Please Me Daddy (Gracie) novel Chapter 119

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Remember the deal we made a year ago?

Grace

I looked straight at Piper, and the corner of my lips lifted into a small, mocking smile. Her smug expression faltered for just a second before she scoffed and looked away.

“Grace,” Aiden’s voice cut through the tension. “You don’t have to respond. Let’s just carry on with the meeting.”

I wasn’t about to let this one go.

I turned to him. “Since I’ve already been called out, I’d like to give my opinion. That is, if I’m allowed to.”

Sarah leaned back in her chair, clearly entertained. “You may.”

Aiden frowned. “Sarah-”

She ignored him completely, her attention locked on me. “I’m curious, Grace. What do you have in mind?”

Every head in the room turned toward me. Their eyes were filled with curiosity, skepticism, and that same condescending amusement I’d grown so used to. I could practically hear the whispers already forming in their minds, she’s going to say something stupid, she’ll embarrass herself again.

I straightened in my seat, meeting each stare calmly. I wasn’t nervous this time. I wasn’t the timid intern they were used to pushing around.

I had two reasons for speaking up, first, to prove myself. Because these people would keep talking unless I gave them something solid to choke on. And second, because I wanted them to see that Apollo’s decision to let me work with him wasn’t a mistake.

I turned to Aiden and Sarah. “I don’t think your method will work.”

Gasps rippled through the room. A few people exchanged looks, others raised brows.

Sarah tilted her head slightly, her expression still unreadable but her eyes gleaming with interest. “And why wouldn’t it work?”

“If you decide to go on with your plan,” I said, keeping my tone as polite as possible, “the first mistake would be letting the PR team and sales team work separately.”

“Is that so? And why is that?” She asked.

“Even though they’re completely different teams, they’re still connected in a way. Working separately won’t save time, it’ll only make things harder. There will be moments when your team believes one approach is right, and at the same time, Mr. Aiden’s team will think it’s wrong. That kind of inconsistency will cause unnecessary conflict.”

“And about the event,” I continued, “you mentioned booking the Light Event Hall. From the research I did, though, that venue might be too small for your guest list. It also has a few issues, a bit of a bad reputation, to be honest. Associating the company with it, especially after the recent controversy, could get complicated. A better choice would be Horizon Hall, it’s larger, has the right atmosphere for our crowd, and their management has an excellent track record.”

Remember the deal we made a year ago?

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By the time I finished, I realized that I’d just talked nonstop, completely forgetting where I was or who I was talking to.

Silence filled the room.

Every single pair of eyes was still on me. Sarah and Aiden both just stared, their expressions unreadable.

Aiden was the first to move. He blinked, and looked at me in surprise, and said, “H–how do you know all that?”

I gave an awkward laugh, scratching the back of my head. “I actually thought that was common knowledge a PR agent should know.”

The silence stretched again, long enough to make me uncomfortable. Then, to my surprise, Sarah turned toward Aiden, reached into her purse, and pulled out a dollar.

Aiden frowned, confused. “What’s that for?”

Sarah smirked. “Remember the deal we made a year ago? If you ever manage to have at least one smart employee working with you, I’d pay you a dollar.”

She handed him the bill with a shrug. “Well… it seems like I owe you one.‘

Adrian looked down at the single dollar in his hand and grinned like it was a winning lottery ticket. “That’s right,” he said, smirking as he held it up between his fingers. “I do remember. All these months, I’ve never received a single dollar for that.”

He turned his gaze toward his employees, and just like that, the entire room shifted. Everyone suddenly found something very interesting to look at.

His attention swung back to me, that boyish grin spreading even wider. “Now I understand why the boss wants you to work with him. You’re so intelligent, Grace. I can’t wait for you to finish so I can have you all to myself.”

Before I could answer, Sarah rolled her eyes. “That’s a little strange, you know.”

“Is it?” Adrian asked.

Sarah sighed, shaking her head, then turned to me. “You’re very smart, Grace. You thought of things we didn’t even consider. If you ever decide to leave PR, you’ll always be welcome on my team.”

Adrian snorted. “You wish. I’m not letting you have our star intern.”

Someone behind me whispered, “Look at them, they’re fighting over her.”

Another voice joined in. “Maybe the rumor wasn’t true after all.”

“I know, right? I don’t think she’s selling her body for anything. She’s just a smart woman. People naturally want to be around that.”

I didn’t react to the whispers around me, but they were different this time, it sounded almost like respect.

I turned slightly and saw Piper standing a few feet away, her hand clenched tightly at her side. Her face was pale, eyes darting between me and everyone else.

I offered a sly smile. “I’m finally done. Do you have anything to share, Piper?”

Remember the deal we made a year ago?

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All eyes shifted to her.

Her mouth opened, then closed, and opened it again. “Y–you know, we should also-” she stammered, but the words died in her throat. She froze, realizing that no matter what she said now, it would sound hollow.

A few people chuckled quietly.

“I–I mean… she already said what I wanted to say,” she muttered, forcing a weak smile.

The laughter grew louder this time. She looked like she wanted the floor to swallow her whole.

Aiden leaned toward Sarah, his voice dry. “How about this, I’ll give your dollar back if you take this intern off my hands.”

Sarah shook her head. “Keep it. I don’t like nuisances.”

Piper’s face went scarlet.

I turned away before I could laugh. God, that was satisfying.

For once, I wasn’t shrinking or apologizing for existing. I was standing my ground.

And damn, it felt good.

EliJa Author

Hello everyone, thank you so much for reading. For those asking if I’m ending the book, don’t worry, I’m not. There’s still plenty of plot twists and romance ahead, so please keep reading!

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