Charlie rose slowly to his feet, causing gasps of disbelief to ripple through the crowd. In that very moment, every eye in the banquet hall was fixed on him.

“Charlie, what on earth are you doing? Sit down!” Elaine cried out, her voice laced with horror.

Didn’t he realize the gravity of the situation? None of the powerful figures present dared to stand up at such a moment. What was this so-called loser trying to achieve by grabbing the spotlight now?

Gerald and Kevin exchanged worried glances, whispering to one another, “Is he really the chairman of Emgrand Group?”

They quickly shook their heads in disbelief. There was no way he could be the chairman if he was being reprimanded by his mother-in-law right at that moment!

“Loser, what do you think you’re doing? Sit down!” Harold bellowed from the stage, clearly irritated.

Charlie shot him a cold glare. Ignoring the bewildered stares all around him, he walked directly over to Doris and leaned in to whisper something in her ear. Doris nodded slightly in response, and the scene made everyone’s hearts race! Doris Young, the vice-chairman of Emgrand Group, known throughout Aurous Hill for her beauty! How could Charlie, the supposed outcast of the Wilson family, have a connection with her? From the looks of it, they seemed quite familiar with one another. After their exchange, Charlie disregarded the curious gazes and stepped out of the hall in search of Claire.

Doris then stood up, took to the stage, and grasped the microphone as the crowd watched in stunned silence. “Hello, I’m Doris Young. Earlier, Mr. Charlie Wade encountered our chairman outside the hall, and our chairman asked him to relay a message to me.”

A collective sigh of relief swept through the audience upon realizing that Charlie was not the chairman after all.

Kevin murmured derisively, “It was just a chance encounter. How shameless can he be to try and cozy up to his assistant? He really is hopeless.”

Gerald shrugged nonchalantly, a smile on his face. “That’s just something nobody would ever think to do.”

Meanwhile, on stage, Doris cast a cold glance at Lady Wilson.

“The chairman has instructed me to inform you that Emgrand Group is terminating its collaboration with Wilson Group effective immediately. The contract is hereby declared void!”

“What!”

A shocked outburst echoed throughout the hall. No one had anticipated Doris would deliver such shocking news. The sudden twist left everyone in a state of disbelief.

Lady Wilson turned pale, dashing towards Doris. “Miss Young, what do you mean by this? Why the sudden change? Did we do something wrong?”

She had invited all the distinguished guests and bosses to the banquet, hoping to elevate their family’s standing in Aurous Hill. If the termination of the project became public knowledge in such a setting, the Wilson family would face scorn and ridicule!

Doris replied resolutely, “This collaboration was initiated due to our chairman’s respect for Miss Claire. Yet, you arbitrarily decided to appoint some unqualified person to oversee the project! We cannot accept such an absurd arrangement!”

With that, Doris dropped the microphone and exited the hall. Lady Wilson crumpled on stage, her face ashen. She never imagined that her poor judgment would cost them such a rare opportunity! If she had known this would be the outcome, she would never have swapped Claire’s position for Harold’s, even under duress! Meanwhile, Harold was equally perplexed. What had just happened? It seemed Doris had set her sights on him, but he couldn’t recall ever crossing her!

Desperately, he approached his grandmother and asked, “Grandma, you’re not regretting the director’s appointment, are you?”

Lady Wilson struggled to her feet, her hand raised as she slapped him hard across the face. “You fool! How can you still be thinking about that position at a time like this? Come with me! We need to find Claire right now!”