Chapter 51

Turning toward Amelia, Wyatt asked, "What do you suggest we do about Sally?"

With her voice steady, Amelia said, "If I hadn't kept the recording to prove she set me up, or if the contract with Patton hadn't been successfully signed, what would my fate have been in the company?"

A blunt answer came without hesitation. "You would have been fired."

"Then she deserves the same treatment | would have gotten," Amelia said.

"No! Please, don't fire me!" Sally exclaimed.

She rushed up to Wyatt as she pleaded, "Mr. Stewart, I've devoted five years to this company.given everything I had to it. You can't just dismiss me so easily."

No response came from Wyatt, who turned his attention to Davin instead. "See that the finance team processes her final paycheck."

That simple order dashed any remaining hope inside Sally. When she saw Wyatt's cold expression, the last traces of pleading in herexpression curdled into bitterness. Her voice rose, sharp and furious.

"If you fire me like this, Mr. Stewart, I'll drag this company to court!"

She had expected Wyatt to show some worry upon hearing this, but instead, his expression grew even darker.

Amelia felt a hint of hesitation, Sally's mention of a lawsuit weighing on her mind.

While Sally was clearly at fault, Amelia couldn't ignore that the whole situation stemmed from her own involvement. The idea that the Stewart Group might wind up in legal trouble because of her left her uneasy.

Before Amelia could say anything, Davin finally spoke up, his tone laced with ridicule toward Sally."Do you honestly believe the company doesn't know what you've been up to? If we go to court, you'll be the one answering for bribery charges."

All the fight drained from Sally in an instant. It had never crossed her mind that Davin was aware of her secret dealings.

In other companies, assistants usually had little opportunity to accept bribes, but the Stewart Group was different. Many people sought connections with Wyatt, and those without direct access turned to assistants like Sally for help.

Because of this, Sally-nothing more than an assistant--became the owner of many designer handbags and glittering jewelry, tokens from eager clients hoping to curry favor.

Wyatt had always been aware of this, but he had never cared about it. And Devin believed that if clients wanted to lavish the Stewart Group's employees with gifts to win goodwill, it was not his cocern.

Devin had just never expected Sally to be so foolish as to say something like suing the company.

A police car arrived not long after, and with regret clouding her eyes, Sally was led away in handcuffs.

No sooner had the police left than Amelia was summoned to Wyatt's office.

Expecting a conversation about Sally, she stepped inside, only to have Wyatt hand her a document and a list.

Before Amelia could ask Wyatt what this was about, she noticed two familiar names on the list-the Morrison Group and the Flynn Group.

She then set her attention on the document.

The file Wyatt handed to Amelia was the project plan for developing the eastern part of Kretol.

Amelia had heard Laura mention the project before and knew how invested Laura was in it, so she read the document carefully.

Intent on understanding every detail, she pored over the lengthy report for more than an hour.

When she finally set the file down, Wyatt pushed a glass of her favorite mango juice across the desk toward her. Only after Amelia had taken a sip did Wyatt break the silence. "Tell me, what's your take on thisproject plan?"

Thanks to her background in business management, Amelia immediately spotted a glaring issue with the proposal.

But she was conflicted about whether she should point it out.

Wyatt must have picked up on her uncertainty, because he quickly encouraged her, saying,"Don't hold back. Giveme your honest view. If it were you, would you take on this project?"

A single, honest reply escaped her lips."No."

Candid as her answer was, she felt a stab of unease knowing this was Wyatt's project and found herself sneaking a glance at his face for any sign of disapproval.

To her relief, Wyatt's calm remained undisturbed, so she continued, "The project is excellent, and the plan is flawless, but it demands too much from the developer's finances. Every stage demands even more capital than the last, so one miscalculation could drag the entire development team into a cash flow disaster."

All of this was Amelia's professional opinion, but given the circumstances, she instinctively tried to soften her critique."Of course, these are just my preliminary thoughts.I-"

Wyatt cut her off before she could finish, saying, "You're even smarter than I expected, Amelia!"

His praise and the unmistakable approval in his eyes took her by surprise.

Dozens of people had read this plan, yet Amelia was the only one to immediately identify its fatal flaw.

Wyatt added, "Both your father and the Morrison family have thrown their hats in the ring for the bidding of this project."

Amelia was aware that Laura had always wanted to establish a connection with the Stewart Group, so she wasn't surprised the Morrison Group was bidding for the project.

But thinking about the Flynn Group's fragile finances, she couldn't help but mutter, "My dad must have lost his mind!"