23 Chapter 23 : Improper Relationship The conference room gradually filled up . All the high - level executives from various departments of FY and the employees from the PO department were present . Caleb Lockwood was a guest , and Peter had originally arranged a front - row seat for him . However , upon seeing Claire Shaw was present , Caleb voluntarily sat next to her , causing Chantelle Stone and Megan Ross to gossip in hushed tones . Claire pretended not to care , but inside , she was secretly delighted . She couldn't wait for everyone in the company to know Caleb Lockwood was her boyfriend . Peter pulled down the blinds , and the conference room went completely dark , except for the glow of the projector . Serena Jennings stood at the front , facing a crowd of people , with Caleb and Claire still conspicuously whispering to each other . This meeting was specifically convened by Peter for Serena , projecting her ten designs onto the big screen for all the company executives to score . Initially , Caleb dismissed Serena's designs with a sneer . He had heard from Claire that none of Serena's designs had been approved , and keeping someone like her in a company full of elites was just self - humiliation . As design after design appeared on the big screen , Claire noticed Caleb wasn't talking to her anymore . His eyes were glued to the screen , and he didn't even notice when she tugged at his suit sleeve several times . When the presentations were over , Peter reopened the blinds , filling the conference room with light . " Let's score now . Above 90 is considered passing ." As soon as these words were spoken by Peter , the designers from the PO department were in an uproar . Heather Monroe's requirement was that a score above 60 was passing , yet Serena couldn't even meet that , let < 23 Chapter 23 : Improper Relationship alone 90 . Initially , many thought this scoring was just a show by Peter . Rumors were flying around the company , saying Serena was Peter's fling , only there because she slept her way in , lacking real talent , which is why her designs were stuck with Heather . But now , Peter's demand seemed incomprehensible to them . Not just the design department , but the sales , PR , advertising , and operations departments - all high - level leaders from every FY department scored Serena's designs . All ten designs scored above 90 . This outcome didn't surprise Peter at all , but Serena wore an expression of disbelief . However , people in the conference room weren't looking at Serena ; they were all looking at Heather . Unable to withstand the pressure , Heather stood up to explain , claiming that while Serena's designs were good , the PO product line primarily dealt with gold jewelry . The low hardness and soft texture of gold made too complex designs and mounts too risky with current techniques . " But as the head of the PO design group , your responsibility is to select the best designs . Whether the craftsmanship can realize them isn't your concern . You should submit the best designs to your leaders , who will determine their feasibility for production , not you . " Sophia Shepherd bluntly rebuked Heather, whose face turned red with embarrassment , leaving her at a loss for words except to apologize . " Now that 5G technology for gold is maturing , while Serena's designs are somewhat challenging to achieve , they aren't flights of fantasy . They migh even drive our company's technological innovations . After all , gold jewelry has always been a weak spot for FY ." After Sophia spoke , Serena couldn't help but chime in . " I have some thoughts on gold hardness and craftsmanship ... " Serena began illustrating on the whiteboard , explaining her newly invented technique to everyone . Unnoticed , people from other departments left the conference room , leaving only Sophia and a few design sub - division heads . They were seriously discussing and researching the craft improvements for the new product line with 12:30 ( 2/5 23 Chapter 23 : Improper Relationship Serena . Even though Serena was part of the PO department , her colleagues there felt more embarrassed than proud . Including Claire . " What's wrong ? " Caleb noticed Claire's mood was off . Claire suddenly grabbed Caleb's hand and pulled him into a corner . " Caleb , I'm only telling you ... actually ... the new technique Serena mentioned ... I came up with it ." " What ? " Caleb was taken aback . Claire deliberately hushed him , " Serena asked me for help with her designs . Without thinking much , I talked about this new technique I had in mind , never expecting her to present it as her own idea in the meeting ... " Seeing Claire's eyes redden , Caleb turned to leave . " Where are you going ? " Claire grabbed Caleb's hand . " I'm going to help you get justice , " Caleb said resolutely . " No ... please don't go ..." Claire held Caleb back desperately . " You know , Serena ... has a close relationship with Director Peter . There are rumors in the company about their improper relationship . A colleague even saw them hugging at her workstation during today's lunch break . I don't think anyone would believe us , and once you're gone , I don't know how Director Peter might target me ... " The more Claire spoke , the quieter her voice became . Just then , Serena finished her meeting and walked out of the conference room . Turning her head , she saw Caleb and Claire in the corner , holding hands . Caleb was also looking at her , his eyes full of disdain . Serena had thought that after seeing her designs , Caleb would at least slightly recognize her capability beyond being a housewife . But now it seemed she had thought too much . 23 Chapter 23 : Improper Relationship Holding her stomach , Serena silently returned to her office . Caleb comforted Claire for a while before leaving FY . Mr. Miller came by fashionably late , carrying the millet congee and shrimp dumplings Caleb had asked him to buy . " President Lockwood , this ... " Mr. Miller handed the takeout to Caleb , noticing his boss's foul mood . This was not Caleb's usual fare . Mr. Miller knew it must be for someone else , though he wouldn't ask for whom . Caleb took the takeout and casually threw it into the trash can beside him . Mr. Miller was stunned but said nothing . Caleb had originally bought that takeout for Serena . During the meeting , he had heard her stomach growling and saw her rubbing her stomach multiple times . As someone with a stomach condition himself , Caleb assumed Serena was suffering from stomach pain and hadn't eaten lunch , prompting him to order the tummy - soothing millet porridge . But after hearing what Claire said , he felt his gesture had been unnecessary . FY eventually developed a new technique and launched Serena's ten designs to the market . The FY - PO series became a huge success , selling worldwide . As a high - end luxury brand , FY not only solidified its position in luxury jewelry but also made a significant impact in the mid - to - high - end gold jewelry market . However , within FY Company , rumors unfavorable to Serena continued to spread . Comment 0 16:30 Leave the first comment for this chapter .