My Stand-In Groom Is A Secret Tycoon (Audrey)

At eight-fifty, Audrey made her way downstairs to Rhodes Enterprises. As she strolled through the office, colleagues greeted her with smiles. "Ms. Rhodes, good morning!"

"Ms. Rhodes, happy wedding!"

She responded with a smile and a nod to each one, but as soon as she walked away, whispers erupted behind her.

"Why does she even bother showing up? If I were her, I'd just pack it in and leave in shame."

Audrey caught a bit of the chatter, frowned slightly, and quickened her steps toward her office. Passing by the pantry, she overheard more gossip. "Did you hear Audrey's back at work today? She can't really think there's still a place for her here, can she?"

Someone laughed sarcastically and added, "She's been leeching off this family for so long. It's about time she figured out she doesn't belong here." "And that wedding she had yesterday? Talk about a disaster!"

"What's the deal?"

"She's probably just in denial about not being the Rhodes' real daughter. I mean, her fiancé bailed on her for the real daughter, and she married someone else on the spot. Seems like she's trying to make a scene just to shame everyone!" "Wow, what a low blow! Mr. Hayes was smart to ditch her for Miss Harper. Those two are a much better match. Honestly, Audrey, the fake daughter, should have been shown the door ages ago."

Audrey couldn't help but smile bitterly at their words. She thought she had put in the effort at the company, treated everyone well, and even looked past their little mistakes.noveldrama

But here she was, being dragged through the mud just to make Eliza look good. Maybe she had been too nice after all.

Audrey raised her hand and knocked on the door, the sound of giggles spilling out from the pantry. A few of the girls inside caught sight of her, their expressions shifting fast. "Ms. Rhodes, you're back! We missed you..."

Audrey shot them a cold glance and replied, "It's nine o'clock. What are you all doing here? Rhodes Enterprises doesn't tolerate slackers. If you think you can just hang around gossiping, you might want to leave before it gets too late." The room fell silent. This was the first time Audrey had reprimanded anyone with such seriousness since joining the company two years ago. The chatting employees quickly lowered their heads like schoolchildren, muttering apologies. "Sorry, Ms. Rhodes. We'll get back to work."

With a grunt and a threatening look, Audrey turned on her heel and left.

As soon as she was gone, one of the girls couldn't resist sneering, "What's the point in getting all worked up? We'll see who's the first to leave."

"Alright, enough of that. Let's focus on work," another chimed in.

Audrey settled into her office and took a seat. Moments later, her assistant Emily pushed the door open and walked in, carefully setting down a cup of coffee.

"Finally, you're back! The past couple of days without you have been chaos. The gossip from those women is outrageous!" Emily complained.

Audrey sipped her coffee but stayed quiet. Emily hesitated, realizing that in the past, even a single comment from her would prompt a reaction from Audrey.

Frustrated, Emily pressed on, "It's clear that you've done all the heavy lifting around here, and now Eliza thinks she can swoop in and take what's yours. It's just too much. We can't let her get away with this!"

Audrey smiled, the weariness in her eyes fading away. "Don't worry, I've got it under control. Isn't Brightview Group coming in to sign the contract today? Let's get ready."

Emily hesitated for a moment before admitting, "Um, they're already here. Eliza is currently in the conference room with them."

Audrey's expression darkened as she sprang to her feet. "Let's go check it out."