The Ex-Wife They Begged To Keep - Chapter 47: Chapter 47
You are reading The Ex-Wife They Begged To Keep, Chapter 47: Chapter 47. Read more chapters of The Ex-Wife They Begged To Keep.
Keith opened the door to find Stacey standing outside with a lunchbox in her hand. "Keith, I'm so sorry to disturb you this late."
At the sight of Stacey, Keith's frown deepened, his tone turning noticeably colder. "What are you doing here?"
Stacey sidestepped slightly to avoid Keith's probing gaze, then walked straight into the house with the lunchbox in her hand. "I made some soup and brought it over for Alyssa to try—see if she likes it," she said warmly.
Stacey stepped into the room, her smile instantly freezing when she spotted Serena standing by the sofa. "What are you doing here?" she demanded, her tone sharp with surprise.
Serena was slightly surprised to see Stacey, but she nodded politely nonetheless. She greeted politely, "Good evening, Stacey. I'm also here to visit Alyssa."
Stacey ignored Serena and strode straight into the room, her eyes darting suspiciously back and forth between Keith and Serena. "Keith, where's Alyssa? Why isn't she here?"
Keith replied curtly, "She's asleep."
Serena watched Stacey and Keith, her mind clouded with doubt. 'What's their relationship?' she wondered. 'Stacey's attitude toward Keith seems unusually intimate. Could they be old acquaintances? A couple? Or something else entirely?'
Sensing the subtle shift in atmosphere, Serena tactfully excused herself once again. Could they be old acquaintances? A couple? Or something else entirely?'
Keith glanced out the window at the night and said, "It's not safe for you to go back alone. I'll have my driver take you home."
Serena accepted without hesitation. With a word of thanks, she turned and left.
After Serena left, Stacey placed the lunchbox on the coffee table. "How has Alyssa been lately? Has she been behaving herself?" Stacey asked.
Keith replied curtly, "She's fine."
Noticing Keith's obvious disinterest, Stacey felt a surge of irritation but forced a bright smile. "I made some soup today and made a special trip to bring it over for Alyssa to try. Why don't you have some too? See if it suits your taste."
"I'm not hungry. Just tired," he said.
Stacey studied Keith's expression, then probed cautiously. "Ms. Gray seems to know Alyssa well. Does she come by often?"
"Only occasionally," Keith replied curtly.
A flicker of displeasure flashed through Stacey's eyes, but she quickly masked it and continued her questioning. "What's going on between you and Serena?"
Keith replied coldly, "That's none of your business."
"I'm just concerned about you. After all, you know how much history we've shared over the years—" she said.
Keith cut her off wearily. "Alyssa's already asleep. It's late. You should head home and rest."
"Keith, it's been so long since we last met. Can't we just sit down and catch up for a while?" Stacey stared at him.
"I'm exhausted. I need to rest," Keith said, making it clear he wanted to end the conversation.
Stacey bit her lip but held her tongue. Picking up the lunchbox, she left without another word.
Early the next morning, Serena had barely stepped into the office when Stacey summoned her over before she could even sit down. "Serena, come with me."
Serena was confused, but she still obediently followed Stacey.
"Have a seat," Stacey said, her tone carefully neutral. She forcefully slammed a document onto the desk, jabbing her finger at it as she addressed Serena. "This project must be submitted first thing tomorrow morning."
Serena picked up the document and quickly scanned through it, her expression gradually darkening as she read.
This was an interior design proposal for a large shopping mall, exceptionally complex, with countless factors to consider, and far from something that could be completed in such a short timeframe.
"Stacey, the design drawings for this project are extremely complex, and they also require an on-site survey. I'm afraid it's impossible to finish everything today—" said Serena.
Stacey cut her off sharply, "Serena, this is your very first assignment since your promotion to deputy team leader. I trust you can handle it—can't you?"
She leaned back in her chair, fingers interlaced, and watched Serena with a sly, calculating gaze.
Serena replied, "I'll do my best."
'Stacey is deliberately making things difficult for me,' Serena thought, her fingers tightening around the documents.
Ever since Serena's promotion to deputy team leader, Stacey had harbored hostility toward her. Now, she was using this opportunity to make a power play.
Erika sat at her desk, smirking to herself as she watched Serena's obvious distress.
It was obvious Stacey was deliberately making things hard for Serena. With a project this complex, there was just no way she could finish it within a single day, no matter how capable she was.
Erika couldn't help but smirk with malicious delight at the thought. 'Let Serena fail this assignment and get demoted—that'd be perfect,' Erika gloated inwardly.
