CHAPTER 21: A contract, a competition

Rooted on the spot, Fiona felt sadness crept into her heart. Her shoulders slumped and her knees trembled. She felt like if she continued standing on the spot, she would fall to the ground. This wasn’t what she was expecting—being shunned by every member of the board.

She clenched her trembling and sweaty hand into a fist, trying desperately to fight the turmoil within her, but it was not as easy as she had thought. Tears that had glistened in her eyes like a cloud of gloom threatened to break free, but she held them, trying not to make them think she was weak.

‘Fiona, you’ve got this; don’t give them that impression that you’re incompetent. Don’t let them win with just their mean-spirited comments. Be strong like you always are,' she muttered inwardly to herself.

She did a mental sigh followed by a forced smile, and just as she summoned up the courage to speak and defend her ego, another member of the board beat her to it.

“Why not let the young woman grab a seat?” A member who had