CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED AND EIGHTEEN - The Echoes of a Mother's Love

"Alright then. Meeting adjourned." As the department heads filed out, Ava remained seated, her mind whirling. She knew confronting Evelyn directly would be futile. She needed to find a way to realign the budget without causing an all-out war with her potential future mother-in-law. Over the next few days, Ava threw herself into damage control. She spent hours in one-on-one meetings with department heads, trying to find compromises that would satisfy both Evelyn's vision and the company's actual needs. "Marcus," Ava said, sitting across from the Marketing head in her office. "I know the cuts to your department's digital initiatives are concerning. What if we reallocated some funds from the print campaign budget? We could frame it as a modernization of our marketing strategy while still respecting the traditional aspects Mrs. Bennett seems focused on." Marcus nodded slowly. "That could work. But Ava, can I speak frankly?" "Of course." "What's going on here? These budget changes, th