Thea weighed the fleeting satisfaction of revenge against Nicolas's wrath. She shot Jake a scornful smirk. "Oh, really? And can you guarantee you weren't with Madelyn yesterday?"

Jake's eyes shifted nervously. He stammered, "Madelyn was upset yesterday, and you weren't answering me, so I just—"

"Mr. Hendrix, did you forget that you publicly declared we had nothing to do with each other?" Thea cut him off sharply.

"I was just angry! We've had fights like this before. Why are you taking it so seriously?" he said defensively.

It was true. In their seven years together, they'd broken up and reconciled more times than she could count. Each time, Thea had swallowed her pride, buying Jake gifts or apologizing first. "Well, this time it's real," Thea said, her patience exhausted. She started to leave.

But Jake grabbed her hand. His eyes narrowed. "Even if that's true, you saw how I just helped you out back there."

"Well, thanks," Thea replied coolly.

Jake's frustration mounted. "Thea, don't you see? Nicolas is setting you up to fail with this project. It's impossible to close that deal. You should quit before you waste more time."

Thea's eyes narrowed. "Is that what you think of as a setup? Seems like your abilities are pretty limited. Hate to break it to you, but I thrive on challenges."

Jake's face flushed red. Before he could respond, Thea's phone buzzed. A small smile played on her lips. "Sorry. They're reaching out to ask if I'm free for dinner tonight."

Ignoring Jake's sour expression, she left, her mood noticeably lighter.

Later, in the restaurant's private room, Thea reviewed her notes. The door swung open, and a waitress, looking impatient, entered. "Miss, it's past your reservation time. When can we start serving?"

Thea checked her watch. "Let me make a call and check." She dialed several times without an answer. On the sixth try, a cold female voice said, "Miss Rowland, right? My apologies, but after reconsideration, our boss has decided it's not the right time to proceed with this partnership. If the opportunity arises in the future, we'll be in touch."

Thea froze, the abrupt rejection sinking in. There was no room for negotiation. Just an hour ago, they were open to discussing details. Taking a deep breath, she said, "Is there an issue with my proposal? I'm happy to make adjustments if needed."

"There's no problem at all. Our boss just doesn't want to work with you anymore. If there's nothing else, please don't contact us again." The woman hung up.

The waitress, arms crossed, impatiently stood at the door. Seeing Thea's pale face, she sneered, "Miss, couldn't land the client, huh? Well, look at you. It's no surprise. But can you pull yourself together and get out of here soon? We need this room for other reservations."

Thea's gaze sharpened. "Do you even know my last name?"

The waitress rolled her eyes.

"It's Rowland. The same as your boss." Thea took a step closer. "Call your manager."

The waitress's face paled. This restaurant was owned by the Rowland family, and all family members were treated as VIPs—except Thea.

After dealing with the waitress, Thea rushed to stake out the hotel where the buyer was staying. Fortunately, her prior interactions had been friendly, and she knew their routine. She waited for half an hour without spotting the Silvercreek buyer.

Then, she spotted the buyer's assistant, who had been with her during the mine inspection. Thea approached, slightly out of breath. "Excuse me," she said, trying to maintain a steady tone. "I don't know if I offended your boss, but I wanted to apologize if that's the case. Can you at least tell me why you've decided not to work with me?"

Unlike their first polite meeting, the assistant regarded Thea with cold disdain. "Miss Rowland, if I were you, I wouldn't bother chasing after reasons. Isn't this just humiliating yourself?"

Thea forced a polite smile. "I understand the cooperation didn't work out, but we routinely conduct feedback surveys with our clients to improve."

The assistant sneered. "Feedback? We just hope your company won't send women like you—ones with questionable character and hidden agendas—to negotiate with us ever again."

Thea blinked, stunned. "What do you mean? Is there some misunderstanding?"

Clearly fed up, the assistant raised his voice. "At first, I thought you were a capable professional. But it turns out I was wrong. Don't you know what you've done? You seduced your superior, though he had a girlfriend, to get ahead. Now that things aren't going smoothly with him, you're trying to hook up with the boss to get back at his girlfriend. How can someone be so shameless?"

Thea laughed bitterly. "Who told you this? Do you just believe whatever rumors you hear and judge people based on that? Do you really think I've achieved everything through underhanded means?"

The assistant waved his phone. "See this? Chat logs, voice recordings, all the proof is right here. Our boss hates homewreckers more than anything. The only reason we haven't exposed this yet is because you work for" (The sentence is incomplete in the original text.)