Undeterred by the challenge, Serena immediately began meticulously analyzing the project's requirements and key challenges.
The office was silent, broken only by the rhythmic tapping of keyboards and the occasional rustle of turning pages.
Outside the window, the sky gradually darkened. Serena navigated the design software. The screen glow illuminated her focused expression as the design gradually took shape.
As night fell, the office lights flickered on, casting Serena's long, solitary shadow across the room. Rubbing her tired eyes, she stretched briefly before diving back into her work.
The wall clock ticked softly, urging time forward. Before she knew it, night had already fallen.
Serena picked up her stone-cold coffee and took a big gulp. The bitter taste cleared her muddled mind a little.
The eastern sky lightened at dawn, its faint glow seeping through the cracks in the curtains and softly illuminating the office.
Serena glanced at the clock. It was 7:30 a.m., still an hour and a half before work started.
Serena printed out the final revised proposal, scrutinized it carefully, and only after confirming everything was correct did she finally let out a long sigh of relief.
Stacey strode into the office, her heels clicking sharply. She made a point of arriving at the office earlier than usual today, just to get a front-row seat to Serena's humiliating predicament.
'There's no way Serena could finish such a complex design in this short time,' Stacey thought disdainfully.
She walked up to Serena's desk, only to find Serena already sitting there with a thick stack of blueprints on the desk.
"Serena, is the proposal ready?" Stacey asked.
Serena looked up from her work and handed over the documents. "Stacey, the proposal is complete and ready for your review."
Stacey took the documents, stunned that Serena had actually finished, and at such an unbelievable speed.
Stacey had fully expected Serena to just slap something together and hand it in, then Stacey could easily pick out the flaws and use them as an excuse to really give her a hard time.
No matter how many times Stacey scrutinized it, she just couldn't find a single flaw to nitpick.
The design proposal not only perfectly met all client requirements but also incorporated many fresh, creative ideas that made the entire project stand out.
Stacey flipped through the design drafts at lightning speed, her expression darkening with every page. The attention to detail was impeccable, far beyond anything she had expected.
"How does it look, Stacey? Any revisions required?" asked Serena.
"None," Stacey clenched her teeth, barely forcing out. She slammed the documents down on the desk, her face twisted in fury. "Fine. Take it to Max, then."
Serena picked up the documents and walked out, leaving Stacey standing alone, her face livid with rage.
At the sight of Stacey, Keith's frown deepened, his tone turning noticeably colder. "What are you doing here?"
Stacey sidestepped slightly to avoid Keith's probing gaze, then walked straight into the house with the lunchbox in her hand. "I made some soup and brought it over for Alyssa to try—see if she likes it," she said warmly.
Stacey stepped into the room, her smile instantly freezing when she spotted Serena standing by the sofa. "What are you doing here?" she demanded, her tone sharp with surprise.
Serena was slightly surprised to see Stacey, but she nodded politely nonetheless. She greeted politely, "Good evening, Stacey. I'm also here to visit Alyssa."
Stacey ignored Serena and strode straight into the room, her eyes darting suspiciously back and forth between Keith and Serena. "Keith, where's Alyssa? Why isn't she here?"
Keith replied curtly, "She's asleep."
Serena watched Stacey and Keith, her mind clouded with doubt. 'What's their relationship?' she wondered. 'Stacey's attitude toward Keith seems unusually intimate. Could they be old acquaintances? A couple? Or something else entirely?'
Sensing the subtle shift in atmosphere, Serena tactfully excused herself once again. Could they be old acquaintances? A couple? Or something else entirely?'
Keith glanced out the window at the night and said, "It's not safe for you to go back alone. I'll have my driver take you home."
Serena accepted without hesitation. With a word of thanks, she turned and left.
After Serena left, Stacey placed the lunchbox on the coffee table. "How has Alyssa been lately? Has she been behaving herself?" Stacey asked.
Keith replied curtly, "She's fine."
Noticing Keith's obvious disinterest, Stacey felt a surge of irritation but forced a bright smile. "I made some soup today and made a special trip to bring it over for Alyssa to try. Why don't you have some too? See if it suits your taste."
"I'm not hungry. Just tired," he said.
Stacey studied Keith's expression, then probed cautiously. "Ms. Gray seems to know Alyssa well. Does she come by often?"
"Only occasionally," Keith replied curtly.
A flicker of displeasure flashed through Stacey's eyes, but she quickly masked it and continued her questioning. "What's going on between you and Serena?"
Keith replied coldly, "That's none of your business."
