Serena turned in surprise and saw none other than Emma.

Emma stood awkwardly at the door, nervously glancing out at some point outside, as if unsure whether to stay or leave. Her fingers fidgeted with the hem of her skirt.

Serena immediately understood—Owen was outside. It was him who had kicked the door open earlier.

Otherwise, Emma wouldn’t have had the courage.

Mr. Grey, displeased by the interruption, shot Emma a glare. "Who are you?"

"I-I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to interrupt..." Emma flinched, her voice lowering, "Mr. Grey, hello. My name is Emma, and I’m Owen’s girlfriend."

Once those words were out, both Mr. Grey and Serena fell silent.

Mr. Grey eyed Emma again, then forced a smile. "Seems like Mr. Lancaster has a thing for the letter ‘H.’ All of his ex-girlfriends have last names starting with H."

Serena lowered her gaze and smiled faintly, her face showing no emotion, but she subtly pushed Mr. Grey away with a bit of force.

"Mr. Grey, enough with the jokes. Let’s get back to business. Let’s talk about the contract," she said, extending her hand to retrieve the contract while using her other hand to grab the tiny recorder clipped to her collar. Its design made it look like a brooch, almost impossible to detect.

Mr. Grey glanced sideways at Emma, still lingering at the door, and his hand once again shamelessly moved to wrap around Serena’s waist.

After all, it wasn’t exactly a secret that Serena had been dismissed by Owen in their circle.

If it weren’t for the Lancaster family backing her, Mr. Grey wouldn’t have bothered with her for this long. He had grown impatient.

"As long as you satisfy me, everything can be arranged."

"Mr. Grey, please show some respect."

Serena stood up as she spoke, her long fingers playing with the recorder. "Otherwise, I wouldn’t mind sending this recording to Chen."

Her words dropped a bombshell.

Mr. Grey froze in surprise. "What recording? Who’s Chen?"

Serena smiled. "Your son."

Mr. Grey’s expression instantly darkened.

"The name doesn’t matter. I just want to see how your son reacts when he hears this recording," Serena said, rubbing her forehead, before adding, "And what consequences it might bring once it’s made public in the industry."

She wouldn’t have endured this if it weren’t for the project. She didn’t want to cause any trouble or losses for LancasterCare, but if she could avoid more humiliation, she would.

Mr. Grey’s face darkened completely, his eyes filled with disgust.

Emma, standing aside, was completely stunned.

She never imagined that what started as a regular dinner meeting with Executive Director Harper and Mr. Grey would escalate into blackmail and intimidation. It was unbelievable.

She instinctively looked toward the door, but it was empty.

Fortunately, the call on her phone hadn’t been cut off yet.

Emma hesitated and stepped forward to mediate the situation, sensing that things could get out of hand if they weren’t careful.

"Executive Director Harper... please, calm down," she said, reaching out to try and hold Serena’s arm, but was easily avoided.

Serena didn’t like being touched.

She glanced at Emma and lowered her voice slightly. "This has nothing to do with you."

"Are you threatening me?"

Mr. Grey stared at Serena, sneering. "Miss Harper, you really overestimate yourself. What can this recording prove? If anything, it’ll just make people think I’m a playboy. And what about you?"

Society was always harsher on women.

Gossip and rumors were like invisible, explosive bullets, designed to shame women first, regardless of right or wrong.

Serena knew this all too well.

But her calm expression showed no fear. "Me?"

She paused for a moment, as if deep in thought, and then her smile widened, the words that followed strikingly irritable. "I don’t care, because I’m not married, I don’t have children, and I have no close relatives who care about me. What’s there to worry about my reputation?"

Mr. Grey didn’t expect her to be so brazen. He was momentarily stunned.

Emma stood frozen, not knowing what to say to ease the tension, but feeling an urge to speak up. She fumbled for her phone in her pocket, seeking some help.

Serena didn’t notice Emma’s actions; she simply took a tissue and slowly wiped her fair fingers. "Mr. Grey should know that I’m never representing just myself, but always LancasterCare."

Mr. Grey, realizing his mistake, hurriedly changed his tone. "Apologies, Miss Harper, I’ve had a bit too much to drink tonight. Please don’t take offense. The contract seems fine, and I’ll have someone come by tomorrow to coordinate with you."

In a rush, Mr. Grey turned to leave but was stopped by Serena.

"Mr. Grey."

She calmly tossed the tissue away and turned with a dark look in her eyes. "From now on, please call me Executive Director Harper."

Using the dismissive "Miss Harper" in an important business setting was a blatant sign of disrespect.

Mr. Grey quickly nodded. "I apologize for the oversight, Executive Director Harper. We’ll continue this later."

As he left, he cast a disapproving glance at Emma, shaking his head with a cold snort. This woman was no good.

With Mr. Grey finally gone, Serena exhaled a breath of relief and slid into the chair. Her gaze turned to the still-standing Emma.

"Executive Director Harper, if there’s nothing else, I should probably head out."

Emma, who had observed Serena’s clear-headed, calm, and wise approach to handling matters, felt a little uncertain.

"Wait."

Serena stopped her from leaving, her voice calm yet gentle as she posed a question. "Why did Owen Lancaster send you?"

Emma froze, lips pressed tight as she pondered her response.

But Serena smiled, her expression light as she spoke again, "He wants you to replace me in negotiating the contract with Mr. Grey, using your identity as his girlfriend."

Because Emma was someone Owen Lancaster favored, someone he deeply cared for.

The truth was, the project Serena had struggled to push forward with so much effort was barely significant in Owen’s eyes. If he were to step in, the deal would be done in no time.

So, he wanted to use this opportunity to support his cherished one, a subtle way of establishing his influence.

Unfortunately...

"You messed it up," Serena said softly.

Emma’s composure began to falter, her lip trembling as she nervously bit it. Her hand dove into her pocket.

As she pulled out her phone, Owen’s cold voice came from the other end of the line. "Serena Harper, come out."