Chapter 1344:
Zahir stepped closer, narrowing the distance between them, the sharp scent of his cologne hitting her immediately. He lifted a hand and tapped her shoulder. “How about this—have a few more drinks with me. If you can keep me entertained, I might think about lowering the price. What do you say?”
His hand slid from her shoulder down to her arm, his fingers grazing lightly over her skin.
Melany’s eyes dropped to his hand.
Then, without the slightest hesitation, she picked up the untouched glass of red wine before her and threw it straight into Zahir’s face.
𝗠o𝘳𝘦 𝗇о𝗏𝘦𝗅𝘀 о𝗇 𝗴𝖺𝗅𝘯𝗼𝘃𝘦𝗹𝘴.со𝘮
The entire room went still.
Red wine ran down his bald head, dripping onto his expensive white shirt and spreading into a vivid, blooming stain.
No one moved. Everyone was stunned.
Alyssa sprang to her feet, her chair scraping loudly against the floor.
Zahir wiped his face, his expression twisting from shock to rage and settling into something almost feral.
“How dare you!”
Melany slammed the wine glass onto the floor; it exploded into shards. Her gaze fixed on him, icy and unwavering. “Sweetberry will never sell subpar goods as luxury. And I’m certain none of you have forgotten what happened with Laurel.”
A chill ran through Alyssa as the memory of the former boss surfaced. “That’s right. Absolutely not.”
“We’re not moving forward with this deal.” Melany picked up the wine bottle and poured it over the contract on the table, drenching it completely. She set the empty bottle aside. “When this contract expires, we won’t be renewing it. We’ll find new suppliers.”
Zahir’s face twisted with fury. “Every top fabric supplier in the country is right here in this room! If you walk away from us, who else will supply you?”
“This isn’t the first time we’ve dealt with something like this.” Melany offered a faint smile. “Sweetberry has survived far worse. Do you really think we’d be afraid of a few profiteers? At worst, we simply earn a little less.”
She lingered at the doorway and cast a sharp glance over her shoulder. “Even on maternity leave, Rylie isn’t completely in the dark. I’ll be sending her a full report of tonight’s events. You might want to hope she never opens that email.”
Stepping out of the private room alongside Melany, Alyssa finally loosened up, the tension easing from her shoulders. “You’re actually going to email Rylie? She’s likely spending time with her family. Isn’t it a little intrusive to bother her now?”
“I’ll send it,” Melany replied after a moment. “But I won’t trouble her—just keep her informed. When she has time, she will settle scores with them.”
Alyssa looked at her for a long moment, and then a smile broke across her face.
“Melany, you’re not the same as before.”
“People change.”
They made their way toward the elevator. As they passed one of the private rooms, someone inside mentioned Melany’s name.
Melany stopped mid-step and turned her head slightly toward where the voice had come from.
“That woman who had a brief thing with Deandre? She’s nothing but a plaything. Is she really worth losing sleep over, Gill?”
In the private room, a group of elegantly dressed girls sat together. The most eye-catching among them wore full haute couture, a cigarette resting between her fingers, breathtakingly beautiful.
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