Chapter 500 Having A Meal Together
“Rory, there’s a vacancy for the supervisor position of the design department. At first, the boss and I saw that you were transferred from the headquarters in Beshya and planned to promote you to this position. However, things have changed. We agree that Amelia is the most suitable candidate.
It’s not because she’s Mrs. Clinton, but because she’s really talented in design. The boss has seen her work and has only good things to say about her. In fact, she might even be a little overqualified to be the department’s supervisor.” Eduardo thought for a while and decided to be frank as he spoke.
Rory clenched her fists tightly on her lap. Her thin but sharp nails dug deep into her skin.
“Mr. Moore, that wasn’t what you told me previously. You said that the supervisor position would go to me no matter what. No one could take it away from me. It wasn’t that long ago, and yet you’ve changed your mind. What is the meaning of this?” Rory asked as calmly as possible.
Eduardo thought for a while and said, “Rory, you’re still young. Everyone in the design department has worked there longer than you. For now, there’s nothing you can do to get the design department’s supervisor position. Keep working hard for a few more years, and I guarantee that you’ll have a bright future ahead of you.”
Rory started heaving. She felt aggrieved deep inside her heart. From the moment she joined the workforce, she thought of finding someone to back her up. Rory even bribed Eduardo with her most precious stuff. In the end, all she got in return was him saying that she was still young and not qualified enough to supervise her subordinates. She couldn’t help but wonder what exactly did she sacrifice for.
Rory wanted to rush forward and viciously attack the man in front of her. However, she still had her sanity left. Since she was still a fledgling, it would not be worth it if she tore his face off right then and there.
“Mr. Moore, that’s not right. You didn’t say that I was too young to have that position back then,” Rory responded while feeling slightly agitated.
Eduardo, who had been smiling the entire time, instantly grew solemn. He asked, “Rory, are you blaming me now?”
Rory was startled, and she instantly held back her anger. In the next second, her expression changed. “Mr. Moore, you know that’s not what I meant. You gave me your word. Besides, Amelia only started working at the company not too long ago. Do you trust her to become the supervisor? I’m afraid that she might not be able to handle the task well.”
“Don’t worry about it. Mr. Franklin even wanted to give her the position of vice president, but he was afraid that she wouldn’t accept it. She’s the wife of Mr. Clinton. Her resilience is unlike that of a young woman fresh out of school. Mr. Franklin hopes that she could gain experience from the bottom of the corporate ladder first. He’d only give her promotions after she excels at her job. Mr. Franklin has known her since university times, so he knows her abilities best.” Eduardo gave Rory a meaningful look. He added, “Rory, I heard that Amelia takes good care of you. You don’t seem grateful, though. You even speak ill of her in front of me. Aren’t you afraid that I’ll tell her about what you said?”
Upon hearing the man’s words, Rory suddenly froze on the spot.
“Mr. Moore, that’s not what I meant. I-”
“That’s enough, Rory. You should head back to work.”
Rory could only suppress her anger for now.
“I’ll go back to work then, Mr. Moore.” Rory stood up. She could feel her legs wobbling.
As she reached the door, Eduardo’s voice suddenly rang out. “Rory, seeing that we’ve been close to one another once or twice now, let me remind you that you’re still young. Don’t be too ambitious or greedy. Go and spend more time with Amelia. She’s Oscar’s woman, so you’ll benefit by being close to her. Don’t push people away just because you like to compete with them. Otherwise, it won’t do you any good. If you can work under Amelia, your future will be boundless. Think about it.”
Rory’s legs stopped shaking. She then replied softly, “Thank you for the reminder, Mr. Moore.” Having said that, she immediately opened the door and walked out.
Rory returned to her usual self as soon as she left the office. She was quite the character. Even though she was in her twenties, she was rather composed. Not many millennials would be able to achieve that. Most people her age would be thinking about having fun and wasting their youth, while Rory was focusing on how to climb up the corporate ladder. She wanted to become the top dog and obtain a better life for herself. Although her methods were not quite right, no one could deny that she was a diligent and motivated girl. The only problem she had was getting misguided by her dream of having a good life.
