Heather woke up early during her first day at work. It had been a while since she had done that. Langston Group operated according to regular office hours nine to five, so she wanted to get there early to finish the project. That way, she could leave the company as soon as possible.
Because Heather and Matthias had come into close collaboration, she figured she could secure Matthias’s help. Considering his relationship with Blake, the latter might just listen to him.
She never knew Matthias could come in handy at a time like this. Nonetheless, she had her own agenda. As a person who worked in the field of business, she had her own methods. After all, using people, being used by people, as well as using each other, were common phenomena among individuals like them.
With the passage of time, Heather had gradually come to shed her anxiety regarding her methods, as she realized she would inevitably have to step over someone else if she was aiming for the top.
When she got to the company, Blake was still dining at home. As he sat there at the dining table, Robert made a point to give praise to Heather. “She seems pretty earnest on her first day at work. As her brother, you need to put in the effort to lead her.” Despite the smile that Robert was wearing, he had a threatening gaze in his eyes when he looked at Blake.
Although Blake was aware that Robert was warning him against giving Heather a hard time, he was going to do as he pleased while in the company, as he would already be out of Robert’s reach by then. “Don’t you worry, Grandpa. I will make sure to teach her everything I know.”
Even though the tension in Blake and Robert’s relationship seemed to have subsided, they were the only ones who knew it was actually getting worse. Anything that Heather did was fine with Robert, and that would subsequently irk Blake, once again setting off his hatred toward Robert and Heather.
With Robert siding with Heather, it was impossible for Blake to reconcile with Robert. Nonetheless, it was also Blake who got himself into that situation in the first place. If it weren’t for his overeagerness to succeed in his endeavors, he never would’ve gotten into a deadlock with Robert.
When Blake finally got to the company, Heather was already in her office. Apparently, she didn’t feel the need to restrict herself, as if the company was already hers. It wasn’t until Blake knocked on the glass door of her office that she lifted her head.
Prior to that, she was focused on going through the documents in front of her. She seemed to radiate a unique charm when she was engrossed in work; a charm that could even cast a spell on Blake in spite of his antagonistic attitude toward her. At the same time, he also got increasingly jealous of her, as he seemed even more dull in contrast to her natural charm.
“You’re finally here, Blake.” Heather wore a faint smile. Since she was in the company, she was determined to put up a convincing facade. Despite her relationship with Blake in private, he was her superior in the company. Therefore, she had to greet him amicably, which was only appropriate considering their work relationship.
With all eyes on them while they were in a space with optimum transparency, Heather didn’t want to step out of line for fear of jeopardizing her own social standing. She made sure to keep up appearances in order to leave a good impression of herself with the other employees.
Blake was also aware of that aspect, so he pretended to care for Heather on the surface. Besides, his direct participation wasn’t required to make Heather’s life difficult. He could simply delegate the task to his subordinates, which could also effectively shift the blame away from himself.
Therefore, the two of them contended behind everyone else while maintaining an act on the surface as caring siblings. Wearing a smirk, Blake said, “Heather, how are you adapting to your position?” He arched his brow at her. Even though he didn’t like her, it wasn’t to the point that he would do something to put the company in a crisis.
In order to give Heather a hard time without ruining the project, he would make Heather prove herself in the following days. The thought of being able to teach her a lesson was exhilarating. In fact, he was planning to get in touch with the person who was in charge of the project.
If Heather was able to complete the project without a hitch despite the multiple setbacks, he would take it as proof of her capabilities. If she couldn’t, then it would be time for him to prove that he was far more superior than her.
At that time, Heather had yet to see through Blake’s intentions. While she was in charge of the project, Blake was also checking in on it behind her back. After spending some time on small talk, Blake left the place, and Heather sniggered while watching his retreating figure. He made himself so obvious. I suppose a rocky road lies ahead of me.
She was fiddling with a felt-tipped pen when she recalled having a fountain pen that she hadn’t used for some time, which was probably tucked away in a corner at home. Leon also had a similar pen. He’s coming soon. The thought of it soothed her greatly.
She already got into work mode when she was in Stark Group last night, so she wasn’t all that stressed when she started working on the project. Having studied about the project beforehand, she was now looking through the details.
Although the whole thing looked alright at first glance, she discovered that there were actually a lot of hidden problems. Suddenly, she let out a yawn. She was already tired even though she had only been working for a short time, which proved just how strenuous the project was.
Spending all day studying the project would be tiring, so she figured it was time to relax. Opening the glass door, she then decided to take a stroll in the premises of the company. After all, she wasn’t expecting Blake to give her a tour.
I’m grateful enough that Blake didn’t give me more trouble. As usual, Heather wore a smile. Since it was her first day at work, she thought it would be important to showcase her friendliness, which was, regardless of her intent, being recognized by most people as more of a show of her indifference.
