Wrong Flirt, Right Trouble: His Uncle Pulls Me Close

In the blink of an eye, Ivy Sherwood had been in Aethelgard for a couple of days. During this time, instead of tending to her own company’s affairs, she frequently ran over to Quentin Blackwood’s office. His company was swamped with so much work that he simply couldn’t manage it all. Whenever he went to meetings, he would have Ivy help him process documents.

Ivy had no idea how to handle corporate affairs. She was terrified of making a mistake for Quentin. If something went wrong, who would bear the responsibility? But Quentin assured her it was fine and that he would take the blame.

Sitting in Quentin’s chair, Ivy looked toward the floor-to-ceiling windows. Her last visit here had actually been quite unpleasant. His words back then had been terribly hurtful; even now, just thinking about them made her heart ache. But with all their misunderstandings finally cleared up, everything was getting better.

She lowered her head and continued reviewing the documents. To her surprise, she realized that the corporate jargon she once thought was completely incomprehensible was now surprisingly easy to grasp. She could spot the issues and unreasonable clauses in these contracts at a single glance.

When Ivy sent the flawed documents back, the employees who had submitted them were naturally displeased.

At a glance, it was obvious that the notes were not written in President Blackwood’s handwriting. Who on earth had the audacity to do this?

”Why was my project proposal sent back? I demand to know why!” Downstairs in her office, a woman named Susan Sawyer was fuming. Having worked at DG Group for many years, she was a veteran employee and one of the few who regularly had face time with Quentin. ”I’m going upstairs to ask for an explanation!”

Refusing to accept the rejection, Susan marched straight to the CEO’s office.

Upon arriving, she found a young woman sitting in the CEO’s chair. She wondered if this young girl could even understand a complex project proposal.

Without even knocking, Susan shoved the door open and barged in. ”Who are you, and what gives you the right to sit in the CEO’s office?”

Ivy looked at the furious woman in surprise. ”I... I’m President Blackwood’s proxy for today. Can I help you with something?”

”Can you help me? Why did you send my project back?” Susan slammed the document down in front of Ivy, glaring at her accusingly.

Ivy picked up the file and glanced at it. ”Because I found many unreasonable aspects in your project. These procedures don’t need to be this overly complicated, and the projected profits are just empty promises—a pie in the sky. There are no concrete steps showing how they will actually be implemented. I simply wanted to see a more complete, actionable proposal, rather than a flashy but useless piece of paper.”

Susan bristled. She had executed several successful projects; who was this little brat to lecture her?

”What right do you have to sit there and judge me? Do you have any idea how many projects I’ve handled or how much profit I’ve brought into this company?” she sneered. ”And what are your achievements, exactly? Who are you to say my work isn’t good enough?”

Ivy maintained an even temper. ”Your past successful projects are certainly something to be proud of, but that doesn’t mean this particular proposal is flawless. The areas I marked are all loopholes. Perhaps President Blackwood is usually too busy to nitpick these details, but I don’t believe this is the caliber of work someone who has completed many major projects would produce. Honestly, I’m starting to doubt how you managed to pull off your previous projects at all.”

Susan’s expression froze. She hadn’t expected this young woman to be so sharp, her words striking right at the core of the issue. The truth was, her previous projects hadn’t been solely her own doing.

”Don’t think you’re right just because you can talk a big game!” Susan retorted. ”There’s absolutely nothing wrong with my proposal. Even if President Blackwood were here, he wouldn’t find any issues with it. Who the hell do you think you are? Do you have any idea how many all-nighters I pulled to get this done? It’s easy for you to sit there and criticize without having to do the actual work!”

Hearing the woman’s nasty tone, Ivy decided there was no need to remain overly polite.

”If you spent that much time only to produce something like this, I highly doubt your professional competency,” Ivy replied coolly.

She looked at Susan and continued, ”Since you’re able to stand here in this office and argue with me, it shows you aren’t just an entry-level employee. If you’re in a management position and this is the best you can do, then I don’t think you’re suited to be working at DG.”

”You... who the hell do you think you are?” Susan sputtered, her face red. ”How dare you say that to me? What right do you have? Who gave you the authority?”

She hadn’t expected this stranger to blatantly question her professional competence.

Just as she opened her mouth to hurl a string of insults, an icy voice rang out from behind her. ”I gave her the authority. Do you have a problem with that?”

Susan spun around and saw Quentin striding into the room. She had seen him a few times before. The man was truly as cold as he was handsome, with deep-set features and a sharp, chiseled jawline that could make anyone’s heart skip a beat.

Yet, his icy demeanor was terrifying. Just one glance from those piercing eyes made her feel like she had committed a heinous crime, leaving her too afraid to even breathe. She was actually one of the fastest-rising employees among her cohort. At first, she had naively believed it was because she was somehow special to him.

”I... President Blackwood... I didn’t mean it like that,” Susan stammered, instantly adopting a victimized tone. ”I just felt it was unreasonable. My project clearly had no issues, yet she sent it back. I merely came up here to ask for an explanation, but then she started questioning my abilities, saying I didn’t deserve to be in the company.”

If anyone else had witnessed this scene, they would have asked her if she had been living under a rock. How could she complain to President Blackwood about this? Did she not know that the woman sitting in front of her was the future Mrs. Blackwood?

Quentin picked up the project proposal and gave it a cursory glance. ”Is there anything wrong with what she said? Are these not your own shortcomings? Why is it that when someone points out your mistakes, you still think it’s their problem?

”How long has she been in the workforce, and how many years have you been working? You can’t even compare to her. Do you think you’re getting paid to do nothing, or do you somehow believe the company can’t function without you?”

In front of Quentin, Susan didn’t even dare to raise her head. ”I didn’t mean that. I just had some doubts about the feedback, and I didn’t know why she was sitting in your chair.”

”Didn’t I just tell you? I allowed it. I gave her the authority,” Quentin said, his tone even colder and more ruthless than Ivy’s. ”Starting tomorrow, you don’t need to come to work. I refuse to believe that someone in your position would hand in such a mediocre proposal on their own merit.”

Ivy hadn’t expected Quentin to fire someone on the spot like that. She had grown so used to seeing his gentle side lately that she had forgotten what his true nature was like. His reputation as The Grim Reaper wasn’t for nothing. When it came to work, Quentin’s word was absolute.

”President Blackwood, I... I’ll go back and revise the project properly! I promise to fix it until this lady is satisfied. Please, President Blackwood, don’t fire me,” Susan begged, panicking. ”I’ve been with the company for so many years; even if I haven’t made massive contributions, I’ve poured my blood, sweat, and tears into my work. If it’s because I offended this lady, I can apologize! I’m sorry, I’m so sorry!”

Quentin stared at her with cold, merciless eyes. ”I am firing you because your professional competency is lacking. It has absolutely nothing to do with her. Furthermore, I don’t want to hear you spouting any nonsense around the company as you leave.”