It had been a week since the incident with Tara and her family. During that time, she had moved out of the mansion and settled into a villa located in a well-secured neighborhood. She needed space—time away from the chaos that had shattered everything she once believed in.
Early that morning, a phone rang on the small table beside her bed. An elegant female hand slowly emerged from beneath the soft bed sheets and reached for the phone.
"Hello…" a sleepy voice answered.
"Miss Logan, we have guests here who want to talk about a new collaboration with you. But on top of that, Mr. Wanskins is here causing a scene, and I don't know what to do," the voice on the other end said nervously.
Tara slowly sat up in bed.
"I'll be there in fifteen minutes," she replied calmly before hanging up.
"Aah… what in the world is that jerk's problem?" Tara muttered as she got out of bed and walked toward the bathroom to get ready.
Once she finished preparing herself, she didn't even bother eating breakfast. She immediately left for the office.
When Tara arrived at the office building, she was greeted by the receptionist, who looked visibly panicked. Tara simply nodded in acknowledgment and walked toward the elevator that would take her to her office on the highest floor.
The moment the elevator doors opened, distant shouting echoed through the hallway.
"Where the hell is Tara?! That good-for-nothing, shameless woman!"
Tara calmly walked toward the direction of the voice, observing the scene while keeping a slight distance.
Frank was yelling loudly while Vanessa stood beside him, pretending to calm him down while secretly escalating the situation.
As soon as the staff present noticed Tara, they quickly stood up and greeted her.
"Good morning, Miss Logan."
Frank and Vanessa turned toward the voice and saw Tara standing there, watching them calmly.
Tara looked directly at Frank.
"Are you done barking?" she asked coldly.
Vanessa immediately took a step back in terror.
Frank, however, stepped forward in fury.
"How dare you, you shameless woman!" he shouted as he raised his hand to slap her.
Before his hand could land, Tara caught his wrist mid-air.
She looked straight into Frank's eyes with a chilling expression.
"Mr. Wanskin, it's not good for you to lose your composure in public," she said calmly. "Especially for someone known as the undefeated CEO in this city."
Tara stepped slightly closer to him and lowered her voice.
"If you're done creating a scene, why don't you come into my office? Or wait until I'm done with work and we can settle this issue then. Your call."
She released his hand, took a napkin from the nearby table, wiped her hand as if it had touched something dirty, and threw the napkin into the trash.
Frank's face turned red with anger.
"How dare you treat me like trash!"
"Did I?" Tara replied nonchalantly.
"I don't want to waste time. Make your choice now."
She looked at both Frank and Vanessa coldly.
Without another word, the two of them walked toward Tara's office.
Tara remained standing where she was, silently observing them.
A woman walked up beside her and whispered quietly.
"Mrs. Logan, what about these clients?"
She subtly pointed in the opposite direction.
Tara turned and saw two men standing a short distance away, both dressed in elegant suits.
She carefully observed them.
One wore a black suit. His black hair and sharp dark eyes made him look like a predator silently studying everything around him.
The other wore a blue suit. His dark brown hair and warm brown eyes gave him a more approachable appearance.
"It seems Miss Logan has fallen for one of us with the way you're looking," the man in the blue suit joked playfully.
Tara immediately looked away in annoyance.
Taking a slow breath to calm herself, she walked toward them.
"And you two are?" Tara asked, her eyes shifting between the two men.
"Oh, how rude of us for not introducing ourselves," the man in the blue suit said with a smile. "My name is Jade Wood, and this is my brother, Cain Wood. We are the owners of Wood Company in City B. We came here to discuss a possible collaboration."
Tara remained silent for a moment, studying them carefully.
"I apologize that you had to witness such an unpleasant scene earlier," she finally said. "However, I will have to decline your offer for the collaboration."
Jade looked both shocked and confused.
"Why, Miss Logan? You haven't even heard the project yet. Or what we can offer… or the benefits."
Tara met his gaze calmly.
"Wood Company is indeed a great company. Under normal circumstances, I would have gladly agreed. However, a few weeks ago we signed a collaboration with ANOX Company, which is still ongoing. I don't want to put myself, my company, or my employees on another hot plate."
She paused slightly.
"I'm ambitious, Mr. Wood… but I'm not greedy."
"I'm sure you can find another company here that doesn't currently have a collaboration and would be willing to work with you."
Just then, Cain stepped forward.
He stopped only a few feet away from her.
Lowering his head slightly to meet her gaze, his imposing aura filled the space between them.
"If I'm not mistaken," he said calmly in a monotone voice, "your collaboration with ANOX should end in three months."
Tara remained silent.
"If you prepare well and launch it with all your resources, it should conclude smoothly. And my company is not in a hurry for this collaboration."
He straightened slightly.
"So while we wait, we can simply discuss the project… until your current collaboration ends."
Tara calmly took a small step back.
"I will think about it."
She then turned toward her secretary.
"If there's nothing else, Kelly, please see our guests out."
Without waiting for a response, she walked toward her office.
Cain silently watched Tara as she walked away.
"Mr. Wood, Mr. Wood, please follow me," Kelly said politely, guiding them toward the elevator.
As the brothers walked behind her, Jade leaned toward Cain.
"Wow… that woman is really difficult and cold. See? I told you it wouldn't be easy to convince her. She didn't even bother listening to our proposal."
Cain glanced at him.
"That only shows how decisive and intelligent she is," he said, a faint smile appearing on his lips.
"What do you mean?" Jade asked.
"The Logans are currently collaborating with ANOX, a powerhouse company in City A. Every company wanted that opportunity. By accepting it, the Logans have already exposed themselves to the schemes and hostility of their rivals."
He paused.
"Now imagine if she also accepted our collaboration—the powerhouse of City B."
Jade's eyes widened.
"Oh my… if she had said yes, her company would have been even more exposed. The risk of destruction or bankruptcy would skyrocket."
"Exactly," Cain said calmly.
"She understood all that within a few minutes. That's… very interesting."
A slow smile formed on his face.
Kelly stopped near the elevator.
"I'll leave you here, sirs. Have a nice day."
She gave them a polite smile before walking away.
Cain took out his phone and dialed a number.
"Hello, boss," a voice answered from the other end.
"Get me all the information you can about the Logan family," Cain said before hanging up.
Jade looked at him with confusion.
"Why are you investigating the Logan family?"
Cain smirked slightly.
"That woman doesn't look like an easy target. And I doubt she'll contact us about the collaboration."
He slipped his phone back into his pocket.
"So I'll simply find another way… to make her collaborate with me."
Jade stared at his brother.
The moment he saw the expression on Cain's face, he knew one thing for certain.
A storm was coming.
And when Cain Wood set his eyes on something—
Hell usually followed.