Chapter 524 Intentional Disclosure
Jennifer remained frozen in front of the company’s entrance. She looked down at the hand with which she slapped Amelia Winters earlier. Her mind was a mess right now. She worried that Oscar might go after her parents for trouble since he had witnessed her slapping Amelia.
Laura, Jennifer’s mother, was already in such mental disarray. Hence, Jennifer didn’t want to worsen things by pushing her already broken family further into an unimaginable nightmare.
After what happened to her mother, Jennifer was no longer the arrogant, self-righteous daughter of a wealthy family. She had learned to self-deprecate and not overestimate her importance.
“Ms. Larson.” A hand was waving before her eyes. She looked up and saw that it was the girl who always passed by her, but she didn’t know the latter’s name.
“Hi, Ms. Larson. My name is Rory Sanders. You don’t look well. Would you like to join me at the café nearby? Drinking coffee might help alleviate your mood. So, what do you think? Are you interested in joining me?”
It was then that Jennifer stared intently at Rory. The latter felt her heart skip a beat upon seeing Jennifer’s unwavering gaze.
“Sure.” Jennifer nodded, surprising Rory, who thought she would get turned down.
The duo then went to a café nearby. As it was after office hours, it wasn’t crowded. They picked a table near the window and took a seat.
The two had ordered lattes. When the waiter served the freshly brewed coffee, Jennifer stirred her cup with a teaspoon. By then, she had returned to her usual aloof and arrogant demeanor.
She felt that an entry-level white collar like Rory was only an ordinary woman and not of the same class as her. In truth, she merely joined Rory for a coffee to obtain some information from the latter.
“Are you close with Amelia Winters?” Jennifer asked.
Rory nodded. A smile graced her features as she replied, “We work in the same department, so I know her better than the others do.”
“It seems you two have a close relationship. In that case, why did you ask to have coffee with me? I’m sure you know I’m not on good terms with her. Aren’t you afraid that she’ll be wary of you once she learns you met me behind her back?” Jennifer’s lips thinned as she looked at Rory with a cynical smile.
Rory took a sip of her coffee and replied, “Ms. Larson, I’m only a village girl who just graduated from university. Meanwhile, she’s Mrs. Clinton. Her wealthy husband adores her to bits. Do you think someone with her status will want to be my friend? Tsk. She’s only being nice to me out of pity. She promised to help me attain the supervisor position this time around, yet she eventually recommended another colleague from the same department to the boss. That person is now a supervisor, while I’ve become the laughing stock of the department. Do you still think she and I are close? She’s only putting up a kind front. Nobody knows that she’s more heartless than everyone else. I figured it’s better to befriend you, someone who shares the same sentiments toward my enemy. Hence, I wondered if you wanted to be my friend. Of course, it’s up to you whether you’re willing to befriend a village girl like me.”
Jennifer sized her up cautiously. Then, she chuckled and extended a hand while saying, “Friends?”
Rory reached out too and held the former’s hand. “Friends.”
The two gazed at each other as though they had reached a consensus.
“Did you say you come from the village? I can’t tell, though,” Jennifer said, crossing her arms before her chest.
Rory smiled and replied, “Country bumpkins like me have to dress ourselves up once we get into the workplace. Nonetheless, a defective item will also remain defective regardless of the cover-up. No matter how pretty I dress myself up, I am always a village girl. That’s why I try my best to climb up the corporate ladder. It’s also the reason I’m currying favor with someone wealthy like you now, Ms. Larson.”
Rory knew wealthy people were usually cautious. Instead of concealing her true intent, she felt it was better to own up to them and be frank. That way, those wealthy people would think of her as sincere, and they might change their perspective toward her. After all, a good word from such affluent people could help her climb the corporate ladder without any hurdles.
Jennifer glanced at her again and smiled. “I didn’t expect you to tell me the truth so plain and simple. You’re indeed a forthright person.”
