Chapter 4

"AHH---!"

Serena shrieked, jumping up, the pungent smell of alcohol instantly filling the room.

"You bitch! Are you crazy?!" She pointed at me, trembling with rage.

Dead silence filled the private room.

Everyone gasped.

Mr. Peterson was so terrified his legs went weak, and he collapsed onto the floor.

Ethan's face instantly darkened to an extreme. He abruptly stood up and grabbed my wrist.

His grip was so strong, it felt like he wanted to crush my bones.

"Lily, are you asking to die?!" His voice was gritted through his teeth, filled with towering fury.

I met his furious glare, a cold smile playing on my lips.

"Mr. Thorne, didn't Ms. Cross enjoy her drink? I just helped her with a little washing. No need to thank me."

I forcefully pulled my hand free.

"Your dirty money? I find it disgusting."

"BANG!"

I turned, kicked away the bodyguard blocking the door, and strode out of the private room.

Behind me, I heard Serena's crying and Ethan's sound of smashing a glass.

I walked along the tree-lined road outside South Hill Estates.

The night wind blew, and I realized my back was completely soaked.

In that moment, I was genuinely afraid.

Ethan could crush me as easily as an ant.

But I was even more afraid of bending my spine again.

Returning to my rental room, I was utterly exhausted.

As soon as I lay down, Mr. Peterson's call came in.

"Lily! Don't bother coming in tomorrow! You crossed Mr. Thorne, and if you want to self-destruct, don't drag the company down with you!"

The call was abruptly cut off.

I looked at the black screen of my phone and let out a bitter laugh.

Another job gone.

The next day, I started sending out resumes again.

But this time, the situation was worse than before.

The entire real estate industry had blacklisted me.

I walked under the scorching sun, looking at the mere three thousand dollars left in my bank account, feeling a despair I'd never felt before.

Was I truly no match for him?

Just as I squatted on the curb, burying my face in my arms.

A pair of gleaming black leather shoes stopped in front of me.

"Ms. Lily, our CEO would like to see you."

A man in a sharp suit handed me a business card.

"Sterling Group, CEO's Executive Assistant."

I froze.

Sterling Group? That was the only business giant that could contend with Thorne Industries.

I followed the assistant to the CEO's office on the top floor of the Sterling Group building.

A tall, slender figure stood by the floor-to-ceiling window.

Hearing footsteps, he turned around.

His features were sharp, his gaze deep, exuding an aura of authority that needed no anger.

Sterling Group CEO, Julian Vance.

"Lily?" He eyed me, then gestured to the sofa opposite him. "Sit."

I sat down, a bit reserved.

"Mr. Vance, you wanted to see me..."

Julian pushed a file across the table to me.

"I've seen the proposal you did in college for urban renewal. It was brilliant."

I paused.

That was my work from junior year, which won a national gold award, but after I started being with Ethan, I never touched such things again.

"Ethan Thorne is blacklisting you." Julian said directly. "No one in New York would dare hire you but me."

He looked at me, his eyes sharp.

"I'm giving you an opportunity. Sterling Group is bidding for the Southside land, and I need someone familiar with grassroots operations and with enough ambition."

"A base salary of ten thousand, five percent project commission. Fail, and you're out."

Five percent!

That Southside land was worth billions, so five percent was tens of millions!

My breath hitched.

"Why me?" I couldn't help but ask.

Julian smiled faintly.

"Because yesterday at South Hill Estates, you poured a bottle of liquor on Serena Cross."

"The enemy of my enemy is my friend. I like people with grit."

I took a deep breath, stood up, and nodded firmly, my voice steady.

"Mr. Vance, I won't let you down."

From that day on, I officially joined the Sterling Group.

I worked like a maniac.

Daytime, I was on-site, doing background checks; nights, I pulled all-nighters revising proposals.

The Southside land was a complex situation, involving many resistant homeowners and long-standing disputes.

I visited each family, doing individual outreach.

Once, I was even bitten on the calf by a dog released by a grumpy homeowner.

After getting my rabies shot, I hobbled back to knock on doors.

Julian saw my relentless effort.

He began to personally mentor me, teaching me the cunning and deception of the business world, teaching me how to read people.

Under Julian's guidance, my growth rate was astonishing.

In just three months, I secured eighty percent of the demolition agreements for the Southside project.

A week before the bidding conference.

Ethan Thorne made his move.