Stolen Identity: Mute Heiress

Chapter 150: Genius Mute

The conference room was quiet, and the big screen on the wall glowed with a chart full of numbers, but Genevieve wasn’t looking at it.

She sat at the head of the table, back straight, face calm, legs crossed neatly under the table. Her nails tapped lightly against her tablet as someone across the table spoke.

She had never liked numbers. They confused her and made her feel like woozy. That was another reason she didn’t mind handing it all to Abigail, who she knew loved numbers.

She figured since it was Abigail’s company anyway, she should worry about the numbers.

”...which is why I think we need to move the deadline forward by two days,” said a young man in a dark blue suit as he clicked to a new slide with a row of red arrows and dates.

The slide showed the timeline for testing, mold rework, production, and packaging.

He continued. ”Last week’s delay in thermal testing cost us three full workdays. The shipping timeline is now too tight. If we don’t compress something in this phase, we risk missing our delivery promise to TechSpan and the other distributors. I’m proposing we shorten the design revalidation period from five days to three. The design tweaks are minor. Mostly structural reinforcements to the connector arm. If the design team can run simulations overnight and double up on shifts, we can shave off the time we lost. It’s aggressive, but I think it’s doable.”

Genevieve nodded slowly, then turned to Abigail, who was seated quietly by her right side.

It was a team meeting held to introduce Abigail and Jamal to the rest of the product development team, and to have the team monthly review.

In the past when Abigail was away, Ryan had made sure Genevieve scheduled the team meetings around Abigail’s free time so that Abigail could listen in on the meetings discreetly and tell her what to say and do after. As a result, Abigail was very much familiar with the modus operandi of the team.

”What do you think?” Genevieve asked Abigail, and all eyes turned to Abigail.

A few people blinked, surprised that she was asking for her mute sister’s opinion. One or two shifted in their seats.

They had so much work to do and didn’t like that they’d be wasting their time indulging their boss’ mute daughter.

What could a mute girl like her possibly know about what they were talking about?They wondered even though none of them would dare to utter a word of it.

From the moment Genevieve had introduced Abigail as her sister and assistant, they had all been less than impressed by her and assumed she had been hidden away all these years because she was incapable of anything and being a mute with possibly no job experience, she wasn’t fit to be on their team.

”You should sign, Abigail. It would be faster than typing. Pete, please interpret for us,” Genevieve said before Abigail could pick up her phone to type.

Abigail nodded and sat up straight. She could tell that Genevieve was asking her opinion that publicly mainly because she wanted to give her a chance to prove herself to everyone on the team.

Their polite and subtle dismissal had not gone unnoticed by her. She was used to it. People always looked down on her because she was mute, but that always changed after she proved to them that her inability to speak didn’t mean she was useless.

She knew she wasn’t going to get a second chance to make an outstanding first impression, so she decided to seize the moment to assert herself.

She adjusted her chair slightly as she turned to look at Jamal, who was more than eager to hear opinion and see her brilliance in action.

Her face was calm, but there was a certain sharpness that crept into her eyes that made Jamal’s heart beat faster.

She raised her hands and began to sign, her fingers moving quickly, confidently, like she was painting thoughts in the air.

Jamal cleared his throat and leaned forward. ”She says the suggestion to move the deadline forward by two days is not only unrealistic, but it’s also very careless.”

A few brows lifted across the room. The man in the dark blue suit blinked. Insulted by the bold statement.

Genevieve’s lips twitched and she raised a brow, ”How is that?”

Jamal watched Abigail’s hands carefully, then continued interpreting. ”She says we’re talking about a hardware component that’s already showing signs of inconsistent pressure tolerance during heat testing. We haven’t even finalized the adjusted mold dimensions yet, and if we rush production without confirming stability, we’ll be facing more than delays— we’ll be facing returns, recalls, and worse, a loss of trust.”

Now the room was completely silent. Even the man who had made the original suggestion was staring at Abigail.

Genevieve had stopped tapping her nails. She had little idea what Abigail was talking about, but judging by the looks on all their faces, she knew that Abigail was making a valid point.

Abigail went on, and Jamal continued to interpret. ”She says we should be asking why the pressure inconsistencies are happening in the first place. Earlier, she looked over the reports from last week and cross-referenced them with the batch logs. The inconsistencies only happen with the materials sourced from the newer supplier.”

Jamal paused for a moment, visibly impressed, then translated further: ”She says the new supplier changed the composite blend slightly to cut cost, but the tolerance ranges they claimed are not holding up under our current stress conditions.”

One of the senior engineers, an older man with gray streaks in his beard, leaned forward slowly. ”She found that from the batch logs which she looked at today?” he asked aloud, looking stunned.

Abigail nodded once and continued.

”She says we should freeze production on any units made with material from that supplier until we can run a full audit. And no—” Pete added quickly as she continued to sign, ”moving the deadline forward would only double the risk of failure. She recommends we maintain the original timeline, but shift our testing priorities and start validating with the previous supplier’s blend. It is better to deliver late than compromise on quality,” Jamal concluded.

Now everyone was watching her like she was a magician.

Even the guy in the dark blue suit gave a slow, grudging nod. ”She’s right,” he muttered.

Genevieve looked across the room. No one else seemed to want to argue.

There was a rare silence.

And in the middle of it sat Abigail; calm, collected, brilliant.

Jamal couldn’t hide his smile. His heart swelled with pride for his genius girlfriend. It was okay if no one else knew she was his girlfriend. He knew, she knew, and he was very proud of her.

He had also noticed the manner they had welcomed her initially, but he knew that no one would be looking down on her now.

Genevieve gave a small laugh under her breath and glanced at the others around the table. ”Well,” she said, raising an eyebrow, ”does anyone still think it’s a good idea to move the deadline?”

