Their Queen's Back - Chapter 32: Chapter 32

Rowan handed over a stack of documents and said respectfully, "Ms. Sky, these are the resignation letters from earlier. They need your approval. Also, there's something else..."
Skye lounged on the sofa, her slender fingers flipping through the documents. She didn't pause for a second, and her gaze didn't even flicker.
"Speak," Skye said.
Rowan, suppressing her anger and gritting her teeth, said, "Those people are such opportunists! They claim they'll leave if their boss goes—unless we keep those people here. Are they just stirring up trouble for nothing?"
Skye said with complete nonchalance, her tone dripping with indifference, "Let them go if they want to. Approve them all."
"Ms. Sky," Rowan pouted indignantly, "I think they're really pushing us around."
Skye said, "Leaving is easy. Coming back won't be."
Rowan instantly caught Ms. Sky's meaning and felt reinvigorated. She grabbed her things excitedly and exclaimed, "Ms. Sky, I get it now! I'm on it!"
Right.
Olivia learned that her younger brother had been sued by Sophia, her mother was reported for disturbing the peace when she visited, and Richard even dared to call and insult her father. "How dare the Hughes overstep their bounds like this!" she fumed.
With just a few words, she had made all of the Hughes Corporation's deals fall through. She waited expectantly for them to come crawling to apologize, but to her surprise, the Hughes Corporation didn't even bat an eye.
Hughes Corporation
Skye readily approved every termination request, cutting ties without hesitation. Her decisiveness left those business partners utterly bewildered.
Never had they seen a company this decisive. Didn't they realize how devastating the losses would be? Yet Skye kept signing termination papers without hesitation.
Olivia slammed her hand on the table, her eyes blazing. "What did you just say? Repeat that!"
Olivia slammed her hand on the table and, in disbelief, grabbed her assistant by the arm. She demanded, "You're telling me the Hughes Corporation doesn't care about those deals? They'd rather risk everything just to terminate the contracts? Are you sure you heard right? Go investigate this immediately! How dare the Hughes go up against my Quinn Group like this? If that's what they want, they'll be bankrupt soon!"
The assistant, trembling with fear, nodded timidly and scurried out of the room.
Ms. Quinn, calm down. The Hughes Corporation isn't worth getting worked up over. What really matters is tonight's deal—you went to great lengths to connect with Lauren. If tonight's cooperation works out, then...
Olivia immediately calmed down. Tonight was her most crucial move—if she could outmaneuver Quinn Group and secure the Synergy deal, she would no longer be just Quinn Holdings; she'd take Quinn Group's place among the Top Five Enterprises.
At the thought, the ambition in Olivia's eyes blazed even fiercer. "Make all the arrangements—and remember, don't let them find out," she instructed.
"Understood, Ms. Quinn."
With that group having voluntarily resigned, Skye could finally make decisions without any whiny complainers getting on her nerves.
With nearly two-thirds of the staff gone, the once-thriving Hughes Corporation now stands desolate, its cooperative operations in utter chaos.
Rowan watched Ms. Sky remain as calm as still water—completely unfazed by the chaos. "How can she be so composed when everything's falling apart?" Rowan fretted. "If she's not worried, then I have to be! What on earth is Ms. Sky going to do to salvage this mess?"
Unlike Lauren, who always remained composed, Rowan was far from steady. Had it been Lauren, she would have stayed perfectly unruffled.
Rowan fidgeted restlessly, pacing back and forth until Skye finally set down her documents and lifted her gaze to meet hers.
Rowan, speak your mind.
Rowan blurted out, "Yes, Ms. Sky, look at the state our company is in right now—how can you stay so calm? That Quinn Holdings is obviously targeting us on purpose! Do you want me to go over there and put them in their place?"
Skye shook her head helplessly and said, "Rowan, after all these years in Magnolia Country, you're still as hot-headed as ever."
Rowan immediately lowered her head, fidgeting nervously with her fingers. She didn't dare meet Ms. Sky's gaze, and her voice was barely above a whisper.
"Sorry, Ms. Sky. I've let you down," Rowan murmured, cautiously raising her head and seeing no trace of blame or anger on Skye's face.
Rowan spoke up again, "Ms. Sky, just say the word—what's my next move?"
Skye casually tossed the documents aside. "Wait. There's still one person missing."
Rowan was about to ask another question when a knock came at the door. An assistant announced, "Assistant Rowan, the President of Haynes Group is here to see Ms. Sky regarding their previous collaboration."
"Right on time," Skye said coolly.
Rowan immediately understood and stepped out to greet the visitor. In walked a young man with gray-dyed hair. At the sight of Rowan, he instantly mistook her for Skye, the new CEO of Hughes Corporation.
The young man flopped down into the chair, legs crossed in an arrogant sprawl, picking at his teeth with blatant disregard for manners. His utterly unremarkable face was tilted upward, nose practically in the air, as if the world beneath him wasn't worth a glance.
The young man waved Rowan off with a dismissive gesture. "Cut the hospitality. The partnership between the Hughes and Haynes families is over. Here's the termination contract—sign it now."
Rowan paid him no mind, simply pouring herself a cup of tea and waiting quietly.
The young man scowled impatiently and snapped, "Hey! I'm talking to you—deaf or what?"
Skye's voice was icy as she asked, "Is terminating the partnership between Hughes and Haynes truly your father's decision?"
A cold, clear voice suddenly cut through the air. The young man turned around—and was instantly stunned. Standing before him was a woman of breathtaking beauty. His eyes widened in disbelief. "Damn, she's gorgeous!" he thought, completely caught off guard by her presence.
Rowan slammed her hand on the table and shouted, "Ms. Sky just asked you a question. Are you deaf?"
"You!" Howard Haynes snapped back to reality, sputtering with rage as he realized this damn girl had just mouthed off to him.
"None of your business whether it's my father's decision or not. The cooperation ends here."
Skye took her seat and sipped the tea, letting its delicate aroma wash over her and calm her nerves.
Skye said coldly, "I won't ask again."
Rowan moved in close, fixing Howard with a fierce glare. "Answer Ms. Sky—was ending the partnership your father's call?"
For a split second, a flicker of guilt flashed through Howard's eyes, only to be quickly replaced by an air of overconfidence.
He scoffed, "Of course! I'm his son—my word is his word."
Skye's eyes darkened briefly. Rowan wasn't sure if she was seeing things, but for a few seconds, Ms. Sky actually seemed to show a fleeting hint of melancholy.
What's so special about the Haynes family that Ms. Sky would wait this long for them?
Skye nodded slightly and said coolly, "Noted."
Howard swaggered out, marking the end of the final partnership.
Under the pretense of a bathroom break, Rowan quickly looked into the Haynes Group. She found out they had been a longtime partner of the Hughes Corporation since its inception—in fact, their president was considered a close friend of Ms. Sky's mother.
Over the years, the Hughes' partners had left one after another—only the Haynes Group had held out. Yet despite Haynes' thriving business in recent years, even they...
Rowan returned and cautiously asked, "Ms. Sky, should I go to the Haynes Group in person? Howard is just an incompetent manager—the real decision-maker there is his father."
Skye picked up the documents. Seeing the name "Charles Haynes" on the contract, she paused momentarily. Then she turned around, gathered the contracts together, and said coolly, "No need."