Chapter 81 Effortless Grace
The dinner went smoothly, without much incident. It was just a meal meant to solidify their partnership, where work conversations were to be had only if they came up naturally. Once the meal was over, they each went their separate ways.
“You know, it’s kind of funny,” Cyril mused, a hint of annoyance in his voice. “I was just planning on having a simple dinner and maybe discussing some business matters. But with your meddling, I didn’t even feel comfortable bringing it up. I didn’t want to make her think I was only after her connections.”
Throughout the evening, Cyril had been as inconspicuous as could be, virtually blending into the background. This left Henry feeling a bit flustered, as not a single item on his carefully prepared agenda was discussed. He now had to find another time to meet for dinner, and after giving her that bouquet, he wasn’t even sure she’d accept.
“Why did you send her flowers in the first place?” Henry asked, still fixated on the floral incident, Sylvia had refused Cyril with such ease and grace; it made one wonder how many times before she’d had to turn someone down.
It struck Cyril that he’d never really noticed how much Sylvia attracted attention. Without any effort, she drew the eyes of those around her. The Sylvia he remembered had been plain, unremarkable, while the Sylvia of today seemed like a completely different person.
IF
Henry gave Cyril an incredulous look. “As far as I remember, you’ve interacted with her in the past too. Didn’t you meet at some event not too long ago? Don’t you know? Everyone thought she only got the vice president’s position by playing a certain angle. But as it turns out, she’s really got the chops. Take our recent collaboration, for instance. We were supposed to have a larger share of the profit, but do you know what? The terms she proposed, the negotiation tactics she used, someone without at least a decade of experience couldn’t have come up with that. If you’re treating her like some trophy wife, then you’re the
foolish,one.”
Cyril had never been aware of these details. In his eyes, Sylvia had always been a mere homemaker, not some business hotshot. Hearing Henry’s account, he was somewhat in disbelief.
Every time he’d seen Sylvia, she seemed to transform completely. To Cyril, Sylvia was like a treasure wrapped in layers upon layers of silk, waiting to be unwrapped to reveal her true worth.
A wave of panic washed over Cyril. He began to fear, wondering if he would regret his past behavior once Sylvia’s true capabilities were fully revealed.
But another thought struck him: why should he panic? This marriage was never on the right footing from the start. Ending up at this juncture was simply fate.
“I’ve got to dash, got a ton of things to attend to at the office. Oh, and she mentioned she’s heading to the shipyard today. Aren’t you shipping goods from your port as well? You two should have a chat; a partnership with her could be quite profitable. Take it from me, you won’t lose out working with her.”
And with that, Cyril left Henry to ponder the possibilities, eager to see what the future might bring for an unplanned collaboration with Sylvia.
Chapter Elfortless Glas
Logically speaking, Sylvia, being a newcomer to the workforce, had done an exceptional job handling her responsibilities, let alone negotiating multi–million dollar deals and earning praise from competitors and partners alike. This was a testament to Sylvia being an incredibly capable woman.
Cyril was intrigued. A spark of curiosity ignited within him, and he found himself wanting to dig deeper to find out who Sylvia really was.
After Henry left, Cyril noticed Sylvia speaking with a woman he had brought along, who didn’t seem very pleasant, raising her voice at Sylvia. Juliet stepped in front of Sylvia to defend her and started arguing back. Cyril thought about interjecting, but seeing the situation, he felt it was not the right moment.
The curiosity Cyril had felt moments before to
ung and Sylvia
better dissipated then and there.
Observing her difficult interactions with a colleague, who needed a friend to intervene, didn’t leave the best impression. After all, interpersonal skills are crucial no matter where one stands. Cyril began to feel that Henry’s understanding of Sylvia was rather one–sided and didn’t reflect her true reality.
Cyril glanced over and then turned away, leaving the scene behind. Throughout it all, Sylvia remained unaware that Cyril had been watching, and his thoughts about her were far from flattering.
“Do you realize how important today was? Instead of discussing collaborations, you spent your time chatting about other things. You’re supposed to be here making money and striking deals for the company, not expanding your social circle. Or is it that you can’t resist flirting with every man you encounter? Do you always have to make the first move?” Ingrid was harsh and unforgiving in her comments, causing Sylvia no visible reaction. However, Jack and Juliet couldn’t stand by any longer.
Jack knew Sylvia’s true status and had willingly come to help her, aware of her competence. Juliet had long disliked Ingrid and had only held her tongue for Sylvia’s sake, but that did not mean she was patient.
“If you spout any more nonsense, believe me, I’ll shut you up right now. You speak without knowing anything–were you hired just to gossip?” Juliet snapped.
Sylvia’s silence only infuriated Ingrid further, and Juliet’s swift defense made Ingrid’s disdain grow. She smirked at Juliet, who, like Sylvia, was attractive and had been somewhat of an outsider at the company. Despite Sylvia and Juliet earning their place through hard work and garnering much recognition within the company, not everyone was on board, including Ingrid.
“I might not have what you two have, but I’ve reached my position through my own merits. Let’s see how long you can keep up your charade. If today’s deal falls through, will you even have the face to stay in your
job?”