Chapter 477 I'll Help You
"I'll help you. Get your injury treated now, take your medication, and find a way to calm your emotions!"
Ishara, tears in her voice, lifted her head with a glimmer of hope, "Lawrence, are you really willing to help me win the competition, even if it goes against your principles?"
Did he have a choice?
His sharp gaze rested on Ishara's pale face. "Are you truly indifferent about the shares and the Blanchet legacy?"
The air grew still.
He didn't look at her, but Ishara felt a chill from his eyes penetrate her facade. She had concealed her motives well, or so she thought—could he have sensed something? He was the savvy leader of the Rodriguez corporate empire.
Clutching at her hands, she offered a pained smile, "Lawrence, have you forgotten? I'm dying."
Lawrence's eyes darkened. Her ambition didn't hold up in light of that fact. He frowned, his tone cool and detached, "Take your medicine now, and get that wound treated."
"Okay!" Ishara forced a pitiful smile.
He stood to leave for a smoke, and his silhouette soon vanished in the doorway. Ishara watched the doctor bandage her ankle. Behind her drooping eyelids, a fierce smile crept across her face.
She had burned her ankle on purpose, a calculated step in the plan to ensure Winnie's downfall tomorrow. She understood that Winnie would never fathom why Mr. Rodriguez harbored such 'affection' for her.
She knew about his principles; he wasn't the type to grant her easy favors. If she wanted to bend his will, she'd have to present both her body and her emotions as utterly broken, leaving him with no other choice...
-
Sunlight streamed through the office blinds, spilling patterns across the room. Winnie's red and weary eyes fluttered open after just a half-hour of sleep, having worked through the night until nine in the morning.
Melanie entered, carrying steaming cups of coffee and breakfast. "Winnie, go freshen up and grab some food!"
"Alright," Winnie grumbled as she rose, steadying herself against the desk. Her smile crept in as she gazed at the impeccable jewelry campaign laid out before her.
"You've been pushing too hard! You were practically working solo through the latter part of the night," Melanie remarked, seemingly more energized as she looked at their masterpiece. "This campaign will knock 'em dead, Winnie. Your expertise with jewels is astounding! Ishara's half-baked efforts can't hold a candle to yours."
Inhaling deeply, Winnie couldn't shake the odd twitch in her right eye, a sign she was anything but relaxed.
By noon, the call came from the CEO of ST Corp, summoning Winnie and her campaign proposal upstairs. In the grand conference room sat the CEO and two senior judges, and as Winnie positioned her folder on the table—
At that moment, Lawrence Rodriguez's commanding presence filled the doorway. His towering figure cast a shadow, followed by an aura of chilling authority.
The ST CEO immediately rose to greet him warmly, "Welcome, Mr. Rodriguez, to our judging panel."
A jolt hit Winnie. He was judging? She shifted her gaze toward him, wary and hostile.
Lawrence's eyes met hers—an elevated, piercing look, conveying an icy significance.
His brows knitted together tightly, and eventually, his gaze slid from her face as he moved, expressionless, to the head of the table.
Stepping outside, Winnie fished her neglected phone from her pocket to check for any work-related updates. That's when she stumbled upon Ishara's posts from the previous night.
Two pictures with the same hospital room background. In one, a petite form nestled into the plush folds of a man's suit jacket, sipping a cup of medication with a sense of priviledged luxury. In the other picture, Lawrence stood over a desk, his pen in hand and his extended fingers stopping the light. Intense side profile revealed him deeply involved in his sketching, clutching a cigarette between his teeth.
Winnie's gaze returned to her project proposal, which read: "Mr. Rodriguez stayed up all night for my sake. He couldn't bear to see me ill and insisted that I rest, leaving everything to be with me. How sweet."
Helping her?
Helping with what?
At this critical moment, what could he possibly be drafting?
Winnie's eyes widened in shock, a cold shiver running down her spine.
Her hand clutched the phone tightly...
"Winnie, have you submitted your proposal yet?" Ishara's voice rang out.
Turning around, Winnie saw the belated arrival of the woman, sitting weakly in a wheelchair, clutching a thick folder in her hand.
Ishara grinned and teased, "My proposal is ready too. Let's allow the committee decide which one is the superior one, shall we?"
She pushed open the door, gliding in, and placed her proposal next to Winnie's.
The secretary handed over the two distinct proposals.
Lawrence R sipped on his black coffee, his handsome face expressing nothing.
But when the manager opened the proposals and saw Winnie's, he was already impressed.
Yet, after reviewing Ishara's, he and the two judges were astounded by its excellence!
"Manager Nelson, your proposal is fantastic, even better than the assistant manager's by a mile!" the manager exclaimed excitedly.
Outside, upon hearing these words, Melanie immediately looked at Winnie.
Winnie pocketed her phone, her heart etched with a harsh suspicion she was reluctant to believe.
She stormed in, with a trace of a smirk she asked, "Mr. General Manager, may I have the honor to review Manager Nelson's proposal?"
The proposal would be displayed eventually; there was nothing to hide.
The manager spread it out promptly, handing it to Winnie, "Assistant manager, take a look. Isn't it great?"
Lawrence R's thick eyelashes drooped, concealing his eyes.
He could no longer stomach his coffee.
And Winnie coldly observed the jewelry proposal that came from Lawrence R's own hand.
The selection of jewels, including the design sketches, it was clear he had personally drawn them!
Ishara's condition wasn't faked.
He had gone so far as to indulge her, personally intervening, helping her cheat, to defeat Winnie?!
In that moment, her breath paused, her heart felt as if it had been cleaved in two by an axe. She had thought he'd have at least a shred of conscience.
A modicum of respect for her work!
Yet all these principles, all the boundaries, did he cast them aside for Ishara?
She had been so certain, believing he, at least, wouldn't let passion befuddle his judgment.
Oh Winnie, you overestimated him!
Her eyes blazed with a fierce crimson as she glared at the man with stubborn anger. Winnie slapped the proposal down on the table with a sneer. "Mr. Jenkins, I must say, I doubt this plan was crafted by Manager Nelson. She's cheated! Someone's pulling strings for her behind the scenes, and if you declare her the winner, I'm not going to accept that result!"
A mocking light danced in Ishara's eyes; her intention was to provoke Winnie's heart by having Mr. Rodriguez personally work on her proposal. She wanted to win, and to win disgracefully, making Winnie loathe Mr. Rodriguez to the bone!
Coughing, the girl turned to Lawrence Rodriguez, her eyes welling up with tears, "Mr. Rodriguez, Winnie doesn't believe I'm capable of such planning. She's accusing me of cheating..."
Even the general manager was a bit uncomfortable. "Vice Manager Winston, this indeed is the proposal submitted by Manager Nelson."
"Just because she presented it, does it mean she made it? Yesterday, the proposal Manager Nelson worked on was so rudimentary it could've been done by an elementary student. Do you really think she could improve so dramatically overnight, Mr. Rodriguez? A former master jeweler's design and plans on the other hand, are not something I could simply outdo. Mr. Rodriguez, you're really going out of your way to please your girlfriend, but I'm not endorsing this proposal!"
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