The Platonic Trap novel Chapter 155

It hadn't been serious to begin with; her legs had simply fallen asleep.

Celia offered a small smile. "Much better, thank you, Uncle Alistair."

Only then did Alistair stand up and look at Ken.

Still reeling from the shock, Ken noticed his boss's sharp gaze and immediately composed himself.

Clearing his throat, he said, "Mr. Zucker, the new manager has finished reporting in and will be heading to the project department shortly."

Alistair nodded. "I know."

Walking back to his desk, Alistair lowered his head and began signing some documents.

Ken didn't step forward; instead, he smiled, walked over to Celia, and greeted her softly, "Ms. Stafford."

Celia smiled back. She glanced over at Alistair, who was hard at work, before turning her attention to Ken. "Ken, how did you guys hire someone so fast?"

Ken let out a good-natured chuckle and lowered his voice. "You wouldn't know this, but the moment Mr. Zucker had Larry arrested last night, he ordered me to find a replacement immediately."

He paused before adding, "Actually, Mr. Zucker originally wanted to manage the new project himself, but the board of directors wasn't thrilled about him wasting his time on a minor project with uncertain profitability."

Celia nodded thoughtfully.

On the other side of the room, Alistair handed the signed documents to Ken. "Give these to the project manager."

Ken took the papers and glanced over them.

A flash of surprise crossed his face. "Sir, you've given him very limited authorization. With these restrictions, he'll have to report to you before making almost any decision."

As he said this, Ken shot a look at Alistair, whose expression remained completely impassive.

Oh, he understood now.

So, even if the board refused to let the CEO run the project, he was going to run it anyway.

He had officially installed a new manager on paper, but in reality, nearly everything still had to pass through him.

"What did he say?"

Biting her lip softly, the girl murmured, "He said... the Forrester Group is on the verge of collapsing..."

Glancing down at his watch, Alistair rubbed the pad of his thumb against his index finger, staring down at her. "Are you here to plead on his behalf?"

Celia shook her head. "No. I'm... here to plead for his father."

Alistair didn't say a word, simply looking down at her, waiting for her to continue.

Biting her lip again, Celia explained softly, "Because of my personality when I was little, the other kids used to bully me all the time. Whenever Mr. Forrester saw it, he would always step in and help me."

She paused before adding, "The Forrester Group is his life's work. More than Talbot, I just don't want to see his father heartbroken."

It wasn't exactly a lie. When she was a child, Franklin Forrester had indeed treated her well—though Celia knew perfectly well it was only because she was useful to him.

But that didn't stop her from using it as an airtight excuse now.