Chapter 295
“I’d much rather spend time with someone like Miss Bagnold,” Lina said.
“Mom, let’s go.”
With that, Lina and Ms. Cooper walked away, leaving Isabel standing alone. For a moment, Isabel swayed on her feet as if caught in a sudden gale.
Carole shot her a worried glance. Isabel’s fists were clenched so tightly her nails almost broke the skin of her palms.
“Isabel, are you alright?”
Isabel’s voice was barely more than a strangled whisper. “Why? Why does everyone like Effie? What’s so special about her? She’s just ordinary. How could she possibly compare to me, an artist? I’m so much more refined than she is!”
Carole let out a sigh. She had to admit, Isabel had been through a lot lately.
Just the other day at the hotel, Isabel had tried to subtly badmouth Effie, only to end up annoying Annabel and earning herself a sharp rebuke.
And now, a child had openly said she preferred Effie over her. No wonder Isabel was livid.
Carole said gently, “You’re just too eager. Effie loves to play the innocent—she hardly says a word, and somehow everyone thinks the best of her. Meanwhile, you…”
“I wanted to stop you just now, but you rushed ahead and brushed me off. See what happened?”
Isabel bit her lip, realizing her impulsiveness had backfired.
“So what do I do now?” She looked at Carole, lost.
This partnership had been a sure thing. Once the contract was signed, the company would get a seven-figure endorsement fee-and half of that would have gone to her.
Now, all that money had just slipped through her fingers.
If Annabel found out, she’d be furious-and Isabel would probably get another lecture.
Carole thought for a moment, then came up with a plan.
“Here’s what we’ll do. When we get back to the office, say nothing. If Ms. Annabel asks, let me do the talking.”
“And what exactly will you say?” Isabel asked anxiously.
She felt like nothing was going her way these days. Maybe she needed to say a prayer or two, and definitely keep a lower profile.
Carole replied, “I’ll keep it simple. I’ll just say they changed their minds at the last minute, and that you did your best to persuade them otherwise. No need to go into details.”
Isabel pressed her lips together. Perhaps it was time to learn a thing or two from Effie’s act—maybe then Annabel would go easy on her.
Effie returned to the office, and as soon as he heard she was back, Irving Butler strode out of his office.
He wanted to humiliate Effie in front of everyone, so there was no way he’d let her get settled in first.
With a disdainful snort, he marched up to her and rapped his knuckles on the desk. His voice rang out, sharp and loud: “Effie, where’s the contract? Did you close the deal?”
Effie replied simply, “No.”
Irving had expected as much. Ms. Cooper was known to be a tough negotiator. He sneered, “Since you failed to close the deal, pack your things and leave. Don’t say I didn’t give you a chance!”
Effie’s brow furrowed slightly. She answered, “The day isn’t even over yet. Why are you so sure I can’t land this account? Tell me, in all your years here, has any high-end jewelry contract ever been wrapped up in a single meeting?”
Irving Butler had been at the company long enough to know she was right.
But that didn’t mean he’d admit it.
Rules were made by people, after all. In the end, it was always his word that counted.
“Fine. Keep struggling if you like. I’ll wait until the end of the day,” Irving scoffed, clearly dismissing her, then turned and marched back into his office.