Chapter 34: Power Isn’t Given
Anna’s POV
The more he underestimated me, the more determined I became to pursue the Skylake District project. His condescension had only crystallized what I already knew:we were never meant to walk the same path.
Back at the office the next morning, I found my mother had forwarded me a flurry of emails and texts. Just as I’d anticipated, invitations had been pouring in—all of them conspicuously addressed only to her and me. Some requested our presence for afternoon tea, others for dinner gatherings. One socialite from the arts circle had even sent show tickets.
"Annie," my mother’s voice was tentative when she called mid-morning, "I’ve never seen so many invitations. It’s rather overwhelming."
I smiled grimly. "The Shaw family suddenly has excellent social currency, it seems."
"What should I do?" she asked.
I replied. "I’ll look through the list later and decide which ones are worth our time."
After ending the call, I stared at the growing pile of invitations on my desk. The Skylake District project had elevated our family’s status overnight.
People who had once whispered behind our backs were now eager to curry favor.
An idea began forming in my mind, taking shape with surprising clarity.
Almost unconsciously, I found myself driving toward Rosa Villa that afternoon. It wasn’t until I spotted Marcus sitting on the terrace that the realization hit me: why had I instinctively come to him for counsel?
Thinking about it logically, there really wasn’t anyone else suitable. My grandmother and mother, while intelligent and resilient, were out of their depth in modern corporate warfare. William was too elderly to burden with such matters, and more importantly, he was Jack’s grandfather -asking him to help me compete against his own grandson would be inappropriate. As for Marcus...