Second Chance: Marrying into Wealth Chapter 201

"I hope you don't mind me taking the initiative!" I said with a grin. "Are you nervous?"

I had some ideas about how people might react, but one never knew for sure, so there was still some risk.

"Nervous?" Quinlan paused, then said, "Not really. They can't be worse than my parents. Honestly, I have no clue how folks online will react if this gets out."

"Don't sweat it. I think most people know right from wrong and will react positively. And for those who don't, who cares? Do you think people like that are really happy? So, don't worry about the ones just looking for drama. Besides, you haven't done anything wrong, right?" I tried to reassure her.

Quinlan said, "Melinda, you're right. I actually thought about sharing my story before, but I never went through with it."

"Why not?"

I was surprised Quinlan had considered it. If it had been published, I might have known about her arrival in Starlight City sooner and could have helped earlier.

"Ms. Grey was right. There are too many stories about favoring boys over girls. My story isn't unique enough to get published. People nowadays don't want to see suffering and sadness; they want to see a comeback or a phoenix rising from the ashes. My story might just seem like I'm selling pain and anxiety."

I understood. She had been rejected, and it seemed to have affected her.

She added, "Some might even say my parents at least let me grow up, so I shouldn't complain and should be grateful. But I don't like hearing that. Even if they call me ungrateful, I still want to break free from them!"

Quinlan was clearly struggling internally, disappointed by her parents but still longing for their love.

I said, "Don't doubt yourself. Your choices and efforts are right. Don't worry about what others say. Just be yourself. I believe in your choices and judgment."

"Okay, Melinda, I will!"

Quinlan seemed to have taken my words to heart. After chatting a bit more, we ended the call.

Now, it was up to Marlowe to see how things would unfold. I needed to be ready for the next steps.

But it was strange. Christopher hadn't made any moves regarding Marlowe.

I had seen Marlowe's stubborn and unyielding nature several times. I couldn't help but wonder if Christopher was trying to tame her by deliberately not taking action.

Thinking about this, I glanced towards Christopher's office.

Just then, I saw him and Vincent coming out of the office.

Christopher, in his sharp suit, exuded a commanding presence. Even Vincent, who was quite handsome himself, paled in comparison next to him.

His eagle-like eyes, perfect features, and the serious way he was discussing work with Vincent made it hard to look away.

With such a presence, Marlowe must be attracted to him. She could be a bit more proactive.

Lost in thought, I didn't notice Christopher had walked up to my desk.

He knocked on my desk, snapping me out of my thoughts. I looked up, meeting his penetrating gaze, feeling a bit guilty.

Getting caught daydreaming by the boss was embarrassing.

"Mr. Collins, what can I do for you?" I steadied myself and asked.

"The document I asked you to prepare this morning, hand it over." Christopher's tone was serious but not scolding.

I quickly handed him the organized document.

I couldn't help but add, "Mr. Collins, you could have just called me to bring it to your office."

After all, it was my job as his secretary, and there was no need for him to waste time coming over.

He glanced at me and replied calmly, "Sitting too long, needed to stretch."

That made sense. I thought about how I often felt stiff after sitting too long and liked to stretch. His reasoning was sound.

He then opened the document and started reading.

Regarding the companies involved, I said, "The meeting is in half an hour. I've notified everyone about the upcoming product launch of Vanguard Motors, Inc. Except for Douglas, everyone else has been informed."

Christopher looked up from the document. "What's going on?"

"Due to product quality issues, he's inspecting the workshop."

Today's meeting was about discussing the new products of Skyward Motors, Ltd and their competitor, AutoForge Workshop. As the person in charge, Douglas should have been present.

Christopher's face darkened.

"Get in touch with Douglas immediately!" Christopher said, barely containing his anger.

"Yes, sir!"

I quickly contacted Douglas.

After several attempts, Douglas finally answered.

With less than twenty minutes until the meeting, Douglas was still making excuses. "Ms. Turner, I can't leave right now. The workshop is noisy, and the signal is unstable. I can't join the meeting. Could you inform Mr. Collins for me?"

"Sorry, Mr. Campbell, I'm Mr. Collins' secretary and only relay messages. If you can't make it, I'll have to inform Mr. Collins, and he can speak to you directly."

Even as a secretary, I found Douglas' attitude unacceptable.

AutoForge Workshop was facing significant issues. Once a leading company, it had been overtaken by Vanguard Motors, Inc in a short time. Douglas, as the person in charge, was responsible. Christopher hadn't blamed him yet, only wanted to discuss the issues, but Douglas kept making excuses.

"Ms. Turner, please..."

Douglas seemed to want to say more, but I reminded him, "There's still about twenty minutes until the meeting. If the workshop is too noisy, you have time to return to your office and join the call."

Douglas agreed reluctantly.

But when the meeting started, Douglas still hadn't joined.

Christopher was busy with the live discussion and hadn't had time to address Douglas' absence, but the tension in the room was palpable.

Christopher's questions were met with silence, as no one had answers.

"Mr. Wallace, after reviewing, did you find any issues?" Christopher asked.

Lloyd from the sales department stammered, offering little of value.

Christopher's expression grew darker.

Everyone was too scared to speak.

Finally, someone from the R&D department hesitated and said, "Our engineers are top-notch. If we can't develop it, maybe we should try to recruit top talent from Vanguard Motors, Inc."

The problem was identifying their key personnel.

Everyone was stuck again. It wasn't easy to poach talent from a competitor.

A bold suggestion was shot down, and no one else dared to speak.

Christopher scanned the room with cold eyes, then produced a design blueprint. "Look at this. It's from someone named Gearhead. Instead of trying to poach from Vanguard Motors, Inc, we should find this person. Their design is thorough and ingenious. This is the kind of talent we need."