"It's fine. I want to wait for you to have breakfast," Jerrold said, his voice carrying a note of endearing patience.

"And I've got no particular hunger at the moment. Let's all sit down together once you're ready," Gerard chimed in, a gentle undertone in his voice.

Their expressions, full of tender accommodation, made Lilah feel embraced by the warmth of family Life.

“Alright, I'll be quick. Let's eat together then," Lilah agreed, returning their smiles. She hurried to prepare for the day before joining them at the breakfast table.

After the meal, everyone went about their busy day.

In the conference room of the Phillips Group headquarters, the morning's discussions took a tense turn. Howard, visibly annoyed with Lilah for withholding information about the supplier, rebuked her.

Lilah, unperturbed, offered a sardonic smile in response. "The moment I revealed our supplier, they received threats. Had I divulged that information sooner, would our design exhibition still be viable?"

“Are you implying that it was my doing?" Howard countered, disbelief and indignation in his voice. “I've been with this company for years; why would I sabotage it? It could be a rival attempting to undermine us!"

“Our primary rival is Lance, and, Howard, recall that it was you who recommended Lance to me," Lilah retorted with a measured grin.

Caught off-guard, Howard stumbled over his words. "I I've always had the company's best interests at heart. And Lance... he was aiming to assist us. After all, he is your cousin..."

Earlier that day, Lance had called Howard, insistent that the product matter be settled. Lance had even instructed Howard to sell the products to Lilah at the original price to avoid a surplus of unsold stock at his company.

As Howard geared up to present this information, Lilah cut him off with a frosty interjection, "While Lance is indeed my cousin, let's not forget how his company tried to undercut us during our early days. Trusting him would be a self-defeating move. Mr. Brown, it seems to me you're veering off course. I'm assigning you a month's leave-consider it a time for reflection."

A full month's absence spelled uncertainty, the unspoken implication being that Howard might return to a drastically altered-or nonexistent-position.

Howard's protest died on his lips as Lilah concluded with another bombshell, “Furthermore, Alice, effective immediately, please clear your workspace."

Alice's complexion blanched, her lips quivered slightly. She had braced for the possibility of dismissal but hadn't anticipated its abruptness.

Yet, in her view, Lilah lacked just cause for termination.

"I understand you wish for me to depart, Miss Phillips," Alice began, her voice laced with restrained emotion. "However, I must remind you that a termination without proper cause necessitates due compensation."

Having contributed years of service to the company, Alice was aware that her severance could be quite substantial-a figure reaching well into the hundreds of thousands.

Leaving the company wasn't her concern; the design department had never really appreciated her contributions.

Alice found solace in these thoughts.

Lilah, showing no inclination to dwell on the matter, pressed on with the agenda. "Our immediate focus should be on expediting the shipment of our jewelry, sustaining strong customer relationships, and ensuring efficient after-sales service. The coming period will be demanding, and overtime will be inevitable. Rest assured, additional efforts will be duly compensated with triple pay."

The prospect of triple overtime pay ignited a wave of enthusiasm among the team members, all willing to embrace the extra work.

Post-meeting, only Howard and Alice left the room with downcast spirits.

The other executives, privy to their schemes, felt little sympathy, swiftly dispersing to attend to the day's tasks.