Chapter 8

Outside the hall, Janice shook Simon's hand off and asked, "What do you want?" "What are you doing, Janice? Who let you come?" "I was invited. Why can't I come?" "Have you considered the rumors about me that will spawn from your actions?" Simon seemed to be furious. However, due to the people milling around, he could only question her in a hushed tone. Janice smiled lightly, "Why am I always the one considering how you're going to feel?" Simon was nervous. The CEO of Prosper Stitch Group had said he would be present. Simon couldn't let his reputation be damaged. If not, it would be hard to make billion-dollar deals with him. Thus, he didn't even give it a second thought and replied, "You owe me this." Janice felt her heart seize. Since they were young, she had continued being in this relationship with Simon because he had never blamed his dad's death on her. She thought he understood her, which was why she was willing to withstand all this for him. However, what he said had shattered her illusion. Janice couldn't come to terms with what he said for a moment. "What did you say?" Simon eventually realized that he'd said something that would hurt Janice the most. He held her shoulder and said, "Janice, help me. Please leave the gala temporarily. I'll apologize to you later." "It's just to repair my reputation. Perhaps this would help Refined Threads Co. gain more collaborations. What do you think?" When Janice stared at him silently without blinking, he became anxious. "Janice, go back first. Please do that for me," he roared. He tried to play it soft with her and failed, so now he was coming at her hard and throwing a tantrum. Janice inhaled deeply and pushed his arms away. Her eyes were ice cold. "Ms. Smith, why would you leave? Prosper Stitch Group would like to talk to you about what happens after the competition." The two of them turned to the woman speaking. Simon immediately tidied himself up and smiled politely. He greeted, "Ms. Moore." It was Matilda, the sister of Prosper Stitch's CEO. She was graceful and carried herself incomparably. However, Janice did not fall short of her. "Ms. Smith, let's continue this conversation inside," invited Matilda. Simon clenched his fists and warned Janice with a glare. He said, "Janice, don't you have something to do at home? I can talk to Ms. Moore about the competition." Matilda tilted her head and said, "Prosper Stitch has dealt with Ms. Smith about the competition all this time. Thus, I trust Ms. Smith when it comes to this." Simon picked up on Matilda's attitude toward him. People definitely misunderstood him as an ungrateful man. That was why they'd changed their attitude toward him. It was all because Janice showed up. Simon blamed everything on Janice. Janice didn't look back at him and followed Matilda into the hall. Simon believed that Janice thought too highly about herself. If he didn't teach her a lesson, she wouldn't change her ways. They entered the hall, and everyone crowded over. Matilda was Edward's sister. Who didn't want to suck up to her? She was a social butterfly and dealt with them in a few sentences before bringing Janice aside and sitting down. In reality, Edward had sent her here. For some reason, Janice caught Edward's eye, and now he wanted Matilda to look after her because he was overseas and couldn't come back in time. The wedding from a few days ago had become a joke. Matilda thought that Simon was shameless. "Ms. Smith, I hope that you can design the crochet for the Fall Tournament yourself and win a prize." Prosper Stitch Group had gotten news that Refined Threads Co. was eligible for an international-level competition. Her design for the Fall Tournament would be produced by Refined Threads Co., but it would go under Prosper Stitch Group's name. Any profits would also belong to them. If they won, they would enter the international competition together. "Of course. However, I might need a little more time." Janice was still fixing her work up. Then, she heard Simon say from the side, "This is my wife, Amelia." Janice's glass fell onto the floor, and wine splashed all over her shoes. Matilda glanced at the mess and made the servers clean it up. "Ms. Smith, I feel like you were treated unfairly on some issues." They worked with Refined Threads Co. for a while, and they had always only dealt with Janice. She liked Janice and was in awe of her. However, for her to end up like this was a pity. Janice smiled slowly. She felt like her heart was no longer beating. She tried to keep the tears back but ultimately failed to do so. Thankfully, Matilda was the only person beside her. Matilda handed her a tissue and said nothing. Words would only humiliate Janice at this point. She glanced at Simon and thought of how she could complain about him to Edward. He had a shitty personality. Janice recovered from her emotional state quickly. "I hope that we can become colleagues in the future. Before that happens, do come to me if you need anything. You have my number. This is my brother's personal number." Edward Moore, Prosper Stitch Group—it was the personal contact information of Prosper Stitch Group's CEO. There was a rumor that no one had his number. Janice had both his work and personal number. She hesitated for a while before taking the card. "Alright." After discussing the details of the competition with Matilda, Janice left the gala and returned to the company. She needed to work overtime to fix her crochet design. At ten at night, someone opened the door to her office suddenly. "Janice, are you trying to break up with me? Why are you going against my wishes?" Simon kicked at her desk. It nearly broke her arm. She looked up and asked, "Simon, do you know what you're doing?" "I'm giving you a warning!" Simon glared at her angrily. "This company is yours, and you're trying to override me. Fine! From tomorrow onward, you'll no longer be the CEO of the branch office. Go to the crocheting department." Not only had he taken her power away, but he was even throwing her to the crocheting department. Janice stood up. "I own 25% of the company's shares, and you're stripping me of my position?" Simon was taken aback. He cracked his knuckles. Refined Threads Co. was a joint venture with multiple shareholders. Apart from the two of them, there were three others. They were professionals in the crocheting industry and had produced works that were highly respected in the nation. They owned 16%, 18%, and 10% of the shares of the company, respectively. The rest of the 31% of shares belonged to Simon. He needed the permission of the three other shareholders to strip her of her position. They had also approved of her position as CEO of the branch company. "You… Fine!" Simon gritted his teeth and continued, "I can't switch you into the crocheting department. You'll be the vice director instead. "Janice, I don't like disobedient women. If you continue doing this, I think we will have to reevaluate our relationship." The more she rebelled, the more he wanted to suppress her rebellious streak. Janice had to obey his every word. He glared at her and slammed the door before leaving. When the door closed, she leaned on the glass window. He had forced her into this situation. Yet, the second she stood up for herself, he tried to take away her power within the company. How dare he?