Chapter 250 A Ruined Proposal
Upon seeing Darwin, joy was Lilian’s first reaction. But then, thinking of Chelsea, fear quickly overshadowed her delight. 'He can't possibly be here for me...'
Darwin's arrival caused quite a stir. People crowded around to greet him. After the greetings settled, Roy attempted to steer Darwin toward the area where Lilian's team was seated. However, Darwin politely declined, "I'm on a personal visit, so I'd rather not sit with the company."
Roy was puzzled. A personal visit? What business did Darwin have at their corporate seminar on his personal time? Roy had even thought that Darwin was there to back his company's team!
Under the puzzled eyes of Roy and many others, Darwin walked straight up to Laura. Laura appeared just as perplexed. "Excuse me, may I sit here?" Darwin asked genteelly.
Laura glanced at her boss, Fiona, who was at a loss for words. Eventually, Laura shifted aside. Darwin took the seat with ease, without so much as greeting Fiona, who in return pretended not to recognize him and went back to reviewing her paperwork.
Standing on stage, Lilian felt as if she could hear the sniggers around her, mocking her failed ascent. 'No, you need to stay cool. Isn't Darwin's presence a good thing? Let him witness just how foolish and incompetent this woman is and how she’s going to be taken down by me!'
Before the seminar officially began, Lilian tried to gather her composure.
As the spotlight swept onto the stage, the audience was greeted with Lilian's radiant smile, both confident and captivating. The presentation had just started when a wave of unrest briefly unsettled the Monsoon Investment team, but it was fleeting because Darwin was there. Everyone refrained from discussing with Chelsea, exchanging significant looks filled with unspoken gravity. The reason was simple: the content of Lilian's speech was remarkably identical to the polished proposal they knew too well from Monsoon Investment.
The thirty-minute presentation concluded to enthusiastic reactions from investors and shareholders alike, and Roy's astonishment was palpable—a reaction completely unexpected, especially given Solomon Investment's usual style.
"As bespoke strategies go, what you've just seen is Solomon Investment's carefully crafted operational plan for RH Company," Lilian declared, obviously pleased with the response. She bowed deeply at the front of the stage.
"Now that's Solomon Investment for you—top-notch!" a voice rang out in open admiration.
Another chimed in, half-jokingly, "With such a pitch, do we even need to waste time considering anyone else's plan?"
As Lilian stepped down, she caught a glimpse of Chelsea's camp out of the corner of her eye. A palpable tension hung over the Monsoon Investment team; glares directed at Lilian were unmistakably hostile. She acknowledged silently that when she had first laid eyes on the proposal they were touting, she thought she could never match it.
But what of it?
In the world of business, winning was all that mattered—how you won was beside the point.
Chelsea caught Lilian's gaze, her look as haughty and dismissive as before. But this time, Lilian didn't flinch—in fact, she felt ready to challenge. Unexpectedly, Chelsea's lips curled into a smile directed at Lilian, causing an inexplicable shiver down her spine. But then, Chelsea looked away as someone approached and spoke with her. Any sense of triumph Lilian had felt dissipated in that instant.
Darwin, sly as ever, had picked up on the peculiar vibe emanating from the Monsoon Investment team. "Is there a problem?" he whispered to Fiona. "Do you need a hand with anything?"
Fiona shook her head, "No issues here. If you're free, maybe start thinking about how you're going to celebrate our victory... Oh wait, you're the CEO of Solomon. If I win, you'll be the one doing the consoling—Miss Robbins might need it."
Darwin just sighed. Using the proximity as an excuse to hide his action, he pinched Fiona's waist. "Why doesn't it sound like you'll be the one consoling me?" he teased quietly.
Fiona shot him a glare, the tension between them unnoticed by anyone else.
Darwin straightened his jacket and took a seat with poise. Although he was the CEO of Solomon, he knew all too well that if his wife claimed victory, it’d be a sure bet.
Pride flared within him out of the blue.
After sitting through a couple of unremarkable proposals, it was time for the Monsoon Investment pitch. Traditionally, Laura or someone else from the team would handle these presentations. But now, Fiona was poised to take center stage.
While the team prepped, they overheard chatter about Solomon Investments already discussing where to celebrate victory. Laura was fuming. Fiona gently patted her shoulder, "Look at it this way, it's like a backhanded compliment to our excellence."
Just then, Lilian approached. “Chelsea, I hear it’s your first time delivering a pitch on stage?” Lilian’s tone was soothing.
Fiona glanced at her, “Yep, my debut.”
Lilian struggled to suppress a burst of laughter, “Well, good luck. I'm really looking forward to it.”
She knew the proposals inside out. What on earth could Fiona present?
“You…” Laura stepped forward, ready to lash out.
Fiona held her back, "Why get mad? If they consider our discarded ideas valuable, it only shows how capable the Monsoon Investment team must be."
With that, Laura's anger subsided.
Lilian’s expression shifted, “I don’t understand what you mean about ‘discarded proposals,’ Miss Chelsea.”
“You’ll find out soon enough.”
With a strained smile, Fiona walked confidently to the stage, her poise leaving Lilian feeling anxious.
“Discarded proposals?” The phrase echoed in her mind. They were complete, after all. Surely, Fiona was bluffing. There hadn’t been enough time since the theft to craft a better proposal. Impossible.
However, Fiona was about to teach Lilian a harsh lesson in capability. On stage, Fiona opened the PowerPoint presentation without haste.
Lilian’s heart sank; the introduction was nothing like theirs. As the presentation continued, she realized the entire core of the proposal had fundamentally shifted.
In the audience, even the initially scornful investors and shareholders gradually unfolded their crossed legs and sat up straight, engrossed in the presentation.
Darwin couldn’t look away from Fiona. She was his beacon. She had always been brilliant; it was he who had held her back in the past.
The half-hour presentation concluded, and the room erupted in murmurs of genuine interest and impressed nods. Fiona had not just met expectations but surpassed them, shining as brightly as Darwin always knew she would.
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