"I'm not here for deliveries. I have an appointment with Richard Lawson regarding a crucial partnership deal between Brightwell and Carter Tech. Please check the schedule for me."
Ashley snorted, pretending to type on the computer keyboard but actually not checking anything at all.
Then she looked up, mocking in her response.
"There's no appointment under the name Jessica Carter. Perhaps you've got the wrong address or you're just trying to cause trouble. Please leave immediately."
Jessica frowned slightly, her gaze sharpening, but she maintained her polite demeanor.
"I think you should check the meeting schedule again. This appointment is very important."
Before she could finish, Ashley raised her hand, grabbed Jessica's sweater sleeve, and sharply commanded, "I told you, you don't have an appointment. Leave right now or I'll call security."
Jessica looked down at Ashley's hand clutching her luxurious cashmere sleeve, then slowly looked up into the receptionist's cold blue eyes.
Her voice, still gentle, carried a commanding authority that made Ashley hesitate.
"Remove your hand from me."
Ashley flinched, releasing her grip, but immediately screamed for security.
"Security! There's a troublemaker."
In an instant, the lobby erupted in chaos.
Two large security guards quickly moved in, unhesitatingly grabbing Jessica's arms and pushing her toward the exit.
Jessica didn't resist.
She stood tall, her gaze filled with pride and restraint, staring straight ahead.
From the executive elevator, Executive Vice President Mark Reynolds stepped out.
Upon seeing Jessica, Mark was momentarily startled, instantly recognizing that the woman being treated like a troublemaker was none other than Jessica Carter, the powerful CEO Brightwell had been trying to partner with.
But instead of intervening, Mark simply smirked, standing silently as Jessica was humiliated and pushed out of the building.
Up on the mezzanine level, Vanessa Lewis, the rare Black manager at Brightwell, gripped the railing, her face twisted in pain and her eyes burning with rage.
She recognized Jessica immediately.
Vanessa wanted to scream, to run down and stop the scene, but her legs felt frozen to the ground.
She knew all too well that speaking up would end her career.
Vanessa could only watch, her heart heavy with guilt, as Jessica was shoved out of the door.
Walking outside amid the disdainful glances, Jessica Carter paused for a moment on the sidewalk.
Her cold gaze passed over the large Brightwell logo on the towering building.
A brief smile, cold and decisive, flickered across her lips.
Jessica took her phone from her pocket, pressed a single button, and spoke calmly but with terrifying composure into the receiver.
"Execute Plan B. Cancel the entire deal with Brightwell immediately."
Jessica walked away slowly, each step carrying a promise of power and determination.
Brightwell Enterprises had no idea that, from this fateful moment, the seismic shock of its downfall had begun.
As Jessica's figure faded behind the glass door, Ashley Monroe returned to her seat, a smug smile spreading across her face.