Chapter 409: Mr. Gustin Faces Neglect
The staff at the presidential residence were well-trained. As Paige made her way in, everyone respectfully bowed their heads, not making eye contact.
“Sister Paige,” Carrie, walking beside Paige and carrying a large stack of files, struggled to open one and handed it to Paige. “Take a look and see if there are any issues.”
Recently, everyone had been too busy. There was so much to do that this document had been rushed at the last minute before they left.
Paige took the document, reviewing it as they continued walking forward.
When the office door opened, Paige was still discussing matters concerning the slums with Carrie. As soon as the door was opened, Paige quickly closed the file, holding it at her side, and calmly looked inside.
This was Paige’s first time stepping into the president’s office. The pure classical European style radiated luxury and nobility, with every item displayed being a valuable antique. Despite the lavish surroundings, there was something off about the atmosphere.
Rafael, dressed in a sharp suit, sat at the desk. Seven or eight individuals, including business tycoon Jason and members of the Public Law Council, were seated on the scattered chairs. Among them was someone Paige knew-Councilor Beatrice.
Seeing Paige glance her way, Beatrice nodded politely, and Paige returned the nod.
Although the mood appeared harmonious, Paige could sense something off. Soon, she realized what it was.
At the far end of the office, a window was slightly ajar, with wind and sunlight filtering in. Heavy drapes swayed gently, and on a plush European-style sofa sat a man with one leg crossed over the other. His long, clean fingers rested on the armrest, adorned with an expensive watch, its strap peeking out from beneath the impeccably pressed dark coat sleeve. The man’s face was dangerously handsome, yet his expression was far from pleasant. His cold demeanor radiated an icy chill that made the entire room seem frigid despite the sunshine.
The man sat there, his sharp gaze fixed on her, devoid of emotion, his lips pressed in a hard line.
It was none other than Enrico.
“…”
Meeting his gaze, Paige was immediately reminded of the three times she’d canceled on him in the past week, skipping three appointments, five meals, and missing countless phone calls. Even when he visited her at the New Rose Estate, she was always out on business.
Suddenly feeling guilty, Paige found it difficult to maintain her usual commanding presence.
Carrie nudged her, and Paige turned to her. Carrie, holding the files, whispered, “Sister Paige, everyone’s watching you.”
Indeed.
Including Enrico.
Paige steadied herself, walking calmly into the office, heading towards… Rafael.
Enrico narrowed his eyes.
“Mr. President.”
Paige nodded at him, feeling a wave of unease sweep over her.
“President Paige, please have a seat,” Rafael nodded back, gesturing for her to sit.
“President Paige, hello.”
Jason stood up and extended his hand toward Paige. Though not the wealthiest mogul at the finance summit, Jason had been the first to back her, naturally earning a seat at this meeting in the presidential residence.
“Mr. Smith.”
Paige nodded but didn’t shake his hand. Instead, she offered a faint smile and sat down. She respected people like Jason, who sided with power, but preferred not to engage too closely.
Jason, feeling a bit embarrassed, sat back down.
“Alright, everyone’s here.”
Rafael sat up straight, clasping his hands on the desk, and addressed the group. “First of all, I want to express my gratitude and support for everyone’s efforts in pushing to abolish the slum laws. This will be one of the most benevolent and monumental achievements in our nation’s recent history. It’s my honor to collaborate with all of you.”
Hearing this, everyone naturally responded with compliments.
Paige remained silent, turning to glance behind her, only to meet Enrico’s cold gaze.Published by Nôv'elD/rama.Org.
His eyes were piercing.
She forced a slight smile, trying to appear appeasing. “Mr. Gustin, you’ve done the most to push for the abolition of the slum laws. You’ve exerted the greatest effort. Would you like to join us in the discussion?”
Enrico’s lips curled into a slow, sinister smile.
“…”
Paige had a bad feeling.
Sure enough, Enrico raised an eyebrow with a mischievous glint and responded in a deep voice, “Really? I thought President Paige was ready to burn bridges.”
“Mr. Gustin, you’re exaggerating.” Paige’s smile grew stiff.
“Not at all. President Paige is incredibly busy, with countless responsibilities. It’s only natural to forget those who contributed along the way,” Enrico replied, staring at her with each word carefully emphasized.
The room picked up on the shift in tone, and Jason, Beatrice, and the others turned their attention to Paige, curiosity evident in their gazes.
“…”
Paige remained silent.
She felt utterly speechless. She had told him she was busy, hadn’t she? Besides, during the finance summit, hadn’t she spent the entire night going wild with him?
She shifted her gaze to find Rafael giving her a look of exasperation.
Paige gathered her composure, cleared her throat, and redirected the conversation back to business. “Mr. President, may I ask when the official date for the abolition of the slum laws will be set?”
“This involves numerous legal provisions, some of which conflict with the current slum laws. To handle everything perfectly will take at least six months,” Beatrice replied from the side.
Six months? That was too long.
“Beatrice, these are the documents I’ve compiled over the past few days, addressing issues post-abolition. Could you take a look and see if they can be implemented directly?” Paige gestured to Carrie.
Carrie immediately walked over, handing a file to Beatrice.
Beatrice opened the file and saw pages filled with detailed legal clauses, sources, references, and solutions, all meticulously annotated.
She was astonished, flipping through several pages before looking at Paige in disbelief. “You compiled this over the past few days?”
“Yes,” Paige nodded.
Beatrice was stunned. “I knew it-you’re incredible. With this document, we won’t need to search for anything else. We can simply focus on plugging any gaps.”
In just a few days, Paige had saved the Public Law Council six months of work.
No wonder Mr. Gustin had taken such an interest in her.
“That’s good to hear,” Paige replied with a nod.
“President Paige, you’re really in a rush to abolish the slum laws, aren’t you?”
Enrico’s voice dropped from above her.
Paige stiffened, realizing that Enrico had somehow made his way behind her, one hand resting on her chair, the other snatching the document from Beatrice.
As Enrico scanned the densely packed text, his tone grew icy. “This must have been exhausting, right? How many nights did President Paige lose sleep over this?”
Paige could face Jason, Beatrice, even Rafael, with unwavering calm.
But when it came to Enrico…