Chapter 8 She’s The Chief
“Mr. Woodward, Ms. Gardner is here.” Belinda’s assistant rushed over in a panic. “The launch is already in full swing, and Ms. Hobbs’s being celebrated as the creator of Soul Echoes.
“If Ms. Gardner storms in now and exposes everything… forget landing the Wonder Group deal, Fighters Group will become the industry’s biggest joke.”
“She actually came.” Relief flooded Blair for a split second, only to be overtaken by boiling anger.
He whipped around and strode purposefully toward the venue’s entrance.
Belinda, who was basking in the crowd’s flattery, spotted him and froze in alarm. She pushed through the throng and
chased after him.
On the way, she frantically typed messages: [You useless fool! How did she get here? Weren’t you supposed to be watching her? Where are you?]
No response, the messages vanished into the void.
Blair reached the doors and immediately locked eyes on Dina.
Out in the hallway, Dina was dressed in a crisp, professional suit. She looked a little fragile but walk determination toward the hall.
with unwavering
On closer inspection, her face was ashen, with tiny beads of sweat dotting her forehead, and her breaths came quick and
shallow.
“Only showing up now? You think that fixes anything?” Blair’s voice was thick with reproach and letdown. “The launch is done. Lucky for us, Belinda filled in, or it would’ve been a complete flop.
“Don’t play the victim. This mess is on you for being late. Own up to the fallout.”
Dina lifted her gaze, her eyes like shards of ice, brimming with mockery.
The second she’d been hauled into that fire escape, she knew Belinda was gunning for Soul Echoes.
She’d already made up her mind to quit Fighters Group and had no plans to fight for Soul Echoes. She couldn’t take it with her anyway. But a Soul Echoes personally crafted by the “Wonder Group Chief“? That could skyrocket Fighters Group’s profits ten times over.
Cutting losses in time, that was her motto.
Plus, the launch was only the beginning. Constant updates and maintenance were essential, or it’d all blow up in their faces… and she was the only one who could handle that.
All the glory Belinda was stealing from Soul Echoes now? When the cracks showed, her downfall would be epic and humiliating.
“Relax,” she said, her voice calm and distant. “I’m not after Soul Echoes. Move aside.”
“Seriously?” Blair eyed her doubtfully.
“Blair, don’t believe her.” Belinda huffed as she caught up, gripping his arm with urgent suspicion. “If she’s not here to snatch Soul Echoes, then what’s her angle? Just sightseeing?
“Dina, I get that you despise me and want to barge in, blow my cover, and destroy me. Fine, trash my reputation, I don’t care. But you know better than anyone how crucial the Wonder Group deal is for Blair. They’re picking partners any minute now. Can’t you act mature for once and consider the big picture?”
Her words hit Blair’s rawest nerve dead–on.
His look toward Dina turned stone–cold. “Dina, this is beyond selfish. Alexander, escort Mrs. Woodward home. She’s not to step foot outside until the Wonder Group deal is sealed.”
Dina stared at the duo, mangling the truth and ignoring facts, and found the whole thing laughably ridiculous.
She scoffed, “Blair, you’d better wake up and think straight. I am the Wonder Group Chief.”
“You? Wonder Group Chief?” Belinda let out a derisive snort, as if it were the punchline to a bad joke. “Dina, you’ll say anything to get back at me, won’t you?
“Lying without even a shred of proof? If you’re the Wonder Group Chief, then I’m the freaking president.”
Blair gazed at Dina, his expression weighed down by sheer disappointment and exhaustion. He gestured to the bodyguard. Enough! Remove her!”
Alexander Crosby moved in right away, his hold on Dina’s shoulder courteous in appearance but ironclad in reality. “Mrs.
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Chapter 8 She’s The Chief
Woodward, please come with me.”
Alexander was a pro bodyguard with top–notch skills. Once he had her pinned, escape was impossible, and the tugging only aggravated her injuries. Cold sweat poured down her back in an instant, leaving her face deathly white.
Biting back the agony, she drew a shaky breath, fished out her phone, and dialed. “I’m at the door. Some guard dogs are in my way. Come get me.”
