Before Charlie could even finish his sentence, Tiana cut him off coldly. "Right now, what's more important—the company's future or your pride? I don't think I need to spell it out for you."

Charlie's stomach twisted. He knew there was no way out of this—whether he liked it or not, he had to go through with it.

At Tiana's signal, Marcus dialed Andrew's number again and then handed the phone to Charlie with a polite smile.

Charlie forced out a stiff chuckle. "Mr. Lloyd, it's Charlie Mitchell, one of the senior board members. I was just wondering—when do you plan on returning to the company?"

He tried to keep his tone as respectful as possible, swallowing his pride. A second later, Andrew's voice came through, completely indifferent. "Get lost."

The call cut off—no hesitation, no explanation.

Charlie stood there, gripping the phone, his face turning a deep shade of red. "That little bastard! He actually told me to get lost! Me!"

Fuming, he raised the phone, ready to smash it