Chapter 384 No More Humility

"No," Cecilia shot back without missing a beat. "There were 3 reasons. First off, the Kingsley Group's already got their claws in this project. They can point fingers all they want; they're victims too, and the law won't do much for us. Second, the planning department's already handed the project to the Kingsleys. I checked their contract, and it doesn't say they can bail if the plan's messed up. The planning department can't just cut ties; at best, they'll give them some time to fix it up, but it's still theirs in the end."

Theodore's face twisted into a frown.

"Third, I never wanted this project anyway. Sure, working with the planning department would be good for the Lockhart Group's future, but we don't need to team up to get on their good side. If we let them have it, we'll not only build a good relationship, but the planning department's bigwigs will owe us one."

"What do you mean?" Theodore looked puzzled.

"Since it's not set in stone yet, I'll keep it under wraps for now. Let me break down why I don't want this project. Besides the PR angle with the planning department, the final profit isn't that great. I crunched the numbers; our bid was low, so the profit margin is like one percent, and it'll take three to five years to see any return. Basically, we put in two billion dollars and get twenty million back in three to five years. It's not chump change, but it's not as big as we thought, and it would tie up our cash. From an efficiency standpoint, losing the project isn't a big deal."

After hearing Cecilia's breakdown, Theodore started to see the project wasn't all that.

In this light, the Lockhart Group's only real loss was not getting to work with the planning department, which would hurt their PR. And there was the whole pride thing.

Once a person got some status, they became a big deal.

Losing face was usually a big no-no for them.

But now, if it was clear that Andrew swiped trade secrets for the Kingsley Group, the whole shameful thing would go out the window. After all, the Kingsleys only got the project by stealing their plan, and it might even give the Lockhart Group some free publicity.

As for relationships, since Cecilia said she had a plan, he trusted her.

After piecing it all together, Theodore let out a sigh of relief. "Cecilia, you always know how to calm me down. I gotta say, these past few days, I've been really pissed about losing the bid. I never thought the Kingsleys could swipe our deal. Our relationship with them was already rocky, and seeing them so smug is unbearable. You don't know, during your week off, I ran into Nathaniel once, and his smug face made me wanna deck him."

Cecilia chuckled.

Now she thought Theodore was funnier than before.

Thinking back to her past life, she always caused trouble for Theodore, making him seem way older than he was.

In this life, she was determined to let Theodore live freely and happily!

"I can't wait to see Nathaniel get what's coming to him!" Theodore was clearly pumped.

He was really different from the stern and serious chairman he used to be.

Cecilia smiled slightly.

She said, "Then look forward to it, Dad. I have something to handle, so I'm heading out."

"Alright," Theodore reminded her, "Work's important, but don't overdo it."

"OK."

"Wait," Theodore suddenly called out. "You've been visiting Alaric lately. How's he doing?"

Theodore always made sure to check in on Alaric.

At the mention of Alaric, Cecilia's smile grew wider.

Theodore noticed it too.

He was glad he had agreed to Cecilia and Alaric's marriage back then.

If Cecilia had ended up with Dominic... he didn't even want to think about it.

"He's doing well. Apart from the bad living conditions, his work's going smoothly," Cecilia said.

"That's good. If Alaric can move up in his career, it'll be good for us. Otherwise, if Dominic gains any power, it'll be tough for us."

"Don't worry, Dad. Alaric will do great things."

"Look at you, you've only been married to him for a bit, and you're already his biggest cheerleader." Theodore pretended to be jealous.

Cecilia blushed as she said, "Dad, stop making fun of me."

"Alright. I'm not that old-fashioned. But your mom was nagging me yesterday, saying that having kids at 25 is a bit late. She's already fifty, and in a few years, her health might not be great. You should give her a grandkid to spoil. You don't know how her eyes light up when she sees babies during her walks," Theodore said.

"I have a plan, just stop rushing me. When the time's right, I'll have kids, maybe even a whole soccer team for you to take care of," Cecilia said.

"Just one will do." Theodore clearly wanted a grandkid too, but he used Genevieve as an excuse.

"OK, I'm leaving." Cecilia said.

"You two have such a good thing going. Why not have a child..." Cecilia had already walked out of Theodore's office, but her dad's words still echoed in her ears.

She couldn't deny that their relationship was really good, but having a child...

She tried not to think too much and headed back to her office.

Rose quickly followed her. Usually a very serious and stern woman, she now looked so excited she seemed to be glowing. "Ms. Lockhart, I heard Andrew got caught red-handed for stealing our trade secrets?! Is it true? The whole company is buzzing about it, and everyone's shocked."

Cecilia glanced at Rose and said, "Rose, calm down please."

Rose was stunned.

She quickly got serious again, reverting to her stern and rigid demeanor.

"Yeah, it's true," Cecilia replied.

"How did you know? How did you know Andrew was in cahoots with the Kingsley family?! Wasn't Andrew's sister Isadora forced to death by Dominic? How could Andrew be so heartless to work for the Kingsleys?" Rose was still excited, even though she tried to contain herself.

"I was surprised too," Cecilia said coolly.

She wasn't particularly happy about Andrew's downfall.

Rose was genuinely impressed!

How could Cecilia be so calm and composed, almost invincible!

"Now you can go," Cecilia said.

"Okay." Rose respectfully left, not forgetting to say sincerely, "Ms. Lockhart, you're my idol."

In the end, Cecilia couldn't help but smile.

Being admired felt really good.

How foolish she had been in her previous life to hide all her brilliance!

In this life, Cecilia would never be low-key again!

Deserted Wife Strikes Back
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