Nobody dares to speak, which was to be expected.
"Today, I'd like to introduce a new member to you," Sara announced while sitting in the swivel chair for
the CEO in the conference room. Then, she clapped her hands hard to show her enthusiasm and
excitement.
Everyone's eyes were on her, making Jacob uncomfortable. For some reason, it felt as though he was
sharing his beloved to other people.
Sara's outfit was gender-neutral. Despite that, she looked hot because of her exquisite figure.
Jacob had to admit that her curvaceous figure made her look enticing.
"Boss, isn't this Mr. Jacob?" someone asked in a low voice. Although Jacob was quite famous for his
reputation, there were still some who did not know him.
Unfortunately, for those who knew him, Jacob left a bad impression on them.
"Well, I think everyone is aware who he is," Sara answered while pointing at Jacob.
"Anyway, I'd like to formally introduce to you Mr. Jacob, the former CEO of the Shi Group. He has
decided to join our company. Everyone, let's extend our warm welcome to him,"
she added impassionedly, but nobody seemed impressed by her announcement. Meanwhile, Jacob
observed the people present. Although they seemed unwelcoming, he remained calm and composed.
He had anticipated that it would not be easy to get along with these people. As it was within his
expectation, it did not concern him.
Besides, his reputation had been besmirched. It was not surprising to receive such treatment.
Nevertheless, Jacob felt uncomfortable.
As Cindy noticed that he seemed unhappy, she felt a little anxious as well. 'Mr. Jacob has never been
treated so badly even in the Shi Group! Why are they being like this?
They've gone too far!' she thought as she felt sorry for him.
"If there's nothing else you'd like to add, the meeting is over. From now on, Jacob will be the deputy
CEO of the company. This position was vacant anyway. Do you have any objections?"
Even though Sara asked about it, she really did not care about their opinions. To her surprise, someone
was bold enough to question Jacob.
"Mr. Jacob, why do you want to join our company even though it's smaller than the Shi Group? If my
memory serves me right, it was you who withdrew the investment in our company. Didn't you know that
what you had done almost caused our company to go bankrupt?"
a middle-aged man asked in an unfriendly tone. What he had said triggered the unpleasant memory
and anger of the people that were present.
Jacob did not expect that that matter would be brought up at the meeting. It was true, though, and no
amount of excuse could make up for it.
"Yes. I admit what I've done," Jacob answered frankly.
Sara looked at him nervously, afraid that he would say something that would cause an irreparable
damage to himself again.
After hesitating for a moment, Jacob continued, "Why? Wasn't it normal? In the jungle, the strong
prevail. It's the same in this world. All of us have to obey that law."
Astonishment was written all over the man's face. Jacob was really good at making excuses. He was
honest, yet he managed to dodge the bullet.
On the contrary, on Sara's face was admiration. She looked at Jacob in awe and thought, 'If I were him,
I would have been speechless. Impressive.' Fortunately, he was different from her, and it was a relief.
However, it did not stop there. Another person threw an even more difficult question for Jacob to
answer. "So you're saying that it was reasonable for you to cause harm to our company at that time?"
Regardless of the man's question, Jacob remained unfazed. He just looked at the person who had just
spoken. All of a sudden, he exuded an intimidating aura that made everyone retreat, even Sara.
"I had no intention of harming this company. As a matter of fact, I can totally understand your feelings.
If any of you wants to make trouble with me for it, you are welcome at any time."
What Jacob had said caused an uproar among the people in the room. Even so, nobody dared to
argue with him. He was so confident and clever, yet so arrogant.
What was more, Sara, the CEO, was on his side. For a moment, a deafening silence filled the room.
"Well, everyone, you shouldn't be so frigid. After all, Mr. Jacob here will be your colleague from now on.
He is a good person, and you'd know it once you get along."
Sara tried to persuade everyone. Besides, it would be inconvenient for her if she blamed her
subordinates instead.
As she spoke, she could not help but glance at Jacob.
He remained calm regardless of what was happening. It made Sara feel that he was indeed
experienced and expert in resolving conflicts.
