Chapter 100
Joycelyn carried Linda’s handbag and followed them.
The venue of the international exchange center was vast and impressive. The place was filled with elites from various industries, all dressed in suits, polished, and glamorous.
People of different nationalities and skin tones were accompanied by translators.
Confidence and ambition were evident on every face.
This was Joycelyn’s first time attending such a large international event. She followed Ellison, watching him navigate through the crowd, walking on the red carpet. People on either side greeted him in Ratanian.
Ellison maintained a cool expression, nodding in acknowledgment.
Meanwhile, Joycelyn felt like a mere bystander, a lackey trailing behind him to witness the spectacle.
“This guy is even more charming in such a grand setting,” she thought.
With his broad back, narrow waist, and sleek, toned build, he was irresistible from any angle. It wasn’t an exaggeration to describe him as noble and otherworldly.
Joycelyn followed without taking her eyes off him. She had completely forgotten about their earlier bickering.
The advantages of having such a handsome partner were fully highlighted.
Linda turned to her and instructed, “Joycelyn, go over there and get me a cup of coffee. I want to perk myself up. Bring it to our company’s lounge later.”
Joycelyn snapped out of her daze, handed the handbag to Linda, and nodded. “Okay.”
She also grabbed a cup of coffee for Ellison and William while she was at it.
As the CEO’s wife, Joycelyn was accustomed to being a sidekick.
After returning to the lounge, she handed the coffee to Ellison. “Mr. Grant, your coffee.”
Ellison glanced at her, took the coffee, and set it beside him.
William gratefully took his cup and said in a particularly flattered tone, “Thank you so much.”
Linda took her coffee calmly, sipping twice. Then she checked her watch and said, “Mr. Grant, it’ll start in five minutes.”
Seated in the main chair, Ellison asked in a serious voice, “How’s your preparation going?”
Linda confidently replied, “Mr. Grant, I’ll definitely live up to your expectations.”
“Mm.” Ellison nodded, his blue eyes casually sweeping over Joycelyn, who was standing behind Linda.
His deep gaze locked onto her face. Without blinking, his eyes held a powerful presence.
Joycelyn pretended not to notice, zoning out as she kept scanning the surroundings.
She couldn’t quite figure out why Ellison had chosen to let Linda speak on stage when he had so many people with him.
Linda brought me here to overshadow me with her abilities, hoping Ellison will change his mind and take her on the business trip instead, she thought.
“Let’s go,” Ellison said as he stood up and walked past Joycelyn, giving her a lingering glance.
Joycelyn’s heart raced for no apparent reason.
She remained composed, pretending to be immune to his handsome, mature allure.
“Joycelyn, come with me,” Linda said, carrying her handbag and gesturing for Joycelyn to follow her to the waiting area.
As they reached the waiting area, Linda suddenly bent over, clutching her throat in pain.
It happened so suddenly that Joycelyn was caught off guard.
“Linda, what’s wrong with you?” she asked, hurrying to support her as Linda collapsed slowly to the ground.
“Joycelyn, what did you put in my coffee?” Linda rasped, her voice hoarse, with rashes beginning to appear on her face.
Joycelyn froze, completely unprepared for Linda to accuse her. She immediately calmed herself and explained, “That coffee was provided by the event organizers. I didn’t tamper with it. If you don’t believe me, you can call the police and check the surveillance footage.”
Linda stared at Joycelyn, her eyes filled with suspicion.
Joycelyn remained calm, unyielding despite being wrongly accused.
More onlookers gathered, and it was obvious something was wrong with Linda.
“Is she having an allergic reaction? It looks like allergy symptoms. Ma’am, are you allergic? I have allergy medication here. It will help you right away.” A staff member approached with medication, offering assistance.
Linda saw the anti-allergy medication and refused to take it.
If I take it and feel better right away, my plan will be ruined, she thought.
The truth was that Linda had secretly eaten dried mangoes, which she was allergic to. She hadn’t eaten them since childhood, but in her effort to sabotage Joycelyn, she’d taken a huge risk.
Linda shook her head weakly. “I don’t know. I just drank the coffee. I’m not allergic to coffee.”
Joycelyn was about to suggest calling an ambulance, but Linda grabbed her hand, speaking with difficulty. “Let’s forget about whether or not it’s you who tried to harm me. I need to be on stage in a bit.”
Linda’s voice was hoarse as she continued, “You go on stage and deliver the speech for me. After all, your Mersian is pretty good. Just think of it as training. I’ve prepared the speech manuscript. It’s in my bag. Our department is in charge of this project. No one knows it better than we do.”
The emcee began introducing Grant Group’s background, and Joycelyn realized she had no choice but to comply.
“Alright,” Joycelyn said, tossing caution aside. She grabbed the speech manuscript from Linda’s tote bag.
Just then, a staff member came to urge the speaker from Grant Group to go on stage. Linda pointed at the hesitating Joycelyn.
“Young lady, hurry up!” the staff member said, supporting Joycelyn and pushing her toward the podium.
As soon as she stepped out, thunderous applause erupted from the audience. Hundreds of eyes focused on her.
Joycelyn had never spoken in front of such a large crowd, and she immediately felt her limbs go weak.
Biting the bullet, she opened the speech manuscript to begin introducing herself. But to her horror, every page of the script was blank.
Her mind went blank as well, her eyes widening in disbelief.
She turned to look at Linda, who had completely recovered from her earlier weakness. Linda was now looking at her coldly, a smug smile playing on her lips.
I’ve been set up, Joycelyn thought. This project is crucial for Grant Group’s international development. If I mess this up, the company’s reputation will suffer. Linda is trying to sabotage me.
