CHAPTER 36: COPYCAT

"Domo arigatogozaimasu."

He smirked evilly as soon as the phone call ended. Well, the negotiation went well but he needed to see his Japanese friend tomorrow to settle everything. He had only scratched the surface so he'll need to dive in deeply if he wanted to have a grand entrance now that he was back.

He smirked evilly as he turned the page of the document in his hands. It contained some information about the CEO of Enchanteur Chemicals."Son, father has arrived. See you in a bit." He caressed the photo of a young handsome man. "We shall both destroy the person who destroyed our family. The one who killed your mother!"

He suddenly clenched his fist when he remembered the old woman's heartlessness. She didn't even let him had a glimpse of his beloved!

Anyway, he will reserve his energy for the upcoming battle. For now, he'll need to rest and plan on how to introduce himself to his new neighbors. He-he!

Meanwhile, the project team couldn't believe to see the boss' secretary attended the presentation. They were a bit shocked since it was the very first time that Marcus brought her secretary to join them.

'Something is missing.' Jade mumbled softly after hearing the team's presentation. Though Marcus heard her soft whisper, he chose to focus on the manager presenting in front of him.

Surprisingly, Jade took some notes but she dared not to say anything as soon as the presenter was done relaying everything.

"Is these all that you've got?" Marcus uttered as if mocking the team. "Mr. Brent, if we launch this new product, do you think it will become a hit?"

"Y-yeah, Mr. Hanes."

"You're hesitating, isn't it? Aren't you confident on your own design?"

"M-mr. Hanes, I---"

"Miss Arria, what do you think?" Marcus glanced at the uneasy woman beside him.

"E-eh? Me?" She was startled. She suddenly felt nervous that she kept rubbing her palms together.

"Yes. What do you think about the new product?"

"T-that…" She gulped and looked at everyone who seemed to be trembling in fear but was trying to hold it off.

"I-I think the new product is good." She was nervous. Marcus, on the other hand, looked at the woman in disappointment. Will she really give him a bland comment? Is she trying to embarrass him for bringing her to such an important meeting?

The project manager creased his brow as well. Is she really trying to humiliate the CEO? Doesn't she have any useful comments or suggestions about the new product? He sneered within. Whoever hired the woman to be the boss' secretary will definitely regret it.

Jade could feel the disappointed air around her.

She was never used to speak up in front of other people. She hated recitation so much when she was in school so she never participated and only focused with writing exams. But why does she have to participate in such a meeting?! Her knees tensed up.

And why did Marcus asked her personal say about the product? Is he messing with her?

The woman was obviously anxious therefore Marcus was about to say something when Jade suddenly continued speaking.

"However, it would be better to redesign the package since it was quite similar with the other brands."

She's going somewhere. Marcus leaned his back on his chair while his attention was on the woman who was speaking shyly.

"I believe brand image is one of the company's assets. So I suggest a more appealing package that can attract consumers in one glance." She added. "Though I have a question about the product, Sir."

She met Marcus eyes. "Go on. Say it." The boss gave the cue.

"There are a lot of good liquid foundations in the market nowadays, I guess my question is, how will our product differ from the rest? Listening to the reports a while ago, the essentials of this new product seemed to resemble the one we produced last year."

"Exactly!" Marcus butted in. "Come up with a new product since we cannot produce a copycat." Marcus stood up and left the room immediately.

Seeing that Marcus left, Jade also stood up, kowtowed before the team and followed the boss. Only when they left did the team let out a deep breath.

That was an embarrassing one! The manager sighed as well as the staffs. However, they were quite happy that the man didn't threw a fit.

It was strange to see the boss walked out the conference room without yelling at them for their poor work, but looked like the new secretary was an angel in disguise.

"Good job for today, miss Arria." Marcus uttered before he opened the door to his office.

He smiled! The woman's heart suddenly skipped a beat. Dang it! He looked stunning just now and his compliment was echoing inside her head. Omo! She grinned brightly.

She was about to sit on her chair when the door swung wide open. She turned around and was about to greet the person who entered but she paused upon seeing a woman wearing a revealing red dress.

Rachelle!? What's with her outfit? She inspected her from head to toe. Did she think she's in a motel to wear such a lewd dress? Dang it! Her blood was boiling.

"Yes? How can I help you?" Jade's tone was a bit sarcastic but Rachelle only ignored her and went strength to Marcus's office.

She wanted to stop her if possible but she's Rachelle! Marcus' lover. If she can only drag her out, then she must have done it when she first stepped inside the door. However, she's Rachelle, the woman who hold most of her husband's heart.

She sighed deeply. Will she still be able to win her husband's heart if the ex-lover kept on showing up in his office? Guess she'll need to talk with Marcus later tonight.