'There will always be time that it is annoying to work.' At the thought of this, Jacob looked at everyone
with a firm gaze.
'Was this the way they bullied Sara?' he thought to himself with a slight frown. Truth be told, he was
quite dissatisfied with what they had done.
Well, he felt that way not because of their unkind words to him, but because they bullied the woman he
loved the same way.
'How dare they bully my beloved?'
Now that he saw how unpleasant Sara's subordinates still were, he realized how hard it must have
been for her. Jacob had been a CEO as well. Because of this, he was well-aware how difficult to
subdue arrogant subordinates.
Anyway, every company has its own problems. The current situation made this very clear.
Cindy, who was standing behind Jacob, frowned in disapproval. Although she was not directly affected
by the turn of events, she saw and understood everything.
Even though this company was small and on the rise, everyone in the room must be angry at Jacob.
Besides, they all competed for the position, only for him to swoop in. However, Jacob was different
from them.
The managers were somehow anxious. However, it was not because neither of them got the job. After
all, they heard that Jacob was vigorous and serious about work.
What they were afraid of was that Jacob would probably give them a headache in the future.
Because of this, they found it necessary to create problems for him. Besides, they did the same thing
when Sara joined the company.
For example, they did not greet her, even if they bumped into each other. Not only that, but they also
did not take her words seriously, even at the meeting. They were all cunning when it came to causing
annoyance and inconvenience.
They considered themselves as the senior members of the company. It was true, though.
Jacob was smart and perceptive. Just on his first day, he was able to see how complex the personnel
relations were in the company. To be frank, no such relations were easy to deal with. He understood
that early.
He stood up and looked at everyone in front of him with scrutiny. He felt that he must do something
before this matter got out of hand.
"As it is my first day, I don't know the rules of the company yet. However, I picked up from your
demeanor right away that most of you are unfriendly and don't want me to be here. I'd like to inform you
that if you have any questions in mind, feel free to ask me directly."
Jacob swept his eyes over the crowd with a faint sly smile.
Seeing them speechless, he could not help but snort coldly. For a moment, a deafening silence fell into
the room. What was left of the good impression by others for him had disappeared in an instant.
As long as there are people, there will always be disputes and disagreements. No matter what
happened, Jacob would never admit defeat.
This was why regardless of what was happening, he had no choice but to solve it, even through gritted
teeth.
As a matter of fact, being questioned and doubted are inevitable. It is just sad that newcomers had to
endure other people's provocations in silence. Even Jacob, who was not even a newcomer, had to go
through it.
Nevertheless, he was still one in the minds of the seniors in the company.
Jacob was competent and capable. Fortunately, everyone was aware of how bad his temper was, so
nobody dared to provoke him.
However, what he had said offended a lot of people. Even though some of them did not have any
malicious intent towards him, his words imprinted a bad impression.
But what annoyed them most was that everything seemed to be under his control.
Jacob swept his eyes on the crowd again and remembered what he should do next.
"Well, if there's nothing else you want to say, I'd like to introduce to you my assistant. This is Cindy.
She's the best assistant I've ever met, so rest assured that this company is in good hands. I assure you
that we will work hard for the sake of the company."
Even though he was dissatisfied with them, Jacob still reassured them. Besides, he would probably
work alongside them for a long time, so he might as well make his workplace comfortable and
worthwhile.
He did not want to put his and the managers' relationship in jeopardy on his first day. After all, there
was still a long way to go.
"Welcome, Mr. Jacob," said a veteran employee. Finally, someone took the initiative to welcome him.
In the small meeting room, Jacob felt that there was a distance between him and the managers.
Although the distance was not obvious, he could still feel it.
In his experience, his greatest companions did not praise him but rather acquiesce.
Over the years, those who were most loyal to him respected him, even in silence. He could attest to
that.
Being silent might seem neutral. But for Jacob, it meant observing and exploring things that could not
be seen with the naked eye.
In order to do so, one should maintain neutrality at all times. No words have to be said, for it is the mind
that works wonders.
Unfortunately, Jacob had met very few such people, so few that he felt that people were naturally noisy
and insincere.
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