BEEP—
The dial tone was shrill.
The person on the other end couldn’t even be bothered to respond before hanging up.
Joanna Sherman held the phone, her facial muscles twitching with utter humiliation and rage.
She slammed the phone to the ground and let out a suppressed scream.
Timothy Morgan watched coldly with his arms crossed. Only after she had vented did he speak, his tone icy. "Ms. Sherman, if President Grant finds out you made this call to humiliate Ms. Shaw, he definitely won’t let you off the hook!"
Joanna Sherman shuddered, staring at Timothy Morgan as if he were a stranger.
The tears threatening to fall froze in her eyes.
Timothy Morgan pointed a finger at the shattered remains of the phone on the ground. "The person you were just cursing is the one President Grant now holds dearest."
With that, he turned and left.
Joanna Sherman stood frozen, her nails digging so deeply into her palms it was as if she were strangling Sophia Shaw.
The one he holds dearest!
Those five words were like poisoned needles, stabbing into her heart again and again.
’But... that was always my place!’
「Three days later. The Norgate experimental site.」
Sand and dust filled the air as Elias Underwood led the engineering team, energetically unloading cargo. Sweat mixed with grit trickled down from his temples.
Because of a last-minute change to a different site, Sophia Shaw and her team had been delayed and only arrived three days later.
The experimental site was desolate and empty, without even a proper place to stand.
They had to build a standardized experimental base here from scratch.
Sophia Shaw and Levin Sawyer stood to the side, watching Elias Underwood work.
"Don’t be fooled by Engineer Underwood’s technical background; he doesn’t shy away from manual labor at all," Levin Sawyer remarked. "That’s the power of passion for you."
Elias Underwood had been incredibly motivated since his return, as if he had an endless supply of energy.
"It’s a good thing you got him back. Otherwise, he would have just been wasted over at Zenith."
Zenith was in the process of splitting from the Grant Group, and Joanna Sherman wasn’t capable enough to support such a large enterprise on her own.
Sophia Shaw pursed her lips. "It was a mutually beneficial arrangement."
"A mutually beneficial arrangement, huh."
Levin Sawyer sounded a little sour.
’Elias Underwood was lucky enough to have a mutually beneficial arrangement with her. What about him?’
"Sophia."
Just as Levin Sawyer called her name, someone from the work site shouted for him.
He had to run over and deal with the problem.
Sophia Shaw walked deeper into the campsite by herself.
It would take time to set up the temporary prefab buildings, so they were fated to sleep in tents tonight. She decided to first find a spot sheltered from the wind and sand.
But as she reached the top of a small slope, she stopped dead in her tracks.
In the clearing below the slope stood a row of brand-new prefabricated houses, their outdoor air conditioning units humming quietly.
’This...?’
Sophia Shaw felt like she was seeing a ghost.
’She was sure she had checked the satellite images before coming. There was nothing here.’
She turned and looked around.
At the entrance to the site, she saw a familiar figure—Joanna Sherman.
’What is she doing here?’
’Did she set these up?’
As the questions raced through Sophia Shaw’s mind, she was about to step forward when the doors to the row of houses suddenly opened, and a group of people in hard hats walked out.
The man leading them had an exceptionally upright posture. Even in work clothes and a hard hat, he couldn’t hide his air of innate nobility.
It was Vincent Grant.
Vincent Grant walked right past Joanna Sherman without pausing.
Joanna, however, flinched slightly, as if she wanted to go and greet him.
But Vincent Grant was already far ahead.
The people behind him glanced curiously at Joanna Sherman a few times, but seeing that their boss was ignoring her, they all hurried to catch up.
Joanna Sherman was the first to spot Sophia Shaw on the slope.
Realizing her embarrassing predicament had been witnessed, her face instantly turned deathly pale, then flushed red with immense shame and anger.
"Vincent Grant even prepared houses for you! You must be so proud of yourself right now!" she shrieked, her voice horribly distorted by the wind.
Sophia Shaw was taken aback. ’These houses... Vincent prepared them?’
In Joanna Sherman’s eyes, her surprise was undoubtedly the gloating of a victor.
