The CEO's Empathy Pregnancy Pains

**Across the Ocean**

Sunlight streamed through the floor-to-ceiling windows, filling the spacious office.

A luxurious glass cup shattered on the floor, coffee splattering everywhere, releasing a rich aroma.

But now, the atmosphere in the office was tense to the extreme. No one paid attention to the broken glass or the coffee stains; all eyes were fixed on the furious CEO. His face was ashen, fists clenched, clearly suppressing immense anger.

"If this project fails again, you're all fired!" He barked coldly, his gaze sharp as a hawk's.

"Sir, please calm down. We're doing our best to fix it," the secretary stammered, trembling.

"This is your best effort? $420,000, all lost on a small music festival. How much more do you expect me to spend on celebrity guests? How much more face do you think I have?"

The secretary's forehead was sweating, his voice shaking.

"We've contacted several sponsors. If not, we could ask Ms. Gonzalez to shoot..." Before the secretary could finish, a voice as cold as ice cut through the tension, instantly heightening the awkward atmosphere.

"I'm not shooting."

Everyone turned to look in the same direction.

Candice, dressed in black, sat on the sofa, legs crossed, her expression cold and emotionless. "$420,000 is no small amount, but I won't take the fall for this mess. "Besides, relying on personal favors is unreliable. Father, if you stop obsessing over your reputation and blaming your subordinates, I think we can find a solution."

Candice's.words were firm. and the atmosphere in the office. froze.

Warren Gonzalez looked at his daughter Candice with a complex expression. Though he was unwilling, he knew she was right.

But his pride prevented him from admitting it. He believed his company shouldn't face such a major setback now.

He also didn't want to admit that his poor decisions led to this situation. "Candice, are you saying I shouldn't hire celebrities and let a bunch of nobodies ruin the music festival I organized?"

Candice took a deep breath, tossed aside her magazine, and stood up, her expression serious.

"Father! Our music festival was meant to highlight unknown talents. The celebrities you hired aren't even real professional singers. Fake hype and overpriced tickets-why would fans pay for that? Isn't it laughable?"

The office atmosphere nearly froze solid.

Colleagues exchanged glances, no one daring to speak, but they admired Candice's courage. She dared to point out the CEO's mistakes directly, and every word was true. Warren's face turned even darker. After a long silence, he sighed and sat down. He dismissed everyone, leaving only Candice.

Candice realized she might have been too harsh and possibly hurt Warren's feelings. She took a deep breath, walked to the desk, and began cleaning up the glass shards while speaking softly.

"Dad, I didn't mean to offend you, but..."

Before Candice could finish, Warren interrupted, "Candice, I called you back to help solve the problem. I get what you're saying. But this is the reality of the industry here. Celebrity culture is more popular than real talent. We need to create some buzz.

"Anyway, you were back home recently. How was it? Any prospects?"

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Candice nodded. "Yeah, Dad. Emerald City is a great place, and I have a lot of good friends there. Maybe I could go back and give it a try."

Warren's eyes sharpened at her words.

He looked at Candice with suspicion and caution. "You still want to go back home, don't you?"

Candice did want that.

Her work philosophy differed entirely from Warren's. Seeing the industry struggle abroad, Warren still insisted on his ways, valuing quick profits and reputation over the company's long-term honor and prestige.

This isn't a game where they can do whatever they want.

With the economy declining, many opportunities are slipping away.

Candice's desire to help Warren revive the business was fading.

She thought it better to return home, stay with familiar friends, and perhaps find more useful connections there.

"Dad, many of my friends have already gone back. Their families are showing us that the economic trend back home is better than abroad."

Warren knew this too.

He just didn't want to admit it.

Admitting his mediocrity, admitting his judgment was inferior to Candice's, admitting his success was due to the era's advantages. He sighed, wanting to say something but couldn't.noveldrama

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Candice stepped back.

She knew the Gonzalez family's business was at a dead end. To help, she had to uproot Warren's stubborn and outdated mindset, which was why he wanted her to marry into another family.

One set of connections failed, so he tried another.

For his years of hard work, sacrificing Candice was acceptable.

Thinking of this, Candice felt a chill. She wanted to save herself, to be reborn.

A call to Backstreet Bar made Patrick's heart skip a beat when he saw the number.

Michael noticed too.

He turned to Patrick. "What's wrong? Who's calling?"

Patrick hesitated, then spoke, "The person you said has a good family and personality."

Michael looked at the number, understanding something, and teased.

"You memorized Candice's number. You must care about her."

But Patrick didn't want to admit it. He laughed coldly and hung up the phone.

He had to maintain his dignity in front of Michael.

"Why did you hang up?" Michael was incredulous.