In the back, Andrew could not help but shake his head. Emily was turning into a second Christina—blindly arrogant with excessive self-confidence. He thought this brutal slap in the face was inevitable.

Meanwhile, Duncan appeared to be yielding but was actually advancing silently, having already secured his alliances like the cunning old fox he was. Emily did not have even the slightest qualification to compete with this seasoned manipulator.

"Ms. Emily, you can see the situation for yourself!" Duncan's cane rested casually across his knees as he spoke with mock regret.

"It's not that I won't step aside for you, it's just that this is the will of the people, and I'm being forced into this position against my wishes!"

He laughed, but his eyes held no warmth whatsoever. Instead, they were filled with nothing but contempt and ice-cold calculation. If George were not sitting there protecting her, he would have already slapped this naive little girl across the room.

Not only would