Perfect Match: Irresistible Desire For You
Chapter 15

Charlie was already Lina’s, but because of her boyfriend’s attitude toward Ashley and her own jealousy toward her, Lina was itching to kick the woman out of Synder Group altogether. Lina was planning to get Ashley removed from the negotiations for the project, which was a big case for the company. A successful closing of the deal with Empire Group would definitely mean a promotion for Ashley, which would throw a monkey wrench to her plans. This time, Lina had a trump card that could end Ashley’s involvement in the cooperation discussions. A wicked smile appeared on Lina’s face at the thought.

By the time Lina had finished speaking, it became clear to everyone present that she was there to declare war against Ashley. Nobody said anything because some of Lina’s points made sense to them to a certain extent, although they were confused as to why she was saying such things. Everyone was aware of the gossip involving the two women, who were both in the meeting room at that very moment. The smell of gunpowder was slowly rising.

The whole company, not only the marketing department, had always favored Ashley. It wasn’t just because of her unparalleled beauty—her conscientious work ethic, brilliant mind, and grace under pressure made people depend upon her. By contrast, Lina was seen as eye candy.

Ashley was smart, so it didn’t take long for her to realize that Lina had a target on her forehead. Even so, she felt helpless in the face of the woman’s evident resentment. Why was Lina out to get her? She and Charlie were completely through. As soon as she found out about his betrayal, Ashley decided to sever her connection with Charlie. Lina was Charlie’s current girlfriend and was an indispensable member of his staff. Why, then, was she targeting her, Ashley?

Despite her confusion, Ashley would never allow her personal feelings to interfere with her work. She ignored Lina’s attempts to provoke her. “First of all, the negotiation is not a failure. The other party is not closing its doors on us—in fact, Empire Group has given us the opportunity to renegotiate next time. Second, the other party was requesting for us to increase our bid price, while our company asked us to replace out the acceptabl

e price range for Empire Group. Finally, we are currently brainstorming for inputs and suggestions from the team. Would you like to contribute anything to the discussion, Lina?”

Last week, Lina was transferred from the marketing department and promoted to an assistant to the general manager. People had started calling her the general manager’s woman. After hearing Ashley’s explanation, which was delivered in a calm, professional manner that was neither overbearing nor aggressive, Lina had nothing to say. The people in Ashley’s team who attended the negotiation in Empire Group all knew that she was telling the truth, so they tried to defend Ashley.

“That’s right, Lina. The negotiations have yet to be finalized, and our side did not lose. Miss Guzman did a stellar job during the discussions.” They recalled how the people from Empire Group said that Synder Group’s pricing was unreasonably low, but Ashley fearlessly faced strong pressure from the other side and put forward her own opinions in order to reverse their group’s disadvantage.

“Lina, you didn’t participate in the negotiation in Empire Group, and you did not see it with your own eyes. How can you criticize Miss Guzman without being aware of all the facts?” The one who spoke up was a straightforward female employee who had always disliked Lina’s coquettish manner. Her blunt comment made Lina even more speechless.

Realizing that more people would probably attack her after that, Lina decided to postpone her plan. She changed her arrogant approach and said in a boss-like tone, “You can continue your discussion before I came. I’ll take down notes and report them to Mr. Synder.”

Speechless, the staff watched as Lina took out her laptop and typing on it. Apparently, she was perfectly aware that she was interrupting the meeting. ‘Report them to Mr. Synder? It will be Miss Guzman who will report them to Mr. Synder.’ Even so, they were aware that Lina was the general manager’s woman and they couldn’t afford to offend her. Therefore, they refrained from commenting further and continued with their reports.

For her part, Ashley paid Lina no attention. She continued to preside over the meeting and ended it earlier than expected.