“Ms. Larson, a nobody like me who wants to befriend someone like you has nothing but a sincere heart. However, you’re born in a wealthy family, so you’re never short of money and people to flatter you. Hence, I figured all you’re looking for is sincerity from others. Am I right, Ms. Larson?” Rory candidly asked.
Jennifer nodded. However, her eyes narrowed to slits as she added, “Still, I don’t quite like the way you act as though you can see through everything. Make no mistake. A young girl like you can get in trouble for acting like you’re smarter than everyone else.”
The smile on Rory’s face tensed upon hearing that.
She then pretended to play dumb, “What do you mean by that, Ms. Larson?”
Jennifer snapped her fingers and answered, “Nothing. I merely wanted to let you know that I detest hypocritical sincerity from others. Nonetheless, I can appreciate your aggressiveness in climbing the corporate ladder. What’s more, I like our exchange of interests in being friends.”
Rory giggled. “Ms. Larson, did you get me wrong? I’ve never thought of getting any benefits from you. Money? You won’t give it to me for no reason. A house? That’s even more impossible. A position in the company? You’re not working in our company, so you can’t possibly interfere with the staffing arrangement. Therefore, I won’t receive any benefits from being friends with you. I’m merely doing this because Amelia’s hypocrisy enrages me, and I want her to suffer for it. All I hope to achieve is humiliate her at my workplace with your help.”
Jennifer patiently listened without giving any comments.
Rory observed Jennifer’s expression cautiously. She felt a shudder in her heart when she noticed the latter was also sizing her up. She initially assumed Jennifer was merely a daughter of a wealthy family who knew nothing. Yet, it turned out that the latter was impressively intelligent.
“It seems like you’re not keen on being my friend, Ms. Larson. Well, forget about it. I’m just a busybody who wanted to hear you out, but I need to make a move now to catch the train. Toodles!” Rory said as she grabbed her bag and stood up.
“Sit down,” Jennifer ordered with an aloof expression. Her arms crossed in front of her chest.
Having heard that, Rory obediently returned to her seat.
“You’ll help me monitor Amelia Winters and report her every action to me. Seeing how she’s the reason why my mom is now mentally deranged, I have to vent my anger by tarnishing her reputation. As long as she gets humiliated in public, I’ll transfer you to our company as a department director. Your salary will be triple your current earnings. I think this position is attractive enough to you, isn’t it?” Jennifer spoke arrogantly.
A maliciously dark shade of greed flashed across Rory’s eyes upon hearing that.
She instantly agreed, “Sure.”
“However, a young girl like you should know your limits. Don’t play the devil’s advocate by telling Amelia the same as what you told me. I hate people with evil intentions who think they can have it all. So, be very careful because you could hurt yourself for biting off more than you can chew,” Jennifer warned while shooting a vicious glare.
Rory smiled. “Ms. Larson, I’m not a fool.”
“You better not be.”
Rory lowered her gaze and asked hesitantly, “Ms. Larson, I wonder if I should disclose something that I’ve recently learned to you.”
“Go on.”
“Besides her husband, Mrs. Clinton is also close with two other men. One of them is Carter, and another guy is a foreigner named June. I researched June and found out that he’s the fiancé of Cassie Yard. Coincidentally, Cassie is also Mr. Clinton’s ex-girlfriend. Their relationship seems rather complicated. That’s what I’ve observed thus far. I’m unsure if you’ll have any use for this info,” Rory said.
That sent Jennifer into deep thought.
She stood up the next second and picked up her bag. “I’ve got something to do now. Give me your contact number. I’ll call you if there’s anything I need. Don’t forget to report to me if you find anything unusual about Amelia.”
With that, she turned and left.
Standing on the spot, Rory looked at Jennifer’s departing figure. A sneer crept onto her face, and a tinge of viciousness flashed across her eyes.
She mused, “Hah! You think you’re the most powerful person in the company, Amelia? Well, let’s see how you’ll cope with getting humiliated. Things are about to get more fun now that I’ve sparked Jennifer’s hatred toward you.”
