Mr. Villain's Lovely Wife

Chapter 461

Calen stormed into his office, slamning the door so hard that the sound echoed down the hallway. Monica, Simon, and Beth were already waiting inside, their expressions ranging from nervous to outright terrified. He threw his tablet onto the desk, the screen flickering as it skidded to a stop.

“What the hell was that?” Calen snarled, pacing the room like a caged animal. He stopped abruptly, fixing his glare on Monica” “You told me the data was accurate! That those number were final! You told me you reviewed them twelve fucking

Monica fidgeted, her hands clasped tightly in front of her. “It was accurate at the titor, Mr. Weiss. I swear! There must have been-

“Don’t give me excuses!” Calen cut her off, his voice sharp. He pointed a finger at Simon and Beth. “And you two! You were supposed to ensure everything was aligned with her reports! How the hell did we miss those updates? How?

Simon cleared his throat, his posture stiff. “Sir, we didn’t have access to the finalized reports. Miss Rossi didn’t share those to her team members. Only her and her secretary-”

“That’s your job!” Calen shouted, his hand slamming against the desk. “To get access! To know what’s going on in her team! I pay you to ensure I’m not blindsided, and yet here I am, looking like an idiot in front of the entire board! You had a week to do it but you did nothing! Zero! Nada!”

Beth stepped forward cautiously, “Mr. Weiss, we tried. Miss–Miss Rossi’s team has been unusually tight–lipped lately. It’s possible they anticipated—”

“Oh, so now it’s my fault that you’re incompetent?” Calen sneered, his eyes narrowing. “If her team anticipated something. then it’s your job to out think them. That’s what I hired you for! Do you think, I simply chose your because of your damn achievement?”

Monica took a step closer to him, her voice pleading. “Mr. Weiss, listen. Miss Rossi’s good–better than we gave her credit for. But we can recover from this. We just need to-

“Recover?” Calen repeated, his tone dripping with mockery. “Recover from what, Monica? The board already sees her as the better candidate! Do you know what they’re doing right now? Voting for her! Not for me, because my so–called team couldn’t do one damn thing right!”

Simon tried again, his voice firmer this time. “Sir, we can still regroup. We still have leverage in other projects, and-”

“Regroup?” Calen’s laughter was sharp and humorless. “Leverage? Are you out of your mind? This was the project that mattered. This was my chance to prove I could handle more than just the crumbs my father threw at me. And you,” he jabbed a finger toward Simon, “you want to talk about leverage?

Beth spoke up. “Mr. Weiss, firing shots at your team won’t fix thi We-”

“Firing shots?” Calen interrupted, his voice rising. “You’re damn right I’ll fire shots! In fact, if either of you talks back to me again, you’ll be packing your desks before the end of the day. Is that clear?”

and Beth, but neither of them dared to

hadn’t dimmed. “I want every single piece of intel on Izzy and her secretary,

his face pale. “Understood, sir?

lower but no less menacing. If you ever feed me incomplete data again, I’ll make sure

14

Jan 4

Chapter 461

this industry again. Do

with barely concealed frustration, “Yes, sir”

tug. “Good. Now get out

quickly leaving the room, their steps hurried Monica lingered for a moment as if she wanted to say something, but

door clicked shut behind them, Calen collapsed into his chair, his hands gripping his temples. The humiliation of the boardroom replayed in his mind, each moment stinging worse than the last. Izzy had outmaneuvered him–again. No matter how much he

ahead.

of his tablet, his jaw clenching. This wasn’t over. Not by

in on it! He must have known about the data and knew where to hit Calen. There is no way that he would let Izzy just embarrass his own son in front of the board. There must be some plan. Some surprise somewhere.

soft knock interrupted his stupor. “Come in,” he said. Almost immediately, his face

clasped in front of her as the door clicked shut behind her. She stood a few

want?” Calen asked sharply, not even bothering to look up from the tablet he was gripping like a

up, his eyes narrowing. “You already apologized.

wanted to tell you something. Something

back in his chair. “Speak your mind. Make it quick

project for months, Calen. She’s been involved in every stage–negotiating with partners, refining the plans, and adapting to the regulatory requirements. It’s only natural

frown deepened, his jaw tightening. “And your

that it’s not a fair comparison. You’ve only been on this project for a week. You didn’t have the same time or exposure to the details that Izzy did. She’s been living and

her words. He hated to admit it, but she wasn’t entirely wrong. Izzy’s seamless command of the details, her ability to anticipate every question–it wasn’t just skill–It was preparation.