Chapter 383

"Layla, do you know where I slept last night?" Cassandra glared fiercely at Layla with eyes bloodshot from staying up all night.

She was very emotionally charged, but Layla remained indifferent, not even bothering to lift her eyes. "I don't know, and I don't care."

Layla found a seat, but Cassandra pulled her up. "A few of us squeezed into a shabby inn last night. It was dirty, smelly, and very dangerous. If something happened to us last night, could you take responsibility for that?"

Layla glanced at her a coldly. "Are you a crybaby? I'm not responsible for you."

"What are you saying? If you hadn't gotten all the hotels to reject us, we wouldn't have had to squeeze into an inn. I didn't sleep all night."

Cassandra looked haggard, while Layla appeared radiant, even without makeup. She was beautiful and captivating. The thought of herself squeezed into a dirty inn, working all night, while Layla lay comfortably in a luxurious presidential suite made Cassandra seethe with hatred. She wanted to tear Layla apart and feed her to the dogs.

Cassandra had never hated anyone so much before.

She pointed at Layla angrily. "Because of you, lunch at the resort was canceled, and everyone had to come all the way here to eat. You ruined it for all of us. Don't you have any shame?"

Layla just wanted to laugh coldly at her words. "How does a shameless person like you dare to talk to me about shame?"

"You're calling me? Aren't you ashamed of cozying up to one sugar daddy after another? You're the shameless one, Layla! I want to tear that mouth of yours to shreds." Cassandra lunged forward to hit her but was quickly restrained by the other colleagues.

"Enough."

"Don't argue."

"There's no need to resort to violence."

"Why are you holding me back? What are you doing?" Cassandra said.

The more they tried to stop her, the more agitated and hysterical Cassandra became. She had a hefty build, so the women couldn't hold her back, and the men could barely restrain her. "Are you all afraid of her? Let me go!"

"Layla, they might be afraid of you, but I'm not. Today, I'm going to confront you.

"I'll beat you to death." Cassandra resembled a fierce devil.

"That's enough!" At that moment, Fanny walked in and intervened. "Stop the commotion."

"Ms. Taylor..." Cassandra broke free and rushed toward Fanny. "I'm indignant on your behalf. You're the CEO, but you were forced to stay in an inn because of Layla. Are you just going to let this slide?"

"I don't need you to be indignant on my behalf." Fanny's unusually calm response surprised everyone. Fanny wasn't as forgiving as she seemed.

"We don't usually get the opportunity to go out together. Don't stir up trouble."

"But..."

"I said, no trouble. Go back to your seat," Fanny warned.

Cassandra had no choice but to keep quiet, suppressing her anger and glaring resentfully at Layla as she sat down.

The others dared not say much more. After the events of the previous day, neither side wanted to offend the other, choosing to observe the situation quietly. If even Fanny could endure it, then they certainly wouldn't dare to stir up trouble.

During the meal, Fanny remained silent. The table was unusually quiet. Layla focused on her food. This was not an ordinary calm. It seemed like the calm before a storm.

When Fanny went to the restroom, Cassandra hurried to follow.

"Ms. Taylor, are you just going to let this slide? Layla made you stay in an inn. If you do, they will think you're afraid of Layla." Cassandra, in her haste, spoke boldly.

"Me, afraid of her? How could I be afraid of her?" Fanny washed her hands slowly, took a tissue to dry them, and looked down on Cassandra with a somewhat disdainful gaze. "Should I have a big argument with her like you did? How embarrassing. Even if you win the argument, what's the use? People will just see you as a joke. Smart people know how to use their brains."

"But..." Cassandra was taken aback. "Are you saying..."

Fanny smiled meaningfully. "I've taken note of this grudge, and tonight, I'll settle the score with her."

"Do you have a plan?"

Fanny beckoned, and Cassandra immediately leaned in, eyes wide with excitement, revealing a sly smile.

"Ms. Taylor, you're formidable!"

"Of course." Fanny was smug.

In the afternoon, the group entered the duty-free shopping mall in downtown B City, splitting up between men and women.

Shopping was a woman's nature, and luxury goods were their favorites. They entered a Hermès store.

"Look, that bag is so beautiful."

"Look at the yellow one, it's the latest model, the color is perfect for spring and summer."

"Are you going to buy it?"

"Are you crazy? It's almost $8,000. I can't bear to spend that much. The money I have on me is enough to buy a scarf here, but I can't bring myself to buy an expensive scarf either."

Fanny proudly carried her LV, while Cassandra had a Gucci worth over $3,000 on her back. The sharp-eyed and attentive sales assistant greeted them.

"Ms. Taylor, we have some new models here that are quite beautiful. Would you like to take a look?"

Fanny had just bought a $400,000 house. She had paid a down payment of $200,000, almost emptying her savings. She still had to pay over $2,000 in mortgage every month. Plus, after becoming CEO recently, she had bought several thousand dollars worth of clothes, leaving her with no savings in her bank account.

However, Fanny wouldn't admit to being broke. Instead, she casually said, "These designs are quite ordinary. I'm not interested."

However, Cassandra thought she was genuinely looking down on them and promptly asked the sales assistant, "Why don't you bring out the limited edition pieces for Ms. Taylor to see?"

"No need, I..."

"Please wait, I'll bring them out right away." The sales assistant hurried off.

Fanny cursed Cassandra in her mind for meddling. Who had asked her to interfere? But she thought it would be fine after she looked at a few bags and said she didn't like them.

The sales assistant led them to the VIP area and presented a limited edition orange Hermès to Fanny. "Ms. Taylor, this is the most popular limited edition bag of the season, owned by celebrities like the Kardashians and the Duchess."

"This color is so beautiful."

"It's very special."

Fanny's eyes lit up. It was beautiful.

She had five or six designer bags, but she felt like they were inferior to this Hermès, like low-class items.

"Ms. Taylor, give it a try."

Fanny picked up the orange Hermès and examined herself in the mirror. The more she looked, the more beautiful it seemed. This bag seemed tailor-made for her.

There were constant exclamations of admiration. "Ms. Taylor, that bag suits you so well."

"Yes, you exude a strong presence with that bag on your shoulder."

"No one else is worthy of having that bag other than you."

"It's a must-have!"

Amidst the praises, Fanny felt very satisfied and was reluctant to put it down. She felt as if carrying this bag would elevate her entire being by several notches and turned her into a true female CEO.

Amidst the chorus of admiration, Fanny was floating until the sales assistant mentioned, "This Hermès is $40,000."

Suddenly, she instantly sobered up.