Mr. Villain's Lovely Wife

Chapter 45

“What do you mean, Mr. Weiss?” Izzy asked, her expression calm though a hint of curiosity flickered in her eyes.

Calen stepped forward, a triumphant glint in his gaze. “The projected costs for the cultural center are disproportionately high, according to the preliminary budget breakdown included to your report,” he said, clicking his remote to display a slide he had prepared. It showed what he believed to be Izzy’s earlier data, with the cultural center’s costs seemingly dwarfing the casino’s revenue projections. “These numbers don’t align with realistic market estimates or even the government’s benchmarks for similar projects. I think it’s fair to ask for clarification.”

Izzy’s lips twitched into a faint smile as she glanced at the slide interesting,” she said, taking a step toward the screen. Let’s unpack this, shall we?”

Clicking her remote, Izzy brought up her actual data, which had been distributed in the board’s official reports. The numbers were starkly different from the ones Calen had displayed–precisely calibrated and well within industry standards. “Mr. Weiss, the figures you’re presenting don’t match the final budget in my report,” she said, turning to face him. “Would you mind telling me where you sourced this information?”

Calen faltered for a fraction of a second but quickly recovered. “It was included in an earlier draft,” he said. “Perhaps you failed to update all your materials”

Izzy nodded slowly, the faint smile still playing on her lips. “Ah, that must be it,” she said. “Let’s address that discrepancy.”

She clicked on her next slide, which displayed timestamps of her report revisions alongside a summary of the changes. The board murmured as they noticed the meticulous detail in her work. Izzy’s final draft clearly outlined the adjusted cukural center costs–streamlined and optimized without compromising quality

Seeing this, Calen’s expression turned ugly. Clearly, the numbers weren’t the ones he had seen. Did something happen! “You see,” Izzy began. “These revisions were made three weeks ago and presented last week to CEO Weiss. They were distributed to every member of this board and uploaded to the project’s central repository. However, I made a few changes this week. The changes was made in response to updated supplier negotiations and government feedback, reduced costs by, 15%. I ensured that all stakeholders had access to the latest figures. So, Mr. Weiss, I’m curious–why are you using outdated, numbers? Were you able to see the updated reports?”

Calen stiffened slightly, the flicker of unease in his posture betraying his confidence. “I must’ve been given incomplete data” he said, his voice tight. He was certain that those numbers were not the ones given to him. Changes? Monica didn’t mention,

changes! Even his team had

any

Izzy

mentioned any changes!

tilted her head slightly, her gaze sharp. “Incomplete? That’s odd, considering my team ensures synchronization across all documents.” She clicked on another slide, showing an internal email thread that verified the report’s dissemination. “And just to confirm, Mr. Weiss, you were ce’d on these updates, weren’t you?”

a chance to respond before continuing. “Of course, mistakes can happen,” she

contributions, showing significant return on invesenient within three years. The accompanying notes detailed partnerships with local artisans and sponsorships from–global luxury brands, which

isn’t just an expense,” Izzy said, addressing the board directly. “It’s an investment that positions LX as a forward–thinking, culturally aligned leader in the region. By leveraging these partnerships and aligning with Macau’s vision, we’ve ensured that the center enhances our profitability while

room fell silent as the board absorbed the data. Jørgen Lund broke the silence, his voice

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hapter 45

887%.

was skeptical about the costs,

the table as murmurs approval for Izzy’s work grew louder. He opened his mouth

involved. “I’d like to address another concern. Over the past month, my team flagged suspicious access

his authority, What Izzy was addressing. however, were minor concerns flagged by the system. They weren’t significant, but handling

who no longer works with us–attempted to access

expressions ranging from surprise to suspicion Calen’s composure visibly cracked, a flicker of

silence linger for a moment before clicking back to her main presentation slide. “Of course, I trust that we all value the integrity of

to Calen, who looked like he wanted to melt into the floor. “Mr. Weiss,” the CEO

he said after

as she addressed him directly. “Mr. Weiss, since you brought up questions about budgetary allocation and timelines, may I ask

“Of

guidelines regarding foreign investments in integrated resorts. Highlighted in bold was a specific clause pertaining to cultural contributions as a mandatory requirement for project approval.

calm but precise. “Could you explain how your phased approach ensures compliance with Macau’s Cultural Contribution

shifted slightly as if reaching for his remote, but he stopped himself.

to my knowledge, Clause 8.3 has no exemptions for phased cultural integration unless explicitly approved by the Cultural Advisory Board. And from the records available, no such approval has

but no words came out. His gaze

another slide. “My team conducted a thorough review of the advisory board’s recent approvals. All projects with cultural components deferred to later phases faced either rejection or significant delays in licensing. That’s

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