Kissinger had endured far more than just tremendous pressure.

After the interview program aired, reporters stationed themselves at the entrance of GMP’s New York office, waiting to interview Kissinger.

Unable to reach Kissinger, other employees were harassed instead.

Female employees were asked about their feelings regarding Lisa’s experience and whether they would testify if Lisa took the GMP New York office to court.

Male employees were questioned if they had ever stolen opportunities from Lisa—who could have imagined such a situation would arise?

“Damn Mond!”

Kissinger smashed things in his office.

It must be Mond Dawson.

Although Mond hadn’t personally stepped forward, he had arranged the interview program for Lisa. Such a high-rated television program wasn’t something just anyone could appear on!

“Damn, Mrs. Wilson!”

Kissinger was extremely frustrated.

He deeply regretted now why he had forced Xia Xiaolan to accept Mrs. Wilson’s commission. If he was after money, wouldn’t it have been better to force Xia Xiaolan to accept the HK client’s commission instead?

How could there be a client like Mrs. Wilson?

The wealthy are all shameless!

“Mr. Kissinger—”

Kissinger’s aggressive demeanor frightened his secretary.

“It’s Xia, it’s Xia’s call, she seems to have arrived in America.”

When a lie is repeated a hundred times, it becomes almost indistinguishable from the truth. When hundreds or thousands of people are predisposed to believe a lie, the actual truth becomes blurred. Honestly, even some people at GMP’s New York office were now harboring doubts—with Lisa being so confident, could everything she said be true?

Was there some shady deal between Kissinger and Xia that couldn’t bear scrutiny?

Is that why this intern had risen so meteorically at GMP?

It seemed possible, after all, that Mr. Kissinger had always been a partner who prioritized profits!

If it was for profit, and Mr. Kissinger wanted to promote Xia as a ‘superstar architect,’ making a wrong decision in the process… ahem, such thoughts were very detrimental to the GMP New York office. The office should be united in overcoming this crisis together. With Kissinger under scrutiny, others weren’t faring well either.

Kissinger couldn’t care less about his secretary’s thoughts.

He grabbed the phone, controlling his anger:

“That lawyer you found, that Eric seems quite famous, is his reputation fake? Just watching Lisa appear on TV shows, and being interviewed by newspapers—we’ve already lost half the battle before it even begins. Even if you can produce a hundred drafts, the jury won’t believe you, and the judge will cave under pressure too—is Eric competent or not? If not, quickly find another lawyer!”

In the hotel room, Xia Xiaolan smiled awkwardly.

How could a man’s competence be questioned like this? The phone was on speaker, and Eric was right there listening.

Eric showed indifference, not wanting to argue with the agitated Kissinger. Xia Xiaolan could only say what she and Eric had discussed beforehand:

“Mr. Kissinger, the current situation is very unfavorable for us. With the first court hearing approaching, we can’t follow the path others have laid out for us.”

Then what path should they take?

Kissinger now wanted nothing more than to wring Lisa’s head off, oh, and not forgetting Mond Dawson’s too. He would twist off both their heads and bury them under the cement at the entrance of GMP’s office building, specifically where he could step on them every day during his commute!

“We request a postponement of the trial, to delay the court date. What do you think?”

“…!”

Not good at all!

Once the media found out, they would surely say they were afraid, cowardly, and too scared to go to court.

“You’d better give me a reasonable explanation, or I’ll think you and Lisa have chosen to settle out of court and are now conspiring to deceive me. I warn you, if you choose to back down now, to settle and withdraw the case, I’ll consider you an enemy too! Trust me, crossing Mond Dawson is unpleasant, but crossing me will be equally miserable!”

If Xia Xiaolan backed down now, everything Kissinger had done would become a joke.

Anyway, it wasn’t Xia Xiaolan who was in the spotlight now. After all, as a Chinese student who hadn’t been to America before, she didn’t have the news value of Kissinger, a partner at GMP. After Lisa’s television interview, most of the public pressure had fallen on Kissinger. Even people at GMP were discussing how the firm might be sued by Lisa and become the defendant!

In essence, Kissinger’s professional career faced a crucial challenge. He had to successfully overcome this hurdle—Xia Xiaolan’s lawsuit not only had to proceed but had to be won!

“How could you think that way? I would never choose an out-of-court settlement. My goal aligns with yours—to win this case. To achieve victory, Eric suggests postponing the trial. According to his analysis…”

A good lawyer doesn’t just wait for opposing counsel’s moves to counter them one by one.

How could they produce evidence to refute the other side’s challenges on such short notice?

A good lawyer not only needs to compile evidence to win for their client but must also analyze and simulate the opponent’s possible reactions. For each point found, they need to devise corresponding countermeasures. Being thoroughly prepared for court is key to increasing the chances of victory!

As Xia Xiaolan explained, Kissinger’s anger gradually subsided.

After she finished, Kissinger pondered for a moment:

“…Then I’ll bear the pressure for a few more days. If Eric’s wrong, whether you agree or not, you must listen to me and replace this fool!”

“I’m glad you understand, and I’m very sorry and grateful to you.”

“Hmph, don’t say such pleasant things to me, I just want to see this case won!”

Kissinger hung up and took a deep breath.

So what if they were attracting media attention?

He, Andrew Kissinger, was exactly the kind of man who could withstand such pressure!

Damn Lisa and Mond, did they think they could bring him down with such tactics? Never mind that he hadn’t forced Lisa to hand over her work to Xia Xiaolan for enhancement—even if he had done so, he wouldn’t admit it… He hadn’t become GMP’s New York partner by chance, he’d weathered numerous storms. Female architects like Lisa, whose talent wasn’t particularly outstanding, were expendable and replaceable.

Feel it’s unfair?

Frustrated that their efforts aren’t recognized?

Shit!

Lisa wasn’t the only one working hard in this world—she thought her efforts were unique, but Kissinger saw them as merely expected. Because many people with better talent than Lisa, and even those who worked harder than her, this was the true state of the professional world!

If she felt wronged and treated unfairly, she could pack up and get out—it just proved she wasn’t suited for a world-class firm!

Kissinger strode downstairs without any attempt to hide.

The reporters waiting downstairs were surprised and then surrounded him.

“Weren’t you all wanting to interview me? What are you waiting for? Though I don’t have much rest time, if you don’t mind, follow me upstairs for a cup of coffee, my treat!”

Upstairs?

Was he inviting them to interview him at GMP’s New York office?

Hadn’t the building security been desperately blocking them before?