Chapter 81


    "Mr. Galeana, you''re too kind. Having Ines on board is nothing short of a godsend. She''s taken a lot


    of weight off my shoulders. Even our ever-so-picky Ms. Young can''t stop singing her praises." Jaime


    was well aware of Ines'' value to Hunter, therefore, he made a point to highlight her merits.


    "Oh? Ms. Young, as in the infamous workaholic Amelia Young?" Hunter raised an eyebrow,


    seemingly familiar with Jaime''s reference.


    "That''s her. Amelia is a tough cookie, but she''s always held Ines in high regard. We have a bunch of


    top-notch talents at our firm, Mr. Galeana. Would you consider a partnership?" Jaime asked


    gingerly.


    To his surprise, Hunter agreed in a heartbeat, "Sure, why not? You guys can give it a shot this year."


    With that, he cast a casual nce at Ines. Jaime took the hint, extended a hand to Hunter with a


    grin, "Thanks for your trust, Mr. Galeana. Here''s to a sessful partnership."


    Ines felt a shudder run through her.


    Hunter shook Jaime''s hand, "To our sess."


    Thereafter, Hunter and Jaime had a long chat while Ines stood quietly on the sidelines, holding back


    her anger. "I almost forgot, we''re here to celebrate tonight. Let''s drop the business talk. Ines, feel


    free to mingle. We don''t need you here." Hunter seemed to consider Ines a stranger.


    Ines found his tone grating, the irony in her smile deepening.


    "Well, if that''s what Mr. Galeana suggests, I''ll take my leave."


    Nodding briefly, Ines walked away. The banquet hadn''t officially started. She headed for the balcony


    to get some fresh air. Just as she stepped out, Emma followed, snidely remarking, "Ines, I thought


    you were some big shot. Turns out you''re just a bean counter."


    "How narrow-minded. No wonder you''ve been stuck in the same ce for so long. If you spent less


    time chasing men and more time improving yourself, you wouldn''t be in this mess." Ines retorted


    with a derisiveugh.


    She realized that being a pushover would only encourage Emma to push her boundaries. The best


    way to handle it was to fight fire with fire, to send Emma packing. She might have a cool demeanor,


    but she was in no way a pushover. She had avoided arguing with Emma before, fearing that her


    scandalous past would tarnish the Meyer family''s reputation. But aftering clean with her


    mother-inw, she was reassured that they were not afraid of any rumors.


    Emma''s face changed. The old fearless Ines was back, leaving her speechless. Emma red at


    Ines, "What the hell are you talking about? I''m good at my job."


    A smirk tugged at Ines'' lips, "Are you out of your mind? Even a barmaid wouldn''t brag about her


    work skills."


    "I''m the PR Manager." Emma corrected.


    "So, you''re in a hurry to tell me you''re a high-ss barmaid?" Ines rubbed her temples, coldly


    retorting.


    Emma held her head high, "Ines, you''re talking nonsense."


    Ines gave Emma a once-over. Despite her short height, Emma had a good figure.


    "To be honest, I gotta hand it to our chairman. He sure knows how to pick pretty ones."


    Ines'' suggestive gaze was not lost on Emma. Emma knew exactly what Ines was implying.N?velDrama.Org content.


    "Ah!" Emma shrieked, raising her hand to p Ines. But Ines caught her wrist, staring down at her,


    "Biting off more than you can chew, aren''t you? You think you cany a hand on me with your


    height?"


    Ines was only 5''5", but Emma was even shorter, at 5''1". The 4-inch difference gave Ines the upper


    hand.


    Emma was roughly shoved away by Ines, causing her to fall to the ground. As she knelt there, her


    skirt left little to the imagination. She looked around and sighed in relief when she saw no one was


    watching.


    Ines gave her a resigned look before turning to leave.


    After catching her breath, Emma got up and limped away, refusing to admit defeat.


    Upon exiting, she bumped into Stoner Farrar, who was cozying up with a pretty girl, his eyes glued


    to Ines'' retreating figure. Emma suddenly had an idea.


    She walked up to him, greeting him cheerily, "Yo, Mr. Farrar, who''s caught your eye this time?"


    Stoner knew Emma. He had once been interested in her but refrained due to her status. He gave a


    nonchnt smile, "I''m sorry if I''ve embarrassed you, Ms. Galeana. I''m aware she''s a married


    woman."


    "No way, she can''t possibly be married." Emma whispered incredulously.


    She spoke softly, but Stoner was close enough to hear her. His interest piqued, "Do you know her,


    Ms. Galeana?"


    Emma nced around hesitantly, sparking Stoner''s curiosity. He eagerly asked, "What do you


    know, Ms. Galeana?" Emma feigned reluctance, then leaned in to whisper, "Well, Mr. Farrar, I think


    we''re close enough for me to share this. I wouldn''t tell anyone else. The woman you saw isn''t a


    married woman. She''s just a fresh college graduate who came to interview for a hostess position at


    ourpany not long ago."


    "She was charming and likable, and I was considering hiring her. But I heard she didn''t have a good


    reputation. Apparently, she had a sugar daddy in college. I decided to not hire her. I couldn''t risk


    tarnishing ourpany''s reputation."


    "Really? Someone told me she was married." Stoner''s eyes lit up.


    Emma shrugged, "I''m not sure about that. My informationes from reliable sources. Maybe


    someone''s tricking you."


    "That wicked woman, she''s totally out of line." At this point, Stoner was blinded by malicious


    thoughts swirling in his head, fooled by Emma into believing it was Amelia who had tricked him.


    With that, he excitedly strode off in the direction Ines had left. Watching Stoner''s confident swagger,


    Emma''s lips curled into a cold, sinister smirk.