Rory returned to the design department and kept herself busy with work. Perhaps, she wanted to turn her grief and anger into motivation. It was probably why she was working so hard. When it was time for her to get off work, she had completed all her tasks.
Rory packed up her stuff. She then approached Amelia and spoke in a righteous tone. “Amelia, are you done? Let’s go. If those unruly men are still downstairs, I’ll be your knight in shining armor.”
Amelia lifted her head and gave Rory a look. She shook her head and laughed. After turning off the computer and packing all the documents into her bag, she stood up and responded, “Let’s go.”
They left the design department and ran into Shane, who was walking toward them. Both Amelia and Rory greeted in unison, “Mr. Franklin.”
On the other hand, Shane only looked at Amelia. He replied, “Just got off work, Amelia? The timing is just right then. Let’s go downstairs together. I have something to tell you, and it’ll only take a few minutes of your time.”
Amelia nodded and replied smilingly, “Sure.”
The three of them got on the same elevator and descended downstairs. When they got out of the elevator, Rory said, “Mr. Franklin, Amelia, since you have something to talk about, I won’t disturb you then. I’ll get going now.”
“Stay safe!” Amelia responded.
As soon as Rory left, Shane asked, “Do you really like that girl?”
Amelia shrugged and responded, “I don’t have anything to like or dislike about her. She simply reminds me of how I was during my younger days. She’s just as hardworking as me.”
“Well, it’s true that she’s similar to you in that sense. However, she’s different in that she cares about material things. Maybe that’s why she works so hard,” Shane stated jokingly, which was a rare sight to behold.
Amelia looked at him and let out a chuckle.
She continued, “But isn’t it normal for girls to think like that? I was afraid of being poor when I was young. Who doesn’t want to make a better life for themselves through their efforts? I admire her quite a bit. If she can get what she wants through her hard work, why not?”
“I’m just afraid she might be a tad rash,” Shane stated, implying something more.
Amelia shot him a glance. She then smiled and asked, “Shane, you don’t seem to like Rory very much, do you?”
Shane shrugged and responded, “There’s nothing to like or dislike about her. She’s just my subordinate. If it wasn’t for you, I wouldn’t have paid her any attention. If you want to help her, then you have to consider if she’s worth your help or not. Some people are simply ungrateful. The more you help them, the more they’ll take it all for granted. I reckon you should be cautious of that.”
“I’ll take note of that,” Amelia replied smilingly.
After a while, she changed the topic. “Wasn’t there something you wanted to tell me? Tell me already. Oscar will be here any minute now.”
Shane replied with a smile, “Amelia. If we didn’t reunite after so many years, I wouldn’t have known you’ve changed so much. You were quite beautiful in university and had a sense of youthfulness and innocence. However, when I compare you to the way you are now, I realize that you’ve adopted a sense of ladylike charm too. Meeting you for the first time after so many years, I was like, d*mn! You’ve transformed into a goddess! I’ve always thought as women age, the less beautiful they become. But how’s it possible that you’re the opposite? You’re aging like fine wine!”
His words amused Amelia thoroughly, causing her to break into laughter.
“Shane, we’ve known each other for so long. You wouldn’t be you if you didn’t say something like that,” Amelia responded.
Shane simply shrugged his shoulders. Then, he went straight to the point and stated, “Amelia, I’m going to promote you to be the supervisor of the design department. What do you think? Initially, I wanted you to be the director of design, but you just joined the company. Many people were quick to say that you got in because of connections. They were not convinced of your capabilities. Anyway, you can gain more experience as a supervisor. When the time is right, I’ll promote you to become the director. Based on your abilities, I believe you’ll manage this well.”
Amelia shot him a weird glance and said, “Why did you suddenly promote me to be the supervisor? I’ve only been here for less than a month. Also, I’m still on probation. How could I advance so quickly and be the supervisor?”
After pausing for a moment, she continued, “Shane, please don’t favor me just because of my identity. If I did care about my position, I’d go to Clinton Corporations or ask Oscar to set up a design-related company for me. I’ll just be the boss of the company. However, I chose to be here to gain experience. Treat me how you would toward other employees, and don’t give me any special treatments. If I were to become a supervisor, I’d prefer it was because of my capabilities. I won’t consider anything else.”