No one answered.

Genevieve turned to Abigail again, her face softening. ”Thank you, Abigail. That was brilliant.”

Abigail didn’t sign anything in response. She just gave a small smile, then went back to her notes.

Genevieve turned to Mr Blue suit. ”Keep the original timeline. No compression. And if need be, we can extend it. Abigail, coordinate with the audit and procurement teams. Pete, draft a summary of Abigail’s findings and circulate it to the board by end of day.”

There were nods all around.

Everyone wasn’t just looking at Abigail like the CEO’s hidden mute daughter anymore. They were looking at her like the sharpest mind in the room. Because that was exactly what she was.

Even a genius like Genevieve had always taken her time to come up with a response for them, yet here was the mute sister. Ryan Harris was a lucky man to have two genius daughters, most of them thought.

Before they could go further with the meeting, Genevieve’s phone, which had been resting beside her tablet, lit up and began to buzz.

She glanced at it. Her heart skipped. It was Stefan.

She didn’t let it show on her face. Not at first. She tapped the screen to silence the buzzing and then looked up at the room.

”I need to take this,” she said, already reaching for her phone. ”You can go on. Abigail, wrap up the meeting so everyone can leave for lunch,” Genevieve said as she rose up.

The company was Abigail’s future, and Jamal was hers so he was priority to her.

The moment she stepped out of the conference room, she smiled as she received the call.

”Finally you called,” she said softly as she walked into her office which only a few feet away from the conference room.

”I was hoping you weren’t too busy,” Stefan said. His voice was a little deeper and slower than usual.

”I’m always busy. But not for you,” she said as she went around the desk and got into her seat.

She could almost hear the grin in his voice. ”That’s sweet. Thanks. What were you doing?”

”I was in a meeting,” she said, leaning back in her seat.

”Oh?” he said. ”You’re no longer there?”

”No. What about you? What are you up to?”Genevieve swiveled gently in her chair, staring at the windows, where sunlight poured in across the wooden table. Her voice dropped a little. ”When did you wake up?”

”I didn’t go back to bed. I couldn’t.” He couldn’t because of what Jamal had told him.

He had been crazy with worry about her. He was very curious about her childhood and wished she would come clean and tell him all he wanted to know about her.

”Oh, really? What were you doing then? Why didn’t you call?” She asked with a pout.

”I was organizing my house...”

”Don’t you have cleaners or help?” She asked curiously.

”No, I don’t,” he said, since he didn’t. Jamal did. But he didn’t.

”You don’t?” She asked in surprise, ”Why not?”

”Hmm... I prefer to live a pretty simple ordinary life. I live in a two bedroom apartment. I can clean it myself. I make my food myself. I own just one car,” he said, wanting to know if really she could be with someone as ordinary as he was.

He didn’t want to take her to Jamal’s house and pretend to own the place when she visited. He wanted her to visit him at his own place and understand his lifestyle.

Genevieve’s brow pulled together. ”How can you do that? I can’t imagine it.”

”Maybe you need to experience it to understand it,” Stefan said quietly.

Genevieve smiled again, slower this time. Her fingers played with the hem of her sleeve. She pressed the phone closer to her ear. ”So, are you saying when I visit you I’m going to cook and clean?”

”You are my guest, so I’ll handle it. Is that lifestyle going to be a problem for you?”

Genevieve laughed. ”I don’t know. I don’t think so. I think it’s an experience I’ll be looking forward to.”

”Good,” Stefan said, pleased with her response.

There was a silence between them. But not an empty one. It was full of warmth.

”Jamal?” Genevieve called softly.

”Am I Jamal to you now?” He asked, and she laughed.

”No. You’re Stefan. Uhm, I was wondering... about what happened at the airport,” she hesitated.

”Let’s switch to video call,” Stefan said, tapping the video icon on his screen.

Genevieve accepted the switch, and smiled when his face came up on her screen. His blonde hair was tousled, and his lips were curved with a playful smile.

”So, you wanted to talk about the kiss,” Stefan said, knowingly.

She blushed, making him chuckle. ”First you should know that I’m not the kind of girl to ask ’what are we now’ over a kiss...”

Stefan laughed, ”Yet you want to ask me that.”

She bit her lower lip, embarrassed. ”Only because I believe you’re not the type that goes about kissing that way. You wouldn’t even walk very close to me or let me hold your hands for longer than necessary.”

”True,” he said, and she nodded.

”So?”

Stefan sighed, running his fingers through his hair. ”So, I like you. A whole lot. When I came to Westend, I didn’t think or plan to get this close to you. But your honesty and openness drew me to you,” he confessed.

Honesty and openness? A lump formed in Genevieve’s throat at that. She was neither honest nor genuine. She was deceiving him. She wasn’t who he thought she was. If he liked her because he thought she was honest and genuine, he would hate her when he finds out the truth, wouldn’t he?

Stefan didn’t miss the flicker of guilt on her face, and he felt sorry for her since he understood what she was feeling guilty about.

”I know there are things you are hiding from me, Viv,” he said, and her eyes widened slightly as she looked at him, ”I know you have secrets that are bothering you. I hope that with time you can trust me enough to share them with me. And trust me enough to know I won’t judge you and I won’t care about you less.”

Genevieve’s heart raced as she held his gaze. Did he really mean that? Was it possible for him not to judge her or hate her when he finds out the truth about her identity and all she had done?

”Trust me,” Stefan said, and slowly she swallowed and gave him a nod.

”Until then, I want you to know that I kissed you because I’m attracted to you and I like you a lot. I’d love to be in a relationship with you, but first I want you to come over so we spend more time together getting to know each other. Does that answer your question?” he asked, and Genevieve smiled as she nodded.

”Yes.”