"I'm just concerned about you. After all, you know how much history we've shared over the years—" she said.
Keith cut her off wearily. "Alyssa's already asleep. It's late. You should head home and rest."
"Keith, it's been so long since we last met. Can't we just sit down and catch up for a while?" Stacey stared at him.
"I'm exhausted. I need to rest," Keith said, making it clear he wanted to end the conversation.
Stacey bit her lip but held her tongue. Picking up the lunchbox, she left without another word.
Early the next morning, Serena had barely stepped into the office when Stacey summoned her over before she could even sit down. "Serena, come with me."
Serena was confused, but she still obediently followed Stacey.
"Have a seat," Stacey said, her tone carefully neutral. She forcefully slammed a document onto the desk, jabbing her finger at it as she addressed Serena. "This project must be submitted first thing tomorrow morning."
Serena picked up the document and quickly scanned through it, her expression gradually darkening as she read.
This was an interior design proposal for a large shopping mall, exceptionally complex, with countless factors to consider, and far from something that could be completed in such a short timeframe.
"Stacey, the design drawings for this project are extremely complex, and they also require an on-site survey. I'm afraid it's impossible to finish everything today—" said Serena.
Stacey cut her off sharply, "Serena, this is your very first assignment since your promotion to deputy team leader. I trust you can handle it—can't you?"
She leaned back in her chair, fingers interlaced, and watched Serena with a sly, calculating gaze.
Serena replied, "I'll do my best."
'Stacey is deliberately making things difficult for me,' Serena thought, her fingers tightening around the documents.
Ever since Serena's promotion to deputy team leader, Stacey had harbored hostility toward her. Now, she was using this opportunity to make a power play.
Erika sat at her desk, smirking to herself as she watched Serena's obvious distress.
It was obvious Stacey was deliberately making things hard for Serena. With a project this complex, there was just no way she could finish it within a single day, no matter how capable she was.
Erika couldn't help but smirk with malicious delight at the thought. 'Let Serena fail this assignment and get demoted—that'd be perfect,' Erika gloated inwardly.
Undeterred by the challenge, Serena immediately began meticulously analyzing the project's requirements and key challenges.
The office was silent, broken only by the rhythmic tapping of keyboards and the occasional rustle of turning pages.
Outside the window, the sky gradually darkened. Serena navigated the design software. The screen glow illuminated her focused expression as the design gradually took shape.
As night fell, the office lights flickered on, casting Serena's long, solitary shadow across the room. Rubbing her tired eyes, she stretched briefly before diving back into her work.
The wall clock ticked softly, urging time forward. Before she knew it, night had already fallen.
Serena picked up her stone-cold coffee and took a big gulp. The bitter taste cleared her muddled mind a little.
The eastern sky lightened at dawn, its faint glow seeping through the cracks in the curtains and softly illuminating the office.
Serena glanced at the clock. It was 7:30 a.m., still an hour and a half before work started.
Serena printed out the final revised proposal, scrutinized it carefully, and only after confirming everything was correct did she finally let out a long sigh of relief.
Stacey strode into the office, her heels clicking sharply. She made a point of arriving at the office earlier than usual today, just to get a front-row seat to Serena's humiliating predicament.
'There's no way Serena could finish such a complex design in this short time,' Stacey thought disdainfully.
She walked up to Serena's desk, only to find Serena already sitting there with a thick stack of blueprints on the desk.
"Serena, is the proposal ready?" Stacey asked.
Serena looked up from her work and handed over the documents. "Stacey, the proposal is complete and ready for your review."
Stacey took the documents, stunned that Serena had actually finished, and at such an unbelievable speed.
Stacey had fully expected Serena to just slap something together and hand it in, then Stacey could easily pick out the flaws and use them as an excuse to really give her a hard time.
No matter how many times Stacey scrutinized it, she just couldn't find a single flaw to nitpick.
The design proposal not only perfectly met all client requirements but also incorporated many fresh, creative ideas that made the entire project stand out.
Stacey flipped through the design drafts at lightning speed, her expression darkening with every page. The attention to detail was impeccable, far beyond anything she had expected.
"How does it look, Stacey? Any revisions required?" asked Serena.
"None," Stacey clenched her teeth, barely forcing out. She slammed the documents down on the desk, her face twisted in fury. "Fine. Take it to Max, then."
Serena picked up the documents and walked out, leaving Stacey standing alone, her face livid with rage.
End of The Ex-Wife They Begged To Keep Chapter 47. Continue reading Chapter 48 or return to The Ex-Wife They Begged To Keep book page.