Chapter 231
Chapter 231
“Mr. Zamora…” Marina started softly.
But before she could finish, Daron raised his hand to cut her off.
“Alright, go back to work,” he said.
‘If I keep listening, she’s bound to say something that’ll drive me up the wall, Daron thought.
Marina didn’t leave right away. Her eyes were drawn to the cuff of Daron’s sleeve.
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When he raised his hand, she noticed a strip of gauze peeking out from under his sleeve, wrapped around his wrist.
“What happened to your wrist?” Marina asked.
She remembered that when Daron left Sicester, there wasn’t a scratch on his wrist.
But Daron didn’t answer her question. Instead, his voice was cold and flat as he spoke, “I won’t give the Finley Group a hard time. Three months from now, I’ll set you free.”
Marina froze, her lips quivering. In that instant, she caught the real meaning behind Daron’s words.
‘Guess he thinks I was only pretending to care, just worried he’d go after the Finley Group, Marina thought.
She paused for a moment, then forced herself to speak again.
“Thank you, Mr. Zamora,” she said.
With that, she made a quick exit from his office, afraid that if she lingered even a second longer, the mask she’d been holding together would fall apart right in front of him.
Chloe had just finished dealing with the three of them and was about to head into Daron’s office to report back. But when she saw Marina come out with red–rimmed eyes, she stopped dead in her tracks.
She knew better than to walk in now. She’d just be asking for trouble.
Without a second thought, Chloe turned around and headed back to her own office, deciding to come back in an hour to report to Daron.
When Marina got back to the office, she saw Bella sitting at her workstation, smiling at her.
“Bella and Chloe applied to switch desks,” Bella said.
Marina nodded, grabbed her water cup, and took a few big gulps. Then she fired up her computer and got
back to work.
Bella noticed that Marina’s eyes were a little red. She opened her mouth, but ended up saying nothing, just buried herself in work.
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A few minutes later, Chloe stepped out of her office and walked over to Bella.
“Bella, where’s that annual report I asked you to do?” Chloe asked.
Bella shot a guilty look at Marina, then gave Chloe an awkward smile.
“Sorry, Chloe. I’ve been swamped lately, so I just handed that report over to Marina. It wasn’t urgent anyway,” Bella said.
As she spoke, Bella glanced over at Marina and asked quietly, “Marina, did you get it done?”
Marina nodded. “It’s finished.”
Chloe frowned and gave Bella a sharp look.
Bella managed an awkward smile. Everyone had been overloaded lately, and since everyone else was dumping the trivial stuff on Marina, she just went along with it.
‘It’s just a report analysis, what’s the big deal?‘ Bella thought. ‘Just grab some old company reports, toss in a few generic comments, and call it a day!
Marina handed the report analysis to Chloe.
Chloe took it and flipped through the pages, her eyes lighting up with professional appreciation.
Marina’s report was top–notch. It wasn’t just a bunch of numbers; she’d explained the story behind every figure, breaking down exactly why the data looked the way it did.
Right below each set of stats, she’d attached product breakdowns and detailed analyses.
She’d even gone the extra mile, backing up her findings with consumer surveys, media coverage, and all kinds of research to prove the data was legit.
And for any data that showed fluctuations, she provided a thorough breakdown, analyzing the reasons behind every change.
Chloe nodded approvingly. “Ms. Finley, this report is outstanding. Since you prepared it, you’ll be presenting this analysis at the Zamora Group’s annual meeting.”
Bella’s eyes widened in surprise.
“Chloe, you never mentioned that this report would need to be presented at the annual meeting,” Bella blurted out.
“This was supposed to be my shot, Bella thought.
The Zamora Group’s annual meeting was a huge deal. Every kind of media showed up, partner who’d ever worked with the Zamora family got an invite.
and any business
If you could stand up there and present in front of all those VIPS, even if you left Zamora Group later, you’d have your pick of jobs anywhere.
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Just thinking about missing out on such a golden opportunity made Bella feel like she’d shot herself in the
foot.
Marina just looked cool and collected, like she had no clue she was passing up a golden ticket. She replied to Chloe in a laid–back, almost indifferent voice.
“I’ll pass,” Marina said.
“I’m just a temp at Zamora Group, only sticking around for three months. You should let someone else handle the presentation,” she added.
Bella’s eyes went wide when she saw Marina turn down such a big chance. She even gave Marina a little shove, whispering, “Don’t be ridiculous!”
Everyone else in the office stopped what they were doing and looked over, wondering what all the fuss was about.
Chloe just handed the report right back to Marina, clearly wanting nothing to do with this hot potato. She spoke in a cool, no–nonsense voice, “Ms. Finley, if you don’t want to present at the annual meeting, you’ll have to explain it to Mr. Zamora yourself.
“After all, you’re the one who put this report together. No matter who I send up there instead, it wouldn’t be fair to anyone else in the company.”
Chloe looked pretty stressed.
That was when Marina realized she’d just dumped a real headache on Chloe.
She was only going to be at Zamora Group for three months, but Chloe had to stick around way longer. No matter who got picked to present the report, it’d just stir up drama with the rest of the team.
Marina took the file back and said in a calm voice,
“Alright, I’ll talk to Mr. Zamora about it and suggest someone else for the job.”
Chloe nodded.
Marina glanced down at the file, took a moment to collect herself, then made her way to Daron’s office.
She raised her hand and knocked on the door.
“Come in,” Daron said.
His voice was cold and low, with no trace of emotion.
Marina kept her eyes down, then finally pushed open the door and walked in.
Daron set his phone aside and looked up, spotting Marina coming in with a file.
His expression was icy, his gaze sharp as he sized her up.
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Chapter 231
“You’re taking time off for a blind date?” Daron asked, voice cold.
‘Guess he must’ve seen the message my sister sent him, Marina thought.
Marina gave a small nod. “Yes.”
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She walked up to Daron’s desk, keeping it strictly professional, head down, she handed him the report with quiet respect.
“This is the annual meeting report I put together. Chloe asked me to bring it to you for review,” Marina said.
Daron took the folder and started flipping through it, dropping the subject of her time off entirely.
Marina was ready for Daron to tear her report apart.
But after flipping through it, Daron just put the folder to the side and said in his usual calm voice, “Good job.”
Marina blinked, a hint of confusion flickering in her eyes as she looked up at Daron. She quickly shoved down the odd feeling in her chest and was about to recommend a colleague instead.
“Chloe said this report analysis is supposed to be presented at the annual meeting. But since I’m only here temporarily, I was thinking…” Marina began.
“I’ll do the presentation myself,” Daron interrupted, not even sparing her a glance. His voice was cold as ever, and he just checked his watch like it was no big deal.
When he lifted his hand, the gauze wrapped around his wrist slipped into view again.
Marina caught sight of a few streaks of blood seeping through the gauze.
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Sara Lili is a daring romance writer who turns icy landscapes into scenes of fiery passion. She loves crafting hot love stories while embracing the chill of Iceland’s breathtaking cold.
