"First day in six months, and someone already left because of you." William's voice rose.
"Boss, Qin had been threatening to resign for a long time," Wan said.
"I kept him," William snapped. His eyes locked on Raven. "You are rigid. You control everything. And that face of yours never changes."
Raven stood still. Her fingers curled slightly at her side.
There were things that were out in the open. Raven held the title of director, but the authority never stayed with her. Decisions passed through her hands only when something was broken. When things stabilized, control returned to William and George. She knew the pattern well. She was called in to fix problems, then pushed aside before the credit was assigned.
"I'm tired of this attitude," he continued, his voice cutting through the room.
He is doing it again.
"I told you," George said, leaning back, "she's useless. Things look busy for a day, but nothing meaningful comes out of it."
Raven's jaw tightened.
"What result do you expect in one day?" she said. "You had six months. Why is the company close to collapse?" Her voice steadied as she continued. "The SOA cream demand has increased. We are trending. If we scale supply, this company becomes profitable."
"Sister Raven is right," Wan added. "We have over two hundred thousand pre-orders on the site."
William let out a harsh laugh. "Should I applaud?"
Silence.
"Who asked you to open pre-orders?"
"I did," Raven said.
"And how will you fulfill it?" he shot back. "We don't have the funds to manufacture at that scale."
"Dad, she's going to ruin us," George added quickly.
Raven stared at them for a moment, then let out a short breath.
"You own multiple ventures," she said. "You signed with the Shahs and the Chen family. And yet this is the position we are in."
"You just want to close down this company that you opened for me!" she added.
"Don't comment on me." William pointed at her. "Without me, you wouldn't even be standing here."
"That's true," Raven said evenly. "Your investment is the reason Starshine still exists." She paused. "But how long will you keep draining the household to sustain it?"
William's expression darkened.
He did not trust her, but he trusted her results. The early systems of the company still ran on structures she had built. Whenever the business slipped, her methods surfaced again. He disliked her presence, but he relied on her work more than he admitted.
Still, the tide of jealousy in her heart pushed Raven to a corner, torturing her mentally—to a point where she would refuse to work and isolate herself in her room. But this uncooperative phase would last for a limited time period.
"Now that we are close to profit, you're stepping back?" she continued. "Why wouldn't you? You've already moved your focus to the new venture. You know the Chen family is using you."
William's hand lifted.
The door opened.
Ron An stepped in.
The room froze for a fraction of a second before everyone straightened. The tension folded in on itself as if nothing had happened.
Ron An took his seat, unbothered.
"I stopped by one of your retail stores, Raven," he said after a while, putting the spotlight on Raven again. "I have some feedback."
She said nothing.
"You only hire men. And not impressive ones." He smiled faintly. "You should hire better-looking staff. It helps sales."
"I mean, I used to shop at Sidewalk stores; they have beautiful saleswomen who keep a professional yet welcoming smile, warming the hearts at first glance. They are very good at convincing people to buy; one day, I even bought four to five serums. Why was I there? To buy a shampoo."
George smirked. "Then maybe Sister Raven will try. We can test your theory."
Ron An chuckled. "I said good-looking. I'm not calling her ugly, but you understand. She doesn't have that presence. She is a better fit to be a director. She lacks those skills too."
Raven looked at him.
"What kind?" she asked.
"Flirting skills," she added.
"Enough," William snapped at her. "Watch your tone."
"William, let her be. Brother Han has invited us; let's go. He is going to make his signature dish." Ron An said, calming the tension in the air, "George, join us, and you two, Secretary Wan."
George and William agreed and left the meeting room, but Secretary Wan excused himself, saying that he had to work overtime.
Raven was left alone in the meeting room. Her fingers were locked together, head resting on her wrist. She gazed at the projector and then at the whiteboard, having dealt with almost everything she had planned.
Wan called some interns to help him clear up the files and pack up, and she didn't blink once for the past ten minutes. They didn't disturb her.
Lights were dimmed, the night shift employee clocked in, and Secretary Wan didn't leave; he returned to the meeting room with another cup of coffee and placed it before Raven. She hadn't moved still.
Secretary Wan sat down, opening his laptop, working through the mail. Raven noticed after a while, straightening her back, she asked, "They all heard, didn't they?"
"They did." He replied, in a serious tone, that he couldn't fool her.
"Boss was being too loud." He said, "But they wouldn't know what he said. Or whom he scolded, they would naturally think it was me."
"Oh? Come on, nobody is that foolish." Raven scoffed, "Forget it."
"Thanks for the coffee." She said, taking the cup, she walked to her office, gathered her things, and left.