"Once you've earned Laurence's trust, drive a wedge between him and Noelle to ruin their relationship."
Earlier, Tony had brought several family elders to speak with Laurence about his marriage, but Laurence declared that the only woman he loved was Noelle.
If no one interfered, Noelle becoming the lady of the Longbottom family would be a disaster. That woman was formidable enough on her own.
Laurence was already difficult to deal with. If Noelle became the lady of the house, the two of them would truly be unstoppable. There would be no chance for Manny to make a comeback.
Every time Manny thought about how he and his father had struggled for thirty years, only to end up returning everything to Laurence, he choked with resentment.
Thirty years of scheming, only for the family leadership to slip back into the direct lineage.
Even the residence they had occupied for thirty years now had to be vacated for Laurence.
Although they had amassed considerable wealth over the years and owned several villas, those were different.
That estate represented authority.
Misty was silent for a while before smiling wryly. "Mr. Longbottom, you overestimate me. Mr. Laurence isn't some inexperienced man. He's the owner of Longtail Group. You know better than anyone how quickly Longtail has risen to where it is today.
"You also know what kind of person he is and how guarded he is around young women. It'll be difficult enough for me to stay by his side, let alone drive a wedge between him and Noelle.
"Today, I asked Noelle to help with refreshments and the CEO reprimanded me, saying I was not qualified to tell her what to do. That woman completely ignored me as well. It's obvious she doesn't care about me.
"Even the look in her eyes was terrifying. Just meeting her eyes made me panic, as though I did something wrong to her."
She had long heard of Noelle's reputation.
That woman's self-defense skills were extraordinary. Laurence survived countless assassination attempts over the years largely because of her protection.
She was not just a martial arts expert. She was also skilled in poisons and in healing.
Many people were afraid to get too close to her, worried she might carry some colorless, odorless poison and secretly poison them without their noticing.
Privately, many people referred to her as the Poison Beauty.
"I'm not telling you to strike today. Secure your position first, and only after you've earned his trust do you make your move to destroy their relationship."
Misty smiled bitterly. "As I said, I don't know how long I can keep this job.
"For all I know, Mr. Laurence might fire me tomorrow or simply send me back to work for you."
She had a feeling that was going to happen.
Laurence was accustomed to using male secretaries. Taking over Longbottom Corporation would not change his hiring habits.
The only young woman he kept by his side was Noelle.
Honestly, Misty was jealous of Noelle. In the past, she had only heard about
Noelle's position beside Laurence, and even then, she had felt some admiration and envy. Now that she had met Laurence in person, the jealousy had become overwhelming.
Laurence was simply too handsome!
He perfectly matched the image of a domineering CEO in romance novels.
"I've already told you, you're young and beautiful. Laurence is a man too, and a young man at that. He wouldn't..."
“Mr. Longbottom, I've always been your secretary. Do you think Mr. Laurence will keep your secretary by his side?"
Misty could not help but speak bluntly.
Having worked for Manny for years, she knew perfectly well about the rivalry between him and Laurence. The two were also business enemies.
Although fate had made them members of the same family, the moment Laurence returned, he pushed Manny out of power. It was obvious that he still considered Manny an enemy.
Misty was not dumb. No matter how young and beautiful she was, it was useless against a man who had no interest in women pursuing him. Besides, in Laurence's eyes, she was still one of Manny's people.