Shane shook his head and laughed. “And I’ve just said that you’re not the same as before. You’re still the same after so many years.”
“You should consider picking someone else to become the supervisor. I’d like to strive for accomplishments before being able to climb up the corporate ladder. If you let me be the supervisor now, I’ll think that you’re doing that because of the Clintons, not my achievements,” Amelia replied.
Shane glanced at Amelia. He knew that she meant every word she said and that she wasn’t a pretentious person.
“And to think that I almost made you the vice president. You’ll definitely reject me outright by then. Most people yearn to advance their careers in a short time. And yet, you rejected me without wasting a second,” Shane stated.
“I’ve just joined the design department, and many people are more talented than me. If I were to become their supervisor, even if they won’t say anything bad about me, they’d think that I got this position through connections. If that’s the case, why would I need to conceal my identity and work here? I could have just agreed to Oscar’s suggestion and let him start a company for me. I haven’t worked for many years, so I don’t know much about management. Let’s talk about this another time.” Amelia paused for a while before continuing, “When the time comes, and I’m confident with my skills, I’ll try my best to earn the position even if you don’t want to give it to me by then. I’m only asking you to give me a fair assessment when the time comes.”
After hearing her words, Shane broke into laughter.
“I can’t argue with you at all.” Shane’s words indirectly meant that he was willing to compromise.
“Shane, why don’t you bring your wife the next time we meet? You were quite famous back in school, and we’ve lost contact for so long after that. I wonder how amazing of a woman she is to be able to capture your heart.” Amelia changed the subject.
“She’s just an ordinary woman. Of course, she’s gentle and quite independent. These qualities of hers are what I’m most attracted to.” When Shane talked about his wife, his gaze immediately softened.
“It seems like you love your wife a lot,” Amelia stated.
“Well, we’re definitely not teenagers anymore,” Shane responded smilingly.
Amelia laughed and shook her head.
The two of them stood side by side in front of the company building. Shane suddenly said, “Amelia, I thought you would end up with Carter. The way you looked at him back then was so obvious. Everyone could tell that you liked him very much.”
Amelia shrugged. She smiled and replied, “It’s been many years. Any young girl would have experienced falling in love with an unattainable prince. Carter was like a prince who I never won over. So many years have passed now, and I’ve long forgotten how infatuated I was with him. And now that I have a husband and a child, I only hope that they can live happily and healthily. I don’t even think about anything else now.”
Having experienced a car accident and losing her sight in the past, Amelia had gained much perspective and viewed the world differently. She felt that fame, fortune, and money were nothing more but material gains.
“Yo, your prince is here,” Shane said, signaling the direction with his lips.
Amelia looked in the direction and noticed Carter, who had just gotten out of the car.
Carter went over and saw Amelia standing beside Shane. He could not help but be stunned for a moment.
“Long time no see, Mr. Scott. I hope you still remember me.” Shane was the first to speak.
“Shane, when did you return to the country?” Carter asked with a frown.
“Return to the country? I never left. I was preparing to leave back then, but something came up, so I had to stay behind. Now, I’m the CEO of the company and also Amelia’s boss.” Shane extended his hand and smiled. “I can’t believe you still remember me after graduating from university.”
Carter extended his hand and shook hands with the man.
“Since you’ve been staying in this city all this time, why didn’t you contact me?” Carter asked.
“It’s a long story. You know, it’s rare for the three of us to be here in the same place. We should go out and have a meal together. What do you think?” Shane asked as he glanced at Amelia.
Carter, on the other hand, also shifted his gaze toward her.
Amelia smiled and responded, “Let me ask Oscar first. He told me to go to the Clinton residence and have dinner there. I’m worried that my mother-in-law might have already prepared food for us.”
Carter’s expression instantly darkened.
“It’s fine. There’s no rush, after all. We have all the time in the world to go out and have a meal together.” Shane smiled.
“Let me call him first.” Amelia took out her phone as she spoke.
She dialed Oscar’s phone number and chatted with him for a while. When she put him on hold, she asked, “Oscar told me to go ahead, but he also said he wanted to join. Do you mind?”
“Of course not! If Mr. Clinton can come, the more, the merrier,” Shane replied.
“Okay. I’ll tell him to come over then.”
