Chapter 4

Carter had no choice but to force himself to stay seated, desperately fabricating an excuse about his health.

"Gentlemen, please forgive me. My chronic lower back pain is acting up today, and it's incredibly painful to stand."

His voice was tightly coiled, each word sounding as though it were being dragged through gravel.

The board members' expressions soured further, but since Carter was one of the co-founders, they couldn't openly lose their tempers. With dark faces, they squeezed themselves onto the three-seater leather sofa.

Several heavy-set, middle-aged men were packed tightly together, their designer suits wrinkling, their poised executive demeanors completely shattered.

This physical discomfort quickly morphed into psychological irritation.

Arthur Davis, the most hot-headed of them, snorted loudly.

"Since you're so fragile today, Carter, let's keep this short."

"What exactly is your plan for the overseas expansion next quarter? The proposal you emailed us a few days ago was complete garbage! It's like it was written by a high schooler!"

Carter's brain, overloaded with adrenaline and physical stimulation, had turned to absolute mush.

His fingers dug deep into the leather armrests of his chair, nearly tearing the expensive material.

He didn't dare make any sudden movements. He even kept his breathing shallow, terrified that any slight shift would betray the secret beneath his desk.

Seeing Carter remain silent, Arthur assumed he was just guilty and incompetent. His anger flared.

He stood up abruptly from the cramped sofa, pointing a finger at Carter.

"Do you not even have an explanation for us? We entrusted this company to you because we believed you and Zoe had vision, not so you could flush our hard-earned money down the toilet!"

The more he spoke, the angrier he got. He paced a couple of steps, then began marching directly toward the desk.

「Oh my god, oh my god! Old man, don't go over there! Two more steps and you'll see right under the desk!」

「Fck! If they get caught, this will be the ultimate cringe-compilation peak of all time!」

「Carter, do something! Stop him! Say literally anything!」

The veins in Carter's temples throbbed violently. Seeing Arthur only two steps away from the desk, he finally broke.

"Mr. Davis, please, calm down," Carter rasped, his voice carrying an unnatural, desperate strain. "The overseas proposal definitely has flaws. I was too impatient. Please, sit back down. We can discuss this slowly. I promise you, within three days, I will present a completely revised, viable plan to the board."

He lowered his tone, adopting a deeply humble posture.

This response was actually quite logical. He admitted his mistake and offered a concrete solution.

Arthur hesitated, his anger softening slightly as he weighed the offer.

The comments section was practically cheering.

「Insane! As expected of the male lead! Calm in the face of disaster! His improvisational skills are off the charts!」

「See that? That's a true leader! Even in a situation like this, his brain works faster than anyone else's!」