Chapter 66 Charles is Here
Since Clara showed up at the house, Diana's been absent from the office for five days. But today was the big product launch, and after all that prep, it was finally showtime. As the manager's stand-in, Diana had to be there.
Just as she was about to head out, she felt two pairs of eyes boring into her. Diana sighed, "Guys, I'm just going to work, not a battlefield. No need to freak out, okay?"
After the last scare, Evelyn and Robert were super cautious. They were convinced someone might try to hurt Diana, so they didn't want her to leave. Robert tried to talk her out of it, "Can't you just work from home? Why go to the office? They can send you the stuff."
"But I'm an intern, and I'm representing the leadership. If I'm not there, it's like the boss isn't there. How can I skip it?" Diana was set on going, and seeing her resolve, they couldn't stop her. They just kept reminding her to be careful. Diana smiled at their concern.
Even though Diana and Clara worked at the same company, with so many people around, Clara wouldn't dare mess with her. Plus, Diana wasn't someone one could push around easily.
At Spencer Group, the place was buzzing today because Diana's team had announced the product launch date a week ago. Not wanting to be outdone, Clara had her team pull an all-nighter for three days to bump their launch to today too.
With promising results on the horizon, Clara even invited Charles. Normally, he wouldn't show up for something this small. But after their last awkward encounter, Charles weirdly wanted to see Diana. So when Diana got to the office, she noticed something was off. The usually chatty colleagues were all serious, glued to their screens. Even Henry was sitting up straight at his desk.
When Diana asked around, she found out Charles was in the reception room. With the big boss around, no one dared to slack off. Diana frowned, remembering her not-so-great memories with Charles. She really didn't want to see him.
Before leaving home today, she thought as long as she didn't run into Charles, she'd be fine. Now, the ticking time bomb was right there. But no matter how she felt, as a shareholder, Diana had to be courteous and went to knock on the reception room door.
"Come in." Charles was lounging on a leather sofa, while Clara was standing next to him, pouring water. Her skirt was so short that bending over was a bad idea. Clara's face was red, looking like she wanted to say something but couldn't.
"Mr. Percy, you're here. Hi, Mr. Percy. If there's nothing else, I'll get back to work," Diana said stiffly, trying to greet him and leave quickly.
Charles looked her up and down and said, "You've put on some weight. Looks like you've been enjoying life a bit too much, Ms. Spencer. Haven't seen you around the office much lately."
Hearing this, Clara chuckled. After quickly pouring the water, she stood aside to watch Diana's reaction.
Diana turned around, looking calm but her words were sharp. "Yeah, I'm pretty lazy and can't make it to work on time every day. But I believe in efficiency and results. Since I haven't missed any deadlines working from home, it doesn't really matter if I show up or not."
After saying that, Diana paused, rubbing her chin like she was deep in thought and uttered, "But I remember, Ms. Williams, you come to work every day. Yet after three days, you only caught up to my progress? Your employees look exhausted. Ms. Williams, maybe you should think about their well-being a bit more."
Clara shot her an angry glare but held back, her eyes welling up. "Diana, you've always hated me, but you can't deny my hard work!"
Diana shrugged, not wanting to argue anymore, and turned to leave.
Charles called out, "Diana, apologize to Clara."
Diana stopped, feeling a wave of irritation. Charles had a knack for getting under her skin.
She took a deep breath, calmed herself, and looked innocent. "Did I say something wrong? Why should I apologize? Or is it, Mr. Percy, that you're making me apologize to protect Ms. Williams' fragile ego?"
Charles' face darkened, and even sitting down, his presence was intimidating. He repeated, "Apologize! You've had it too easy at home and don't understand the grind. How can you blame Clara?"
Hearing Charles, Clara felt a warm glow inside. So, Charles cared about her and was standing up for her. Clara blushed and nervously said, "Mr. Percy, this is my duty. Diana never managed the company before, so it's understandable that she doesn't get it. As long as you recognize my efforts, Mr. Percy, I'm content."
For Charles, hard work was a badge of honor. Even as the president of the Percy Group, he never slacked off. So when he heard Diana's comments about Clara, he felt they were mocking him too. But Diana didn't think that deeply. She never supported overworking employees.
Today's product launch was entirely Clara's rushed effort to catch up with Diana. Their starting points and markets were completely different. Diana was curious to see how Clara's plan would turn out.
"Did you hear that, Diana? Apologize now! Or you'll regret it." Seeing Diana remain silent, Charles scolded in a low voice.
Clara softly comforted, "Forget it, Mr. Percy. Diana didn't mean it."
Diana looked at them both, raised an eyebrow subtly, and then lowered her head to apologize, though not very sincerely, "I'm sorry, Ms. Williams. I shouldn't have said you don't work hard. You do work very hard. It's truly admirable. For the upcoming product launch, I hope you'll go easy on us, Ms. Williams."
Charles was still fuming, and Diana didn't want to push him further. It was just an apology, after all. Saying it wouldn't cost her anything.
Clara felt a bit better hearing the apology but still sensed something was off.
Seeing Charles remain silent, Clara pretended to be magnanimous. "Diana, don't be too upset. After all, you've never managed a company. I heard you're also starting your first product launch today? Have you found a venue? If not, I can lend you mine after I'm done."
Diana smiled and said calmly, "No need. We're launching at the same time. The event will start soon. Mr. Percy, would you like to stay and watch?"
Following her words, Clara looked at Charles expectantly, hoping he would stay and see that her capabilities far surpassed Diana's.
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