Chapter 5

Cassandra startled everyone in the room. Marissa shrieked and instinctively hid in Ronan's arms. "Ronan, I'm scared..." Ronan pulled her close to soothe her, then snapped his gaze to Cassandra, his expression turning cold. "Cassandra Hart, I told you to let Marissa continue the presentation. If you keep acting out, don't blame me for what comes next." Cassandra caught the indifference and warning in his eyes. Ronan rarely called her by her full name, which meant he was genuinely angry. Cassandra only let out a cold laugh. She looked at Marissa, who was playing the victim, and asked, "Didn't you say you wrote this proposal yourself? Then, you should be able to explain the details even without a laptop." A flash of panic crossed Marissa's eyes, and she tugged at Ronan's sleeve. "There's a lot in the proposal. I... I really can't remember everything clearly—" Cassandra cut her off immediately. "The first section is a summary of this quarter's orders from Arcland and Velasia..." People around the table exchanged glances as they went through the printed proposals. "The second section is a detailed analysis of the acquisition target's financials..." Pages rustled in the quiet as Cassandra's voice stayed steady and precise. "Current assets were 11.953 billion dollars, and current liabilities were 4.998 billion dollars, so the current ratio came out to 239.155622%... "That means it meets the acquisition criteria." The moment she finished, the room went dead silent. Everything matched, down to the numbers and the smallest details. Even the people who had been criticizing Cassandra earlier were looking at her with a new kind of respect. Marissa's face, on the other hand, grew darker by the second. "So, I think everyone understands whose proposal this really was," Cassandra said, turning to Marissa. "As for the thief who plagiarized my work, you owe everyone an explanation." Marissa went pale on the spot and stumbled back a step. But in the next instant, Ronan stood and held Marissa upright. Then, he looked at Cassandra with cold eyes. "Cassandra, your behavior was excessive. You disrupted the meeting. Security, take her out!" "What do you mean?" Cassandra asked in disbelief, her nails digging into her palms. "I was defending myself! Why should I leave? If anyone leaves, it should be her—" "Drag her out!" Ronan cut in sharply. "Ms. Cassandra, apologies," the security guard said, already reaching for her. "Let go!" Cassandra struggled, her eyes blazing as she stared at Ronan. "Ronan, you don't know right from wrong!" Ronan didn't even look at her. He stood protectively in front of Marissa, his expression icy. Marissa shot Cassandra a triumphant look that cut straight into her heart. Cassandra laughed, and as she did, her eyes went red. "Let go! I'll leave on my own!" In the struggle, she had twisted her ankle. The pain hit hard enough to make her knit her brows, but she still bit her lip, straightened her back, and walked out step by step. The moment she left the conference room, she headed straight for Ronan's office. She grabbed a golf club and slammed it down on his custom-made desk with all the force she had. When Ronan came back from the meeting, he found the office in ruins. The floor was so wrecked that there was barely any space to step. Cassandra sat on the only couch that hadn't been destroyed, her face completely blank. Ronan frowned, then spoke in a low voice. "You're done smashing my office. Feel better now, Ms. Hart?" Cassandra lifted her eyes slowly and gave a cold, humorless laugh. "What, you're not going to stay by the side of that thief you care about most?" "Marissa is your sister," Ronan said, displeased. "Do you have to speak that harshly? Even if you wanted to defend yourself, you didn't have to do it in a way that humiliated her in public. "Cassandra, you're an adult. You should learn to control your temper." Cassandra laughed. She couldn't believe she had ever loved a man who would blindly defend someone else, no matter what was right or wrong. The only thing she was grateful for was that she would be far away from him soon, and she wouldn't have to see him again. In the next second, the phone she had tossed on the desk lit up. It was a message from the airport. "Ms. Hart, your ticket has been booked. Here is your seat information." Cassandra's expression changed. She reached to block the screen, but she was too late. "A plane ticket?" Ronan's face darkened instantly. "Where are you going?"