Chapter 4

If she were truly the heiress of the Moore family, how could she lack even basic decision-making authority over a single partnership project?

Fortunately, John trusted her a lot and had already given her full control over this initiative.

Wendy took a deep breath and replied to William, "I can make the call."

There was no immediate response.

Wendy had intended to set her phone aside and go to sleep, but curiosity got the better of her. She clicked into William’s social media feed.

Although she didn’t dare face the man directly, sneaking a glance at his profile felt harmless.

However, Wendy was a bit disappointed, William's Feed was completely empty, with nothing there.

The next morning, Wendy and the core members of her project team gathered their materials and prepared to take the company car to the Ford Group.

Before they left, other colleagues teased them. “Damn, you guys following Wendy are about to hit the jackpot! You're not going to the Ford Group and never coming back, are you?"

Laughter filled the car. “Wherever Wendy goes, we go. If Wendy leaves, we leave too!"

Hearing her team's jokes, Wendy couldn’t quite bring herself to laugh along.

Many people on the project team had been with her for a long time, and she didn't just see them as employees and colleagues, they were like family.

Yet as a fake heiress, advancing within the Moore Group was incredibly difficult, and she didn’t dare draw too much attention.

Following her meant they took on a lot of work, but in the end, a few of them got promotions or raises.

She had always felt guilty about that.

This trip to the Ford Group wasn’t really about what she herself would gain.

If her team members were valued there and given better opportunities, she would be genuinely happy for them.

The car door closed, and amid the group's laughter and chatter, they headed toward the Ford Group.

Upon arrival, staff from the research center came out to greet them.

A bespectacled Ford Group employee said, “Ms. Moore, I’ll take the team to the research center to get them settled. You can head to the 43rd floor to complete your onboarding paperwork."

Wendy nodded, took her own and others' onboarding documents, walked through the lobby, and arrived at the elevator.

Coming to the Ford Group—a globally renowned company, and William's company at that—for the first time, she felt a bit nervous, so she picked up the documents in her hand and started checking them, forcibly diverting her attention.

The elevator doors opened, and she stepped inside immediately.

As she reached out to press the floor button, an arm extended from beside her, right above her own.

At the same time, she caught a faint, familiar cool woody scent.

Wendy turned her head and found herself staring at William’s strikingly handsome profile.

William had long noticed Wendy.

While waiting for the elevator, he had stood right beside her, watching her pretend to flip through documents for a full minute.

Wendy’s mind went blank. After a small gasp, she instinctively stepped back, bumping hard against the elevator wall.

Inside the elevator, even though she'd retreated, the distance between them was still very close.

Wendy's brain automatically recalled the man's low, suppressed breathing from that night in bed.

That incredibly sensual voice made her cheeks flush crimson in an instant.

Damn it, why would she think of such things at a time like this!

William hadn't expected Wendy to look at him like she'd seen a ghost.

Even more surprising was how her face turned bright red after she backed away from him. It was bizarre.

It was just bizarre.

He frowned slightly, studying Wendy carefully.

Once Wendy regained her composure, she forced a polite, courteous smile. “Hello, Mr. Ford. I’m here to submit my onboarding documents."

William gave a slight nod.

Just as Wendy was feeling nervous and awkward, unsure what to say next, the elevator stopped..

She glanced at it.

It wasn't her floor.

Additionally, she noticed that there were only she and William in the elevator.

But she remembered clearly, there had been several other people waiting for the elevator with her...

Wendy quickly understood.

The others didn't dare ride the elevator with William!

Only she, distracted by pretending to read documents, had absentmindedly stepped in with him!

He should be getting off now, right? Wendy secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

The elevator was filled with William's scent, just like that night in bed. She really couldn't take it anymore!

He should leave quickly!

But what Wendy didn’t expect was that William remained inside.

The elevator continued upward and soon reached the 43rd floor.

After Wendy carefully stepped out, William followed right behind her.

Wendy's heart nearly stopped.

What did this mean?

Had he recognized her?!

Wendy's voice trembled slightly, "Mr. Ford, you..."

Before she could finish, William said coolly, "Come find me after you finish the paperwork. I have a task for you."

After completing the onboarding procedures, Wendy followed William anxiously to a department conference room.

After about a dozen people had gathered, William introduced Wendy to the Ford Group's technical team.

He then turned to her and said, “Next, align with them on the technical integration plan. If there are any compatibility issues, raise them promptly and work out solutions."

With that, William pulled over a nearby chair and sat down, throwing the rest of the meeting to Wendy.

Wendy was stunned.

On her very first day, she was expected to coordinate partnership details with the Ford Group’s technical team.

This was undoubtedly a huge challenge.

Was William testing her?

Wendy saw countless pairs of eyes in the conference room staring at her.

An average person in this situation might have been too nervous to speak, let alone coordinate efficiently.

Wendy took a deep breath. Her chaotic thoughts quickly settled. Under the enormous pressure of William’s presence, she forced herself to remain composed and began, "I’ve reviewed the Ford Group’s current technical architecture in advance and simulated potential integration issues with our project’s ecosystem. The main focus lies in two areas..."

"One is the compatibility between our differing architectural systems, and the other is the optimization efficiency of each module."

Everyone present was a technical elite. Hearing Wendy's words, they immediately recognized that she was not only technically proficient but also possessed excellent communication and summarization skills.

Not a single word she said was wasted, every sentence hit the key points.

They had heard they would be working with another company’s team and had worried it might slow them down.

Now it seemed their concerns had been unfounded.

After the meeting ended, Wendy had successfully established initial contact with the heads of various technical modules and set clear directions for future collaboration.

William hadn’t spoken a single word the entire time. He simply sat to the side, watching Wendy.

He could tell she was very nervous, her voice even trembled when she spoke, but her communication and expression abilities were flawless.

Clearly, she had prepared thoroughly beforehand, and her ability to respond under pressure was impressive.

But this only deepened William’s confusion.