Chapter 215

"No, that's not what we meant."

After an awkward silence, the assistant jumped in to break the tension.

"Not what you meant? Then what did you mean?"

"Didn't I make myself clear earlier?"

"Or do you think you're better than me? If that's the case, why am I leading this project? Maybe you should pitch it to someone else."

Christina had put in a lot of effort to secure this project.

The partner had promised to give them a shot to showcase their product.

If it was good, the partner would invest, and they might even have the chance to go public.

This way, they could grow from a small studio into a full-fledged company.

But now, the first step had already fallen apart.

No need to mention what would come next.

"No, that's not what we meant."

Several people quickly explained, hoping Christina wouldn't get mad.

But the more Christina spoke, the more frustrated she got.

Just then, Carl Ward, the partner who had promised to collaborate, called.

"I want an explanation. I just got back from an out-of-town meeting. Didn't you say these products were your designs? Why did they appear in the preview release?"

His blunt questioning caught Christina off guard.

"Mr. Ward, it seems someone within the company leaked our designs, but rest assured, these are definitely my original creations."

Christina thought for a moment and decided to be honest with him.

But Carl wasn't having it.

"Whether it was someone from your studio or another reason, it doesn't matter to me. I just want an answer."

"If you can't give me one, I'll have to find someone else to work with."

He hung up before Christina could respond.

Everyone in the meeting room had heard Carl's loud voice.

Christina looked coldly at everyone.

"You all heard that, right? Or do you think my studio has been around too long and it's time for it to shut down?"

With that, Christina got up and went back to her office.

Everyone in the meeting room exchanged glances.

"What do we do now?"

"It's not our fault. Why are we being blamed?"

But as they discussed, they fell silent again.

Christina returned to her office and tried to contact Carl to explain.

Carl didn't respond for a long time. Eventually, he sent a location and a message.

"Meet me here. I want to see your sincerity."

After hesitating for a while, Christina grabbed her bag and headed to the location.

The studio was just starting out, and Christina couldn't afford to be proud.

On the way, Christina became more determined to become stronger.

When she arrived, she realized it was William's place.

But she thought it was just a coincidence and went to the private room as Carl had requested.

At the door, she heard voices inside. She was a bit surprised, as Carl hadn't mentioned how many people would be there. But since she was already there, she had no choice but to go in.

As soon as she opened the door, she saw William sitting at the head of the table. They exchanged glances.

Christina quickly turned her head and saw Carl sitting nearby. She went over to greet him.

"Mr. Ward."

"You're here. Great. Everyone here has some connection to your industry. Find a seat. If you can convince me today, I won't hold the online incident against you and will continue to invest."

Christina hesitated, unsure whether to stand or sit.

William, noticing her hesitation, offered her a seat between him and Carl.

"Mr. Cavendish, do you know each other?" Carl noticed William's small gesture and looked a bit ingratiating.

Before Christina arrived, he hadn't considered this possibility. Although Christina was attractive, her studio was just starting out and had many shortcomings.

"Yeah, we know each other," William said, his gaze lingering on Christina.

Christina avoided eye contact with William and focused on Carl. "What kind of proposal do you want to hear? I can explain it now. It might not be detailed, but I have a general idea."

Carl had initially wanted to leverage his connection with William. If Christina knew William, everything would be easier. So, after confirming this, Carl's expression changed subtly. He even looked at Christina differently.

Christina was puzzled, but Carl laughed. "Oh, this is a small matter. If you had told me you knew Mr. Cavendish, I wouldn't have made you come all this way."

Carl's attitude did a complete 180, and Christina's lips twitched. William, amused, sipped his wine and watched Christina. Feeling uncomfortable under his gaze, Christina glared at William. He raised an eyebrow, his meaning clear despite his silence.

"Really? I thought Mr. Ward and I were just business partners. I don't know the other bosses here. If I'm interrupting your business, we can discuss my matter another time."

Christina didn't want to get entangled in this situation. She prepared to leave. But as she stood up, William grabbed her wrist.

"Why the rush? Aren't you here to discuss business? Tell us your proposal. If it's good, the Cavendish Corporation is willing to invest."

William's words excited everyone present. They had tried many times to meet with William, and this was their first successful attempt. He had gathered people who didn't know each other. Everyone was looking for an opportunity to impress, but they didn't expect William to offer it to Christina.

They thought Christina would go along with it, but she just sneered. She coldly addressed William. "I don't care."

"If I had known Mr. Ward and Mr. Cavendish were collaborating, I wouldn't have come."

Christina didn't want to offend Carl, but his sycophantic attitude after learning she knew William was too much.

"Don't be like that, Ms. Windsor. No matter what happened between you and Mr. Cavendish, let's talk it out. We can only do business if we clear things up, right?"

Carl tried to persuade Christina. The others, sensing the unusual relationship between William and Christina, also chimed in. They hoped that if William and Christina collaborated, their own projects might progress.

Christina didn't want to explain her relationship with William or let them succeed. As they spoke, she considered many possibilities but ultimately decided not to go against her instincts.