"Boss, it was my bad," Milly conceded. "I never expected that Lilah had some tricks up her sleeve."

“Next time, the only thing I want to hear is that you've succeeded," the man warned in an icy tone.

Milly couldn't help but shiver as she answered, "Ye... yes, sir."

After ending the call, Milly looked at the phone and gritted her teeth in anger. “Lilah, I promise, you won't get away with this," she vowed to herself.

When Lilah was back in her office, Emma phoned her. She was full of praises for Lilah. “Miss Phillips, you were awesome this afternoon. Right now, Botanic is flying off the shelves, and the Phillips Group's stock is up.”

But Lilah didn't care much about that. Instead, she asked, "Did the board members look for me after I left?"

“They did. Twice," Emma confirmed, “but they left when they discovered that you still were not back yet."

"Okay then." Lilah nodded.

Just then, she heard the sound of a knock on the door.

"Come in!" she called out and turned to face the door.

The door swung open, and some of the board members walked in, with smiles on their faces. "You're wonderful, Miss Phillips! What a comeback you made this afternoon!" one of them praised her heartily.

“With Miss Phillips at our head, the Phillips Group will certainly attain much greater heights."

"Miss Phillips took down White Dew so easily, without even breaking a sweat. Nobody expected that!"

“So, you now think I'm running things properly, eh?" Lilah asked with a hint of a sneer in her tone.

Instantly, the faces of the board members changed. They had sensed something unfriendly in her tone. "What are you talking about, Miss Phillips?" one of them asked with an awkward chuckle. "If you're not doing it right, then nobody is."

"Come on, Miss Phillips, we're just looking out for the Phillips Group, though I admit we might have been a bit harsh. But I apologize for that," another one said.

“Well, I hope you'll all join me to achieve the goal of taking the Phillips Group even further," Lilah replied.

“Of course, we will," the board members responded, with wide smiles on their faces.

After they had left the office, Lilah breathed a sigh of relief.

None of these board members were really her friends. It was all about business and profit.

Just then, her phone started ringing. It was Gerard calling.

She smiled when she saw the caller ID. She didn't waste any time before answering it.

“Lilah, you're so amazing," Gerard praised her.

She turned out to be even smarter and wiser than he had thought.