The aloof smile she wore was striking enough to indicate to those who were paying attention that nobody should cross her. When Blake, who was working in his office, received a report from his assistant regarding Heather’s whereabouts, he smirked. That’s just how she is.
After a quick round, Heather already got a grasp of the state that the company was in. She even managed to deduce who was loyal to Blake, as those lackeys would abhor the person whom their master hated as well.
There was a hostile air about them that came from nowhere even though it was her first time meeting those people. Therefore, it signified that these were the people who sided with Blake to treat her as an enemy.
She made sure to glare at them for a tad bit longer so that her gaze could pierce them right into their hearts, all the while maintaining a contemptuous smile. Who do they even think they are to display their hostility in public?
After making her first impression, she decided to call for a meeting. Blake didn’t appoint an assistant for her, so there were a lot of tasks that she couldn’t handle because she was unfamiliar with the workings of the company. Therefore, she picked out a man whom she deemed as decent to be her temporary assistant.
The man she summoned looked at her shyly. There were only the two of them in the office, but Heather didn’t care how the other employees perceived her. He seemed like a bit of a pushover. With my charm, it would be easier to get through to men. A woman might turn me down without hesitation. After all, it is easier for women to turn down other women, whereas men would defer to me more easily.
“Director Heather, don’t we need to report this to Director Blake?” The man was blushing already; he was on the verge of being completely persuaded by Heather.
“I will be temporarily taking charge of the project in the northern suburbs. From what I heard, you have been working diligently on that project, so I think you will be a suitable candidate as my assistant.” Heather made sure to keep her tone formal. Although that man seemed docile enough, Heather noticed an ambitious streak in his eyes. Thus, she was certain he would take the opportunity that was presented to him.
“I’m afraid—” There was still a shred of hesitancy in him.
She cut him off directly. “Bilbo, you don’t have to worry about Director Blake. I will inform him personally about this.” Seeing that Bilbo was worried about Blake’s opinion of him made it apparent that the entire company was aware that she had beef with Blake.
While staring at Heather’s pretty face, Bilbo Lawson agreed to her request unwittingly. As ambitious as he was, he was aware of the feud between Blake and Heather, and that the company ultimately belonged to Blake.
Theoretically speaking, he shouldn’t have agreed to work as Heather’s assistant, but her eyes were too enchanting. He couldn’t even maintain eye contact with her as his heart rate would skyrocket. With Heather’s overwhelming charms, a young man like him could hardly turn down her offer.
“I’ll summon everyone who is involved in the project for a meeting in the meeting room.” Bilbo sounded resolute in his response.
In return, Heather smiled knowingly while giving him a nod. He is smart. I wonder what he is capable of. It might be a good idea to bring him with me to my own company in the future. With that in mind, her smile broadened. Now that Blake got me into his company, I can’t work under him just like that. If I find employees with potential, it might be a good idea to hire them for myself.
Having found herself a turning point, Heather was feeling less gloomy, and her mood had lightened up considerably. With an aim in mind, she felt more motivated to work. However, she realized she would be doing Robert a disservice, but she figured she could make it up to him by treating him better in their daily life together in order to rid her of her sense of guilt.
Although the crazy idea of hiring someone from her family’s company was exhilarating, she wouldn’t mention it to anyone yet, considering that it was her first day at work. After suppressing her excitement, she tidied up the documents on her desk. She had decided to flex a little during the meeting later. Since it was her first day stepping into the position, a lot of people wouldn’t trust her, so she figured she should dominate them by showing them her skills.
When Heather entered the meeting room, she garnered everybody’s attention. By that point, she wasn’t even wearing a smile anymore. Instead, her face had reverted to its usual stoic expression.
As soon as she got in, everyone in the room tensed up. Bilbo came to her aid right away, and she watched him with satisfaction. From the looks of it, Bilbo was the first person whom she had gotten under her wing.
Meanwhile, there were others who were still observing the situation, as well as two of them who were on full alert. When she checked on those who were looking at her carefully, she noticed they were among Blakes’s loyal subordinates.
Things will surely get interesting in the future. Never a coward, her first response to a challenge was always to face it head on. No matter the difficulties, she was certain she could overcome them.
“I’m not familiar with you all. Although I do have some info on you, I suppose reading whatever that is written on here makes no difference.” Heather had a stern look on her that made her look like a school teacher. “I dislike things that are unnecessarily bombastic, so you’d better offer me a short introduction of yourselves that I will be satisfied with.” Her domineering attitude got everybody strung up, as nobody knew what she would do next. Soon enough, the languid atmosphere was taken over by one that was indescribably tense; Heather’s presence had managed to unnerve everyone.
