asked bluntly, "Leah, who's this bitch and what's she doing here?"
Ava looked surprised and asked, "Who do you think you are to talk to me like this? And may I remind you that this is a working place. Respect me as well as seniority..."
Laura interrupted Ava by taunting her, "Oh, shut up, bitch. Beat it. I know exactly what you've done to Gean in the past when he was at your Blazebite Prowlers Pack. You tried to be his girlfriend but he rejected you because you're a horrible person. You made yourself a laughingstock, which is why you told your father that Gean was queer, so to let him cast Gean away from your pack! I certainly don't have any respect for a stupid bitch like you. Besides, talking about seniority, I'm the personal consultant of the new Vice President of this company. I made my first 100 million dollars when you were struggling in law school for the bar test. I outrank you, bitch!"
Ava's face contorted with anger and her fists were clenched so tightly that her knuckles turned white. Her lips pressed tightly together in a thin, hard line.
"You..." She pointed at Laura and squeezed those words out of her mouth.
Laura rolled her eyes at Ava and took a deep breath. She said, "Phew, I've always wanted to say something like this. Now I feel so relieved after getting these words out of my chest."
Ava's arms crossed tightly over her chest. The anger and shame swirling within her were palpable.
I said, "Miss Dinara, before you say anything more insulting, may I ask why you show up here in my office?"
I saw flames of hatred in Ava's eyes. Her body language spoke volumes as she shifted her weight from one foot to the other. I knew she wanted to rip Laura into pieces. It must have taken her so much effort to pretend to be calm.
"I came here with a proposal." Ava arranged her disarrayed hair and cleared her voice. "You're still new to this company, and I know you eagerly want to prove yourself to the board. The thing is, the Mediland Market is so volatile and high stakes that it's not the perfect starter for any rookies. Alpha Dire is a horrible old man who doesn't even pee without an agenda. He's scheming something and he wants to use UniHealer to achieve his goal. So, I highly recommend that you start with something less complicated. You know, something with guaranteed success."
The first thing I learned about doing business was everything is risky. The second thing, though, was never trust a bitch with vibrant red lipstick and a so-called proposal, running into my office.
However, I would like to see what she was planning to offer, so I said, "Great. I welcome all kinds of proposals. Tell me about it."