Chapter 10 Fortune's Reversal

Camilla walked out of the office, her steps slow and heavy, as if the weight of the world rested on her shoulders.

The rejection stung, but she forced herself to keep her head high. She had tried her best, there was nothing more she could do.

As she reached the elevator, her phone buzzed in her pocket. She hesitated, pulling it out.

An unknown number.

"Hello?" she answered, her voice low.

"Miss Camilla, please return to Mr. Harrison's office immediately," the voice instructed.

Her breath caught.

Was this another rejection?

Another reason to humiliate her?

But she had no choice. Turning around, she retraced her steps, her heart hammering with uncertainty.

Back in the office, Desmond had already instructed Harrison to accept the Fredericks as new partners.

As Camilla got back to the office, she hesitated.

"Mr. Harrison?" she asked, her voice guarded.

"Yes. Miss Camilla, I need to review your file once again."

For a second, she didn't understand.

Then realization dawned. He was reconsidering!

Without hesitation, she extended the documents again.

Harrison took them, flipping through the pages with calculated precision.

Silence filled the room as he skimmed the contents.

Then, he placed the file on the desk and looked up.

"We will proceed with final verification as instructed. The Fredericks have been accepted to partner with Zenith Lux. This is the president's directive," he announced.

Camilla's breath hitched.

She had to restrain herself from gasping aloud.

What a huge stroke of luck for her and the Fredericks at large.

It was funny how her fortune had changed in an instant.

"Oh my God... Th... Thank you so much. I appreciate you, Mr. Harrison. Please, can I meet the president? I need to express my gratitude for this unexpected reconsideration."

"Oh, no, it's fine. What matters now is the deal. Maybe later, you can meet with him."

Desmond had told Harrison earlier, while Camilla was not there, to keep his identity hidden.

No one should know who he was.

But Harrison wasn't done.

"The president also instructed us to adjust the ranking placements. The Fredericks will now be at the ultra-exclusive stage, the top spot. That is, the first in the rankings."

Camilla's heart pounded. This was something she never could have imagined.

She had come here begging just to be placed somewhere, anywhere, within Zenith Lux.

And now?

BOOM!

Her family had been placed at the very top.

And not just in the rankings, but first!

That was incomprehensible.

How?

Was she dreaming?

Did the president know her?

Was it luck? Just like that?

Is this how fortunes changed overnight?

"But please, do me a favor and let me meet the president. He has not only lifted our business but also saved my mother's life and our family's finances. I just want to thank him personally," she pleaded, her voice thick with emotion.

Tears of joy welled up in her eyes.

"Miss Camilla, don't bother yourself. I'll send your regards to him, and he will hear you."

"Okay, sir, if you insist. But one thing remains, sir."

Harrison nodded, expecting her to continue.

"I'm aware that the Zack family has always ranked first. Everyone in the city knows that. Does this mean there will be two families sharing the top spot?"

"They now rank second," Harrison replied nonchalantly.

"Ahh... how come? Just because we were placed there?"

Camilla's heart skipped a beat, feeling a pang of guilt.

She knew how strict the Zack family could be.

Would this trigger trouble for her family?

Little did she know that she deserved even better if she was truly the girl who had cared for Desmond during his darkest hour.

But what had Alexander Zack, who ran the Zack family's business, ever done?

Mock Desmond?

Insult him?

Take his wife?

Who, then, truly deserved to be treated better?

Desmond, at this point, wasn't considering qualifications alone.

To him, kindness and a good heart mattered now more than anything else.

"Miss Camilla, you don't need to be bothered about all that. After all, whatever the president says is final."

Camilla was extremely happy.

At the same time, she truly wished to know who the president was.

Someone who had been so kind to her deserved to be appreciated in person and not just through an intermediary.

The Next Morning...

News of the Fredericks' unexpected rise spread like wildfire.

The ultra-exclusive ranking had been reshuffled overnight, sending shockwaves through Halcyon City's business elite.

Alexander was furious.

His family had comfortably held the top position for over two years, and no one had even come close.

And now, they had been pushed down to second place, because of the Fredericks?

A family on the verge of collapse?

Inside his luxury office, Zack slammed his fist against his desk.

"What kind of nonsense is this?"

He was beyond enraged.

If he saw any of the Fredericks at that moment, he could tear them apart.

How could this be possible?

The Fredericks surpassing the Zacks?

Never!

His assistant flinched but remained silent.

Zack grabbed his phone and dialed.

"Mr. Harrison, what exactly is going on? Please can I meet you at the office soon?"

"Alright." a voice responded from the other side of the line.

Back at the Lancaster villa, the news had also reached them.

Tatiana's grandmother, Lady Reginald, sat at the dining table alongside her mother, Helena, her father, Richard, her cousin Lilian, and her uncles, Henry and Felix.

They were about to eat breakfast when the news arrived.

Everyone was stunned.

"The Zacks are now second? The Fredericks are first? That's absurd," Lady Reginald scoffed.

"This must be because of the newly elected president. The Fredericks must have connections to him somehow," Richard speculated.

"Exactly, Grandma! Why else would the Zacks be demoted for the sake of the ordinary Fredericks?" Tatiana snapped.

"I agree with you, Grandma. How could something like this happen overnight?"

Breakfast was forgotten as they debated the shocking development.

Just then, Tatiana's phone buzzed.

It was Alexander.

She picked up without hesitation.

"Hello? Did you see the nonsense that just happened? Oh... we need to head to the office now."

"Sure. We have to protest against this," Tatiana agreed, her voice laced with anger.