She clenched both her fists tightly.
But then she immediately lifted her chin with arrogance.
"Sophia Shaw, you’re no better than me!"
"Playing hard to get! These are just the old tricks I used to use!"
Hearing this, Sophia Shaw smiled.
"Are you so sure I’m playing hard to get, and not just completely disdainful?"
Joanna Sherman refused to believe it!
’A man as outstanding as Vincent Grant? Who could possibly resist him!’
She ground out through clenched teeth, "The only thing you have on your side is the bit of guilt in his heart!"
"Sophia is different from you." Levin Sawyer strode over after finishing his task. The moment he saw Joanna Sherman, his face turned frosty.
"She relies on herself. Vincent Grant? At best, he’s just a stumbling block in her path. Who cares about the guilt of a stumbling block?"
"Miss Sherman, if you have a fire to vent, go find the person responsible. Don’t throw a fit here."
Before he could finish, Joel Hale hurried over.
A flicker of hope ignited in Joanna Sherman’s eyes. Her voice trembled. "Joel... Is Vincent finally willing to see me?"
’She had waited bitterly in this wind and sand for three days. Could it be that finally...’
Joel Hale looked troubled. He avoided her gaze and turned to Sophia Shaw and Levin Sawyer. "Ms. Shaw, President Sawyer, this batch of temporary housing has passed inspection and is ready for occupancy. I’ll need you two to sign for them."
Her hope was completely shattered!
Watching Joel Hale hold out the documents, Joanna Sherman felt her last shred of dignity being crushed.
"And President Grant himself?" Levin Sawyer asked.
Joel Hale subconsciously glanced at Sophia Shaw and said in a low voice, "President Grant... had to leave for something else."
"President Grant—"
Levin Sawyer had sharp eyes. He spotted the figure by a car not far away. "Coming all this way to provide a helping hand in our time of need—are you trying to make us owe you a big favor?"
Vincent Grant slowly stepped out from behind the car, his expression calm and unreadable. "I am the project’s investor. Ensuring its progress is part of my duty."
His tone was strictly businesslike as his gaze swept across the entire camp. "The engineers are the project’s most valuable asset. Having them live in houses is better than them getting sick from sleeping in tents and delaying the schedule. The rooms are fully equipped with ample power, making it convenient for everyone to work overtime."
He didn’t mention Sophia Shaw by name, yet every word revealed how meticulously he had tailored this for her.
Joanna Sherman was so jealous her heart felt like it was being twisted by a knife. She nearly bit her lip until it bled.
"Then we thank you, President Grant," Levin Sawyer said formally, then turned to Sophia Shaw. "Let’s go. Don’t you still need to finalize your design blueprints?"
"Okay," Sophia Shaw replied. Everything between her and Vincent Grant had long been settled; there was nothing more to say now. She followed Levin Sawyer towards the prefab houses.
"Vincent."
Joanna Sherman called out softly, her voice trembling.
Tears shimmered in her eyes, threatening to spill.
"I’ve been living in a tent here for three days, enduring the wind all this time... D-don’t you feel sorry for me at all?"
Vincent Grant finally looked at her directly. His gaze was serene, yet bone-chillingly cold.
"Joanna," he said, his voice low and utterly detached, "from the moment you interfered in my marriage, we were destined to be nothing but strangers. My not pursuing the matter is the greatest tolerance I can show you."
He took a step forward, his presence overwhelming. "From now on, don’t ever appear in front of me again."
"Vincent!" Joanna Sherman cried, wanting to chase after him, unwilling to accept it.
Joel Hale quickly blocked her way, urging in a low voice, "Ms. Sherman, you should know how much President Grant hates you right now. If you keep forcing it like this, you’ll be the only one who suffers in the end!"
Joanna Sherman glared fiercely at Joel Hale. "What? Have you already forgotten who saved you?"
"If I hadn’t taken all the blame, do you think you’d still have the chance to be speaking in front of me?"
Joel Hale: "..."
Joanna Sherman grabbed his arm, her eyes flashing with intense unwillingness. "Joel, you have to help me!"