The CEO Gets What He Wants

George rose to his feet with William supporting him by his arm. He threw Cayden a glance. “Oh, it's you, Cayden. How nice of the two of you to visit this old man. There's really no need for you to bring gifts.”

“Hello, Old Mr. Lambert, Mr. William,” Cayden said in greeting, nodding at each man in turn. He placed the fruit basket on the table and hurried over to help George into his seat. “Please stay seated, Old Mr. Lambert. I heard that you're not in the best of health, so I came over with Avery to check in on you. How are you feeling?”

“Ah, I'm fine! It's nothing serious... So, Avery is here as well, is she? It just so happens that I don't quite understand certain parts of your design plan. I've got a few questions for you...” George said in an affectionate tone as he turned to Avery.

Avery beamed and said earnestly, “Go ahead! You can ask me anything, Old Mr. Lambert. I'll do my best to explain it to you.”

“That's wonderful. Nickie, come here and listen along,” George called out to Nicole, motioning at her to go over to him.

Nicole walked over obediently and greeted him sweetly, “I'm here, Grandpa.” She smiled, but her smile did not reach her eyes.

Avery felt the icy coldness in Nicole's eyes when she looked at her. A shiver ran up her spine.

“This is Avery, an architect from Trident Group. This lady has created some amazing designs at a young age. She is incredible!” George praised as he introduced Avery to Nicole.

Nicole masked her disdain as she looked straight into Avery's eyes and said with feigned enthusiasm, “Grandpa, Avery and I have met each other before. She was a great help to me when I was filming the commercial at Trident Group back then.”

At that time, Nicole had intended to torment Avery. This b*tch stole away my chance of filming that perfume advertisement! Ugh, I feel so angry just thinking about it!

“Oh, so, it turns out Nickie and Ms. Rumpley have met each other before. Which school did you graduate from, Ms. Rumpley?” a sharp, judgmental voice asked. Avery turned toward the source of the question. It was Fiona.

Fiona knew that Nicole had a crush on Cayden. She, too, thought Cayden was a fine young man, yet Cayden already had someone he loved.

Fiona felt indignant and defensive on Nicole's behalf. Although Nicole was not her biological granddaughter, she adored her. She had always thought of Nicole as the best of all women. How can this Avery even compare to my Nickie, whether family, personality, or looks-wise?

For those reasons, Fiona despised Avery, and she always spoke to her in a rather rude and confrontational tone.

Although Avery understood the source of Fiona's hostility, it still made her uncomfortable.

After all, Nicole was always fighting with her for Cayden's attention and affection. Naturally, Fiona would be on Nicole's side.

However, Avery refused to stoop down to Fiona's level. She replied politely, “I graduated from an ordinary university abroad. It wasn't any notable university. Anyway, I don't think it matters where you studied. What matters is how you apply your knowledge after that. After all, academic qualifications are just a stepping stone. It's your talents and abilities that are more important.”

When Fiona heard Avery's reply, she assumed that Avery had not wanted to reveal the name of the university because she had graduated from a low-ranking school. Her lips twitched in contempt.

She immediately countered in a smug tone, “Our dear Nickie here graduated from the famous Lostaria School of Arts. It's one of the best art schools in the world. She studied film and television there, and she won a Five Flowers Award for her first film after graduation. She's not like the other international students who boast that they went abroad to study but in reality entered a tier three university or those schools that sell their degrees...”

“Old Mrs. Lambert, even if you had all the money in the world, you wouldn't be able to buy a degree from my university. The University of Ustrana has always been known for its impartiality and rigor. Its research team and professors are among the best in the world. Although it still falls behind some of the best universities, it's still one of the top three schools in Ustrana. It isn't the best, but it's far from the worst,” Avery defended herself firmly, sounding neither too meek nor too boastful.

Avery's words, delivered calmly and coolly, rendered Fiona speechless.

Nicole blushed in shame.

Although the Lostaria School of Arts was impressive, it was ranked in the hundreds, which was far behind the prestigious University of Ustrana.

Avery knew that Fiona disliked her. She did not want to provoke her, so she merely smiled politely and kept quiet.

Fiona wanted to give Avery a piece of her mind, but with so many people within earshot, she could only bite her tongue and swallow her dissatisfaction.

After all, Avery was a guest who had come to visit George.

At that moment, George, William, and Cayden were deep in conversation.

The more William spoke with Cayden, the more alarmed he was by that young man. He is indeed relentless and uncompromising in business! With him heading Trident Group, the entire economy of Ackleton would be driven by him. After all, nearly one-third of the tax revenue of Ackleton is contracted to Trident Group.

Furthermore, from how Cayden was talking about the expansion of Trident Group and the outline of the entire growth blueprint, William was in a dilemma, as he had evidence of the fact that Cayden had paid bribes.

Should I report it?