“What a show!” Belinda sneered, her face contorted with scorn as she nudged Alexander. “What are you waiting for? Haul her out of here before someone sees and embarrasses the Woodward family.”
Alexander tightened his grip suddenly, drawing a muffled groan of pain from Dina as her body shook slightly.
Right at that moment, the locked venue doors flew open.
A group with impeccable poise and overwhelming presence filed out. Leading them was a tall, stern–faced man, Tom Smith, the global director of Wonder Group’s Al projects, notorious for his razor–sharp instincts and no–nonsense approach.
Their entrance brought an unspoken weight, freezing the air in an instant.
Every eye snapped toward them. Crowds from the hall poured out in their wake.
Belinda paused for a beat, then pure elation surged through her. She thought, ‘Wonder Group’s top brass has emerged personally. They must be coming for me.’
She plastered on a perfect smile, squared her shoulders, and clicked forward in her heels, her voice dripping with charm and confidence.
She said, “Mr. Smith, hi there. I’m Belinda, the creator of Soul Echoes. What an honor that you’ve come out yourself…”
Tom halted for a split second, giving her a loaded look, but his gaze didn’t stick. It slid right past her and zeroed in on Dina, held fast by the bodyguard, her face ghostly pale.
At the sight of her being manhandled like that, his face clouded over, dark as a brewing storm. “What the hell is going on here?”
Belinda’s stomach dropped; she couldn’t let her prize fly away now. No chance Dina was sabotaging this.
She cut in fast, her voice a mix of fake sorrow and concern, “Mr. Smith, sorry you have to see this. She’s my
Dina.
sister–in–law,
“When she realized I’d nailed the Soul Echoes launch, jealousy kicked in, she’s scared her spot in the family will slip below mine, so she… she stole my research data and tried to impersonate me right here..
She heaved a dramatic sigh. “I hoped to keep this family drama under wraps, but I guess it had to spill out and inconvenience you all.”
That “stole research data” line was cunning and brutal; even if Dina whipped out the real files and talked herself hoarse, nobody would take her word for it anymore.
The onlookers exploded, shooting dirty looks and whispering like a frigid tide washing over Dina.
“Oh my God! She seems so polished, but her heart’s rotten to the core? So vicious!”
“Swiping someone’s years of hard work? Doesn’t she wor
about
farm biting ba
“What a cancer in the business! Grab a photo, blast her online, make sure every firm blacklists her.”
In seconds, Dina became the villain everyone loved to hate.
Blair’s brows furrowed hard; seeing her endure such humiliating scorn twisted something inside him. But the Wonder Group partnership, and the “greater good“, loomed large,
0 he bit l
raw
tris tongue and said nothing.
Belinda snuck a glance at Dina, her eyes gleaming with and mockery. She thought, ‘See? It’s all mine now, everything you built.‘
Dina bore the throbbing ache in her shoulder and the hostile glares closing in. As she stared at the silent Blair and the smirking Belinda, a wry, self-deprecating curve at her lips.
only to b
Three years poured out, only to become the weapon turned against her. Good
She lifted her gaze, meeting Tom’s
yes steadily.
Tom, brow still creased, marched straight to Dina.
ing she’d woken up to the reality long ago.
Belinda figured he was stepping in to handle the “imposter” personally, so she lit up with a dazzling grin and moved to intercept. “Mr. Smith, no worries, I’ll get her out of here pronto. Won’t delay our deal one bit. Let’s step inside and chat…”
Tom let out a chilly snort, not missing a beat as he brushed past the obstructing Belinda like she was just a pesky puff of smoke.
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Chapter 8 She’s The Chief
He came to a stop before Dina, his eyes flicking to Alexander’s lingering clamp on her shoulder, sharpening to daggers.” Release her!”
Rattled by the scene, Alexander let go without thinking.
Then, in front of the pale–faced Dina, and under the wide–eyed shock of the crowd, Tom dipped into a slight bow, his demeanor utterly respectful, his voice booming clear and loud through the space.
He said, “Ms. Gardner, my deepest apologies for this mess. Please excuse my lapse.”
“Apologies?”
Boom–The word struck like a bolt from the blue, detonating in the brains of Blair, Belinda, and anyone close enough to hear.
