Replacement Bride Left With His Baby (Sophia and Easton) novel Chapter 10

Sophia had spent several days hard at work, merging Julian’s proposal with her own, picking out the key points, organizing them, and crafting an entirely new presentation. Right after the company meeting wrapped up, Sophia grabbed the revised files and headed straight to the CEO’s office. “Jullan, check this out. I reworked the proposal over the past few days and combined both our ideas.”

Julian accepted the files, flipping through them with focused attention. “Alright, let me go through this now.”

Sophia sat down at his desk, quietly waiting, her nerves tingling with anticipation.

Once Julian finished reading, he looked up with a warm, proud smile. “Sophia, you really are something, pulling together such an incredibly detailed plan in such a short time. If I were in charge of the Maritime Authority, I’d approve this near–perfect proposal without a doubt.”

Sophia grinned. “Since you say so, I’ll head into tomorrow’s meeting without a worry. Just wait for my good news.”

The next morning, Sophia showed up at the port auction with May by her side, instantly taking the other bidders by surprise.

A voice whispered, “Wait, isn’t that Ms. Roth? Is Crestview Group actually planning to jump in on the port project?”

An industry old–timer chuckled as he explained, “You fresh faces probably have no idea. Back when Crestview Group first started out, they made all their money from port business and shipping. It was only after they’d cashed in big that they slowly shifted to real estate.”

Up front sat a man in his early fifties, hair shot through with gray, face stone–cold and

serious.

When Sophia came in, she caught all the murmurs and sideways looks, but none of them bothered her in the slightest. If anything, her instincts zoomed right in on that man up front.

It was George, Stella’s father and the chairman of Weston Group. Sitting next to him was Stella herself, the news anchor he’d never stopped bragging about.

Weston Group had always specialized in shipping and maritime transport, and when it came to the port project, they were determined to claim it. With the usual three–year renewal on the table, everyone fully voted Wonton Group to land the contract again, just like always.

Successfully unlocked!

Sophia was there to break the norm, to show everyone that Crestview Group wasn’t

just a contender, but every bit as qualified as Weston Group when it come to taking over the port business.

May grabbed a seat next to Sophia and grinned. “From the way you walk in here without batting an eye at all the staring, anyone can see you’ve been planning for this

day.”

Sophia lowered her eyes, a soft smile tugging at her lips as she leaned close to whisper, “I’ve actually been tracking Weston Group’s shipping business for two years. The port project isn’t massive for them, but it’s not exactly minor, either.

“What makes it so tempting is the annual tax breaks on worldwide shipping routes. Just imagine what a huge slice of profit that is. There’s no way Weston Group or the others would let it go. But for Crestview, that’s not even our real goal.”

Sophia played coy, leaving May guessing, and May shot her a sly grin. “Let me take a wild guess. Crestview Group isn’t here for the shipping game at all. What you really want is to use this as leverage to secure the southern development zone. “You’re trying to carve out a brand–new direction for Crestview, and if I’m on the money, it’s all about global cruise tourism. If you win that southern development zone, you won’t waste it on fancy condos. You want to build Jenston’s next world–class tourist hotspot.”

If there weren’t so many people there, Sophia would’ve bear–hugged May and kissed her on the spot. ‘Seriously, it’s rare to have a friend who understands me like this,” Sophia thought.

Sophia just smiled, saying nothing, and May knew she’d nailed it. In May’s eyes, Sophia was never just a pretty face or some rich girl hiding behind her family’s name.

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