Chapter 59
When the exam began, the math teacher entered the classroom and distributed the papers. She immediately noticed that Catherine was sleeping on the desk as usual and didn’t wake her up. As the students received their exam papers, Catherine continued to sleep, undisturbed.
Even halfway through the exam, Catherine remained in slumber.
Only in the last five minutes did Catherine finally wake.
Wearing a smug smile, the math teacher believed Catherine had barely enough time to write her name on the paper.
The math teacher thought Catherine would lose the bet this time, and it would be a relief to get rid of her troublesome presence in the school.
The students stood up as the exam bell rang and turned in their papers.
“Catherine was no exception. The math teacher glanced at her without bothering to look at her answers.
In the math teacher’s view, five minutes wouldn’t be sufficient to answer even a single question. She thought, “I won’t waste my time on her.”
The math teacher was confident that Catherine, the uncultured country girl, would lose the bet.
When Catherine left the exam room, she spotted Bryan rushing towards her, sweat dripping from his face.
Bryan looked at Catherine with guilt and said, “Boss, I’m sorry. I didn’t expect the math teacher to be so ruthless. She even managed to bribe the proctor in my exam room. The teacher deliberately prevented me from submitting my paper before the bell rang.”
Catherine glanced at him indifferently and spoke emotionlessly, “It’s okay.”
The arrangements were less strict since it wasn’t a significant exam. There was only a ten- minute break between the two exams, and soon the bell rang again.
Bryan repeatedly promised to obtain the answers for Catherine.
Unfortunately, he broke his promise again. Who could have imagined this exam would be so serious? It was the same proctor.
Catherine continued her usual routine of sleeping, waking up only in the last five minutes to hastily scribble something on the exam paper.
The math teacher, seeing Catherine’s pattern, paid her no further attention. In her eyes, this girl had no chance of winning the bet.
Catherine was the first to leave the classroom when the bell rang.
Once she departed, the classmates inside started gossiping.
“Hey, did you see that? Catherine slept the entire time and only woke up in the last five minutes to write her name and submit the paper.”
A classmate sitting near Catherine countered, “I saw her paper, and she actually answered most of the questions. It wasn’t just her name.”
Upon hearing this, another classmate sneered. “Hmph! Even if she filled the paper, her answers are rubbish. What can you write in five minutes? Does she think she can top the exam by scribbling whatever comes to mind? Who does she think she is?”
The classmates continued their discussion about Catherine.
As Bryan entered the room, he overheard these conversations, and his expression turned gloomy.
“Damn it! She just agreed to be my Boss yesterday, and now it seems like she’ll be expelled from the school soon,” he thought.
No, he needed to talk to Catherine. He wanted to ask her which school she planned to transfer to so he could follow her. With that in mind, he hurriedly left the classroom.
Unfortunately, Bryan didn’t catch up with her. He rushed to the school gate, only to see Catherine boarding a car.
This time, it wasn’t the flashy Maybach with the expensive license plate from before, but a low -key black Mercedes.
Bryan wasn’t surprised that Catherine’s daily transportation was a luxury car.
After all, she was the chairperson of the Swann Corporation, set to inherit billions of dollars. He just marveled at how impressive his boss was.
As Catherine entered the car, Leonel handed her the latest company report.
“Miss Swann, the transition of your position is almost complete. Linda informed us to meet at the office today because a project contract requires your signature. Please be prepared,” he said.
Catherine understood the underlying message behind Leonel’s final remark. Linda, the former chairperson’s secretary, had always doubted Catherine’s abilities and believed she shouldn’t hold this position.
This meeting with Linda could prove to be quite challenging.
After hearing Leonel’s reminder, Catherine remained composed, as if she were an outsider unaffected by the situation. Her gaze fell upon Leonel, her expression indifferent and cold.
Leonel, a middle-aged man, felt a shiver down his spine under Catherine’s piercing stare. Her gaze was enough to unnerve anyone. “Miss Swann, please let me know if you need anything. Your gaze is making me nervous,” he said carefully.
Catherine said slowly, “It’s nothing serious, but you don’t need to call me Miss Swann. Just call me Catherine.”
Leonel didn’t object, immediately nodding respectfully and courteously. “Alright, Catherine.”
Calling this prominent figure by her first name made Leonel uneasy.
As a lawyer, he always had to be mindful of his language.
Catherine noticed that he didn’t change the way he addressed her, but she didn’t mind. As long as he didn’t call her “Madam Swann,” it was fine. She didn’t want people treating her as if she were an old woman.
Upon arriving at the Swann Corporation building, Leonel escorted Catherine to the chairperson’s office.
Linda, who was considered Cruella De Vil, was already waiting for her.
As Catherine entered, Linda greeted her with utmost respect. “How are you, Miss Swann?”
On the contrary, Catherine glanced at her and went straight to the office.
Observing the new chairperson’s disregard for Linda, who had gained a reputation as Cruella De Vil, the secretaries on the same floor held an admiring look.
“The new chairperson, Miss Swann, is so bold! Look, she even dares to ignore Linda.”
After one executive secretary finished speaking, another secretary lowered her voice and said, “Bold? She might be beautiful, but can this young girl really compete with Linda? I’ve heard. that the Swanns’ countryside daughter is nothing more than an ignorant fool. She’s just an innocent child who knows nothing. Mr. Swann stepped aside to appease the public. She’ll likely be put back in her place within a week.”
Doubting the claim, someone asked quietly, “Is it true? Where did you hear that?”
“Guess who? It was Mr. Swann’s senior assistant who told me! It’s reliable information. This girl won’t remain as chairperson for more than a week.”
The secretaries continued to discuss Catherine.
Linda noticed the murmurs among the crowd. With her years of experience at the Swann Corporation, she understood the ever-changing dynamics of the corporate world. She could tell that Catherine had more presence than the other heirs of the Swanns.
However, whether Catherine would last a week or three months remained unknown to Linda. It wasn’t her concern. Her focus was on doing her job.
Linda stepped into the office with her team, holding the files and placing them in front of Catherine. Her demeanor was respectful yet firm.
“Miss Swann, these are the documents. If everything is in order, please sign here.”
Catherine nodded and proceeded to open the files, her beautiful face exhibiting a mix of charm and icy determination.
One of the secretaries accompanying Linda was secretly surprised upon seeing Catherine’s documents.
Linda didn’t provide Catherine with a translated cooperation proposal but rather the original version sent by their Creybian client.
The client was from Creybia, and the document was all in Creybian.
Not only that, but the document also involved many professional terms, so even for someone with a Creybian literature degree, translating the content would take some time.
It was widely known that the new chairperson had never attended university. Was Linda attempting to embarrass Miss Swann by forcing her to read the Creybian contract?
The accompanying secretary felt anxious, fearing that she would be caught in the crossfire of power dynamics among these influential individuals.
She understood that their new chairperson, Miss Swann, would face significant challenges within the company.