Three Years Forgotten, Why Go Crazy When I Say Goodbye? novel Chapter 115

His words were pointed and aimed squarely at Willow. Instantly, a heavy silence fell over the conference room. No one dared to breathe a word.

Willow obviously caught the insult. She was the new hire, and stepping straight into such a senior role had clearly ruffled feathers. Clarence probably wasn't the only one in the room harboring these resentments; he was just the only one vocalizing them.

She deflected the jab with a cool, measured tone. "The work needs to get done, and meetings are necessary to ensure it's actually happening. If the timing is such an issue, Clarence, perhaps you should schedule our next one. That way, we won't be wasting everyone's time waiting for you to show up."

Arthur opened his mouth to retort, but a colleague beside him quickly stopped him, stepping in to smooth things over. "Since everyone's here, let's just get started."

During the meeting, Willow checked in on everyone's individual progress. The team was highly cooperative and had prepared their materials in advance, so the meeting flowed smoothly. However, when it was Arthur's turn, things derailed again.

He hadn't prepped any materials and gave dismissive answers to all of Willow's questions. His response to everything was a repetitive, "I have it handled, everything is on track."

Willow ignored his attitude and pressed for details. "Do you have the preliminary supplier list yet?"

Clarence remained indifferent. "Not yet."

"When will it be ready?"

"It's the same few companies every time. What's the rush? You'll get it when it's done."

"And the specific evaluation process?"

Once the meeting adjourned, the team trickled out. Clarence hung back, deliberately waiting for Willow. When the room cleared out, he sauntered over. "You targeting me, or what?"

His eyes were bloodshot, and he let out a subtle burp as he spoke. He was clearly nursing a massive hangover. Willow frowned, taking a step back. "I target the work, not the person."

"The work, not the person. Right," Clarence chuckled. "Little girl, how long have you even been here to start throwing your weight around like this? Do you understand Merit? Do you understand us? Do you even know how things operate around here?"

"I don't need to understand any of that. I only need to understand the project."

"Alright, you've got some spine," Clarence laughed again. "But let me tell you something. The water here is a lot deeper than you think, and things are infinitely more complicated. I've been in this industry for years. I've forgotten more than you'll ever know."