Chapter 43 The Meeting Goes Awry
Gabriel furrowed his brows slightly, a hint of disapprovement flashing across his face. The others immediately held their breath, casting a strange look at Sophia.
Sophia looked utterly confused. Kathy Caroline, who was sitting next to her, quietly told her, “You should leave.” Sophia ask confusingly, “Why should I leave?” She had not taken a call and her phone was on silent the whole time. The meeting could easily continue.
“The boss does not like any other sounds in the conference room. “Kathy explained
Gabriel? What a strange fixation! Sophia felt speechless, Was this meeting not meant to decide the future direction of Flora? Was it inappropriate for her, as a designer, to leave midway in a meeting?
Facing Gabriel fearlessly, she directly asked, "Mr. Lancaster, should I leave?"
If Gabriel asked her to leave, she would then. She definitely did not want to clash with him in the meeting room, or let anyone know she was his ex-wife.
Someone's pen dropped with a "plop" out of fright to the ground The new designer had a lot of guts! To dare asking such a question directly to the boss, let’s see how the boss would scold her
Charlotte was worried for Sophia, but she was separated from her by one seat. She couldn't even give her a reminder. Kathy Caroline, like everyone else, was also dumbstrucked.
Sophia was not following the usual script. She is in big trouble now! She will definitely get fired!
"Who told you to leave?" Gabriel's tone was cold, his face, expressionless, as he swept his gaze toward the person speaking on stage and said in a deep voice, "Continue."
Huh? What's going on? Not only was she not fired, but she was not even asked to leave! Why is the boss not following the usual script? Shocking! Kathy Caroline felt half embarrassed, but Sophia gave her a grateful look
The meeting continued, and everyone quickly refocused their thoughts. Losing focus would also earn criticism. Next, it was Kathy Caroline’s turn to explain her design proposal on stage.
Sophia attentively listened for a while, when her silenced phone suddenly lit up. This time, she was prepared, having placed her phone on her lap. She stole a quick glance—it was a text message.
She intended to close the screen, but then she saw the two words "Sam" and decided to click on it directly.
The message read: "Your maternal love is just so-so. Since you don't want to know about Sam, then consider me not having approached you. Don't even think about getting any information about him from me in the future."
Who sent this?
Sophia remembered Tiffany, whom she had ignored. Could it be that she wanted to meet and talk about Sam? But Sophia could not afford to regret it now. She could not leave either. Wait a minute…she stared fixedly at the number that send the message. The last four digits were “9695.” That number belongs to Tiffany!
Sophia's hand was trembling while holding the phone, her face turned pale and in her mind an image emerged,
Many text messages came from this number. Those forgotten memories came rushing back again. A thin layer of sweat formed on her forehead and her lips turned pale without her realizing.
"Sophia, what's wrong with you?" Larry, sitting on the other side of her, noticed her unease and asked her quietly. But Sophia seemed as if she had not heard him.
Gabriel raised his hand to interrupt Kathy Caroline's explanation, and everyone looked at Gabriel in confusion. His gaze fell on Sophia, and then everyone turned their attention to her as well.
Sophia kept her head down, her shoulders shaking slightly, unsure if she was crying or laughing.
Larry quickly continued to call Sophia.
"Sophia."
Sophia remained motionless, as if in a trance. Gabriel had a bad feeling and quickly got up, he gently pushed Sophia.
"Sophia." Gabriel called her. As soon as he spoke, Sophia suddenly looked up, her crimson eyes filled with hatred.
"Sophia, you..." Gabriel's heart trembled fiercely. Just how much does this woman hate him?
Gabriel's voice brought Sophia back to her senses. She noticed that everyone was looking at her, and Gabriel had also somehow approached her. She quickly composed herself, suppressing all her emotions. In just one second, she transformed herself back into the confident and capable Miss Kelly.
"Sorry, I just remembered something and got lost in thought." She explained lightly.
The onlookers watched her amusedly. It was one thing to cause a disturbance in the meeting, but to also get lost in thought, they were curious to see how the boss would scold her. However, Gabriel saw that she was fine now, and with a serious face, he returned to his seat, signaling Kathy Caroline to continue speaking.
Sophia tightly gripped her phone on her lap, the corners of the phone pressing against her, causing her discomfort. But she didn't feel a thing, forcing herself to calm down. It is all in the past now. She was strong enough on the inside but most importantly, she no longer loved Gabriel.
Those words could not hurt her anymore.
Sophia turned off her phone directly.
"That was my design proposal..." Kathy Caroline finished speaking.
Gabriel nodded slightly, "Does anyone have any objections?"
Kathy Caroline saw that the boss seemed satisfied with her proposal, and she felt really pleased with herself. After working throughout the night, she had confidence that this plan could rescue Flora.
Everyone discussed it among themselves, and most had no objections. Just as Gabriel was about to express his support for Kathy Caroline's plan, Sophia stood up. Normally, a junior designer, sensible enough, would not challenge a senior designer, just like Charlotte, a mid-level designer.
The design team would not dare to voice their opinions on senior designer Kathy Caroline's proposal. Unfortunately, it was Sophia, the junior, who stood up, once again drawing everyone's attention to her. She was again the center of attention.
Sophia took her work seriously and wouldn't withhold her thoughts just because she was a junior. She also wanted to make Flora stand out and feel at ease when interacting with Sam.
Sophia started talking: "The concept behind the Flora brand's establishment is inspired by tradition. We have always followed the traditional embroidery route. Caroline's proposal completely transforms the overall style of Flora into something modern. Modernism may bring profits, but it goes against our original concept."
Kathy Caroline frowned and said, "Sophia, I'm afraid you didn't listen carefully. My proposal suggests a combination of old and new, not a complete change into something modern."
"Oh, I indeed didn't listen carefully." Sophia responded. It was shocking that she would admit to being absent-minded during the meeting so openly, but the boss surprisingly did not get angry. This was even more surprising.
Sophia didn't have any intention of confronting Kathy Caroline. Back home, in Country M, she used to argue with her colleagues over differing opinions, but it didn't affect their friendly banter outside of work.
Kathy Caroline forced a smile, unable to say anything.
Sophia adjusted her tone, speaking slowly and methodically, "Although I didn't listen carefully, I did look at your design drafts. The overall design favors modern styles, and the traditional embroidery is not fully showcased. A regular person would just think this is to deceive the consumers."
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