CHAPTER 3: CHAPTER 3: SCANDALOUS AFFAIR

The sender of the message is self-evident.

A few plain words, yet filled with ambiguity.

Stella Grant used her water-dampened fingertips to tap the screen and replied: "Could you please throw it away for me, President Sutton? Thank you."

After sending the message, Stella transferred ten thousand yuan to Mrs. Grant, then put her phone on silent, and closed her eyes.

Five years ago, The Grant Corporation went bankrupt, and Mr. Grant ran away with the last sum of money. To this day, there has been no news of him, and his life or death remains unknown.

For the past five years, creditors have come knocking every day, and Stella and Mrs. Grant have never had a peaceful night’s sleep.

Industry insiders say she’s a workaholic, but no one knows why she works so hard—just to pay off her debts early and bring her mother to live with her in peace during her twilight years.

The next morning, after Stella finished her breakfast, she drove to the company as usual.

Upon entering the company, she received strange looks from the two receptionists.

As Stella approached, the two receptionists forced smiles and greeted her, "Good morning, Manager Grant."

Stella nodded, "Morning."

After Stella walked away, the two receptionists whispered to each other.

"Do you think those photos are real or fake?"

"The photos are so clear; how could they be fake?"

"Tsk, couldn’t tell. She always seemed quite proper."

"Proper on the surface, but can she really be that proper if she could be involved with car z?"

"Who is that man, anyway? It’s hard to see clearly in the photos."

The receptionists’ voices were low, so Stella didn’t hear a word.

But it wasn’t long before Stella saw those rumored photos herself.

Her assistant showed them to her, cautiously and barely daring to breathe.

Once sure that Stella showed no signs of anger, the assistant whispered, "These photos were posted to the work group in the early hours of the morning. They were not only in the employee chat but also sent to every executive’s email."

Stella’s expression was indiscernible as her gaze landed on the photo of her pushing Silas Sutton against the hotel hallway wall.

In the photo, her suit jacket was slipping off, exposing her shoulders, as she tiptoed to kiss Silas Sutton’s chin.

Clearly, Silas Sutton was trying to avoid her, his face turned to the side.

The photographer was evidently skilled; the picture was expertly taken, exposing Stella completely, with just a blurred profile of Silas Sutton.

After the assistant finished speaking, she waited for a long time without receiving a response from Stella, then cautiously spoke again, "Manager Grant, Mr. Lynch just said he wants you to visit his office when you arrive."

At these words, Stella furrowed her brows slightly, "Got it."

Being called over at this time made the purpose obvious.

Upon hearing Stella’s reply, the assistant pursed her lips and added, "Manager Grant, if there’s nothing else, I’ll head out first."

Stella looked up, "Notify everyone that there will be a meeting in ten minutes."

After Stella spoke, the assistant was momentarily stunned before responding, "Okay, Manager Grant."

After acknowledging, the assistant turned and walked briskly toward the door.

Outside the door, the assistant patted her chest, murmuring softly, "Is she even human? With such a big incident, she’s still thinking about having a meeting."

Soon after the assistant left, Stella put the photos on her desk into a drawer, tapped her fingers thoughtfully on the desk, and picked up the documents needed for the meeting next to her to review.

Ten minutes later, Stella gathered everyone from the project department for a meeting.

During the meeting, Stella was as calm and composed as ever, methodically organizing everything.

As the meeting concluded, Stella left the room first, followed by a burst of sighs in the conference room.

"Manager Grant really has strong mental fortitude!"

"Yeah, I thought she’d at least lose her composure today."

"Indeed, a successful woman must endure what others cannot."

While discussions erupted in the meeting room, Stella took the elevator upstairs to visit her superior, Mr. Lynch.

When she reached Mr. Lynch’s office, just as she was about to knock, she heard a flattering voice inside, "Did President Sutton come today for the city south project?"

Silas Sutton replied with a faint smile, avoiding the question, "I heard that the manager of the project department was involved in a scandal last night?"