Chapter 809: On Business

Susan was upset. She'd always trusted people, believing their words and acknowledging their difficulties. She consistently tried to be considerate. Manuel's words, however, shook her confidence, leaving her feeling foolish.

She nodded. "Okay, I promise."

"I don't need your promise," Manuel retorted, indifferent to her feelings.

Susan bit her lip. Sadness weighed on her, but she controlled her temper, fearing dismissal—a lesson learned from past experience. Furthermore, she felt this was her fault.

"Get the project settled this week. I don't need excuses," Manuel said, walking away.

Susan held back tears, took a deep breath, and calmly addressed Matt. He, too, was embarrassed; his lie had been publicly exposed.

He stammered, "Sorry, Miss Phillips, I…"

"We'll discuss this later, privately. Don't waste everyone's time. Continue your report on last week's work and next week's plans. Now, where were we?"

Matt was surprised by her composure. Instead of anger, she displayed sound judgment.

The remainder of the presentation was markedly more serious. Fear of public reprimand from Manuel silenced any perfunctoriness. Initially, they believed he was criticizing Susan, but they eventually realized he was helping her establish authority.

After the meeting, Susan asked Matt to her office. He was embarrassed. Though angry, she chose not to blame him; she acknowledged her own naiveté and susceptibility to deception. She hadn't anticipated Manuel's public criticism.

She sighed. "Let's see how we can get this done this week."

Matt was surprised by her lack of blame.

While generally trusting, Susan wasn't always composed. He'd witnessed her arguments with her father and Manuel, so he braced himself for a scolding.

"We need to finish this project this week; otherwise, he might lash out again. Now, what's the problem?"

"Rex Buckley reviewed the plan, and we agreed on the contract's contents. However, his constant business trips prevented further discussion, so it's been delayed."

"So, the issue is that you haven't been able to meet with him?"

"Yes. Once we do, we can quickly sign the contract."

"Good," Susan nodded. "Since he's unavailable, we'll find him."

Matt stared in surprise.

"You mean, a business trip?"

"Manuel felt we weren't prioritizing this project. We'll fly out to show its importance."

"I understand." Matt recognized the gravity of the situation and agreed.

"Get ready. We leave early tomorrow."

"Got it."

Susan nodded.

Before leaving, he said, "Miss Phillips, thank you."

Susan was taken aback.

His gratitude stemmed from her refusal to embarrass him, taking responsibility instead. While imperfect, her commitment to leadership was evident; given time, she would excel.

After Matt left, sadness washed over Susan. Manuel's public rebuke, witnessed by Clara, who Susan felt secretly mocked her, weighed heavily.

Susan's decision to find Rex Buckley stemmed from two factors: the need to advance the project and avoid further reprimand, and, more importantly, her desire to distance herself from Manuel, needing time to process his relationship with others.

Susan left early the next morning, unseen by Manuel, who only learned of her business trip upon arriving at her office. He remained silent, but his secretary reported a poor mood throughout the week.

A week later, Hannah received a tearful call from Rose.

"Sarah is the worst leader! Since she arrived, the company's been chaotic. She looks down on everyone; we're worthless to her. Everything we do is wrong," Rose sobbed.

Hannah was saddened. Rose, typically reserved, only spoke this way when facing a severe problem. Sarah's single week had been devastating.

"She ignored our plans, constantly nitpicking. Every plan was revised ten times for ridiculous reasons. She found fault with wording, even when the meaning was clear, demanding changes. If she disliked sentences during reports, she demanded immediate changes, then claimed she was too busy to review them, delaying for days, only to demand information in the middle of the night!" Rose was close to hysteria.

"This week has been hell! I've never encountered such a leader. She's insane!"