George’s POV:
Upon our arrival at the destination, Helen hurriedly opened the door and got out of the car.
"Don’t leave right away after the lecture.Wait for me to pick you up," I told her.
"Sure."
Helen waved at me and trotted inside.Meanwhile, I stood beside the car, watching her walk away.I
didn’t go back to the car until she disappeared from my sight.
"Mrs.Dewar, I’m sorry but I need you to come with me to the company first.I still have to get my laptop,
so that I can work from home."
I had planned to go back to the company to work overtime today, and I still had a few online meetings
to attend.
However, I had to change my plans for Helen’s mother’s sake.
"Got it."
Helen’s mother moved to the passenger seat, wearing a gentle smile.
Along the way, she remarked, "From now on, you should stop spoiling Helen too much.She’s
steadfastly stubborn.Try to criticize her when she makes mistakes.Otherwise, her temper will only get
worse.She can be willful and foolhardy whenever she’s surrounded by her friends and family,
otherwise, she’s still a bit of a coward."
"I’m more than willing to spoil her, Mrs.Dewar.And just so you know, she’s not a coward.She just didn’t
care enough to argue with those people regarding meaningless things.She’s actually extremely serious
about the things she cares about, especially work related matters.Honestly, she always tries her best to
complete her tasks flawlessly."
I didn’t tell Helen’s mother that I actually agreed with her.
Helen indeed could be really stubborn sometimes, and that attitude of hers could get on people’s
nerves, but there was nothing anyone could do to change that part of her personality.Her mother
chuckled, seemingly relieved.
"Sounds like you know her better than I do.I’m relieved to have you by her side."
"Don’t worry, Mrs.Dewar.I’ll take good care of her," I promised.
Thereafter, I took her to the company.She probably felt uncomfortable at the sight of so many
strangers, so she followed me closely.I made sure to regulate my pace along with hers, and tried to
comfort her.
"No need to worry, ma’am.They’re all employees of the company."
As soon as I entered the office, the heads of every department approached me and gave their reports.
They were all glancing at Mrs.Dewar from time to time out of curiosity.She had been staying in the
hospital for a long time and hadn’t interacted with strangers ever since.
Whenever she noticed that someone was looking at her, she’d nervously lower her head and avoid eye
contact.
I finished my work there as soon as possible and sent all the department heads away.
Afterwards, I picked up my laptop and left along with Mrs.Dewar.
The second we got back to Helen’s apartment, I sat at her desk, turned on my laptop, and began
working.
There was an important online meeting that I needed to participate in today.It was a meeting between
our company’s research team abroad and the team here in New York.
Jane was also going to be part of the meeting, because she was the point person of the foreign team,
and she’d also be the one presiding over the meeting.
R&D personnel from various product lines attended the meeting as well.
During the meeting, Jane spoke in a decisive and swift manner, so nobody else had a chance to get a
word in.
From time to time, I would speak up to voice my remarks, but most of the time, I just listened to their
conversation.Moments later, I decided to interrupt Jane’s speech.
"Wait… are you saying that you want to switch positions with Boswell so that you can go back here and
he’ll take over your position abroad?"
"Yes, I’ve spoken to him about this already.We think that we can take turns to fully grasp the latest
technology trends.Otherwise, our current perspective on the landscape of technology will be limited.We
need a change of environment from time to time," Jane reasoned.
Annoyed, I answered, "You’ve spoken to Boswell, huh? So, you’re not asking me for my opinion
anymore; you’re just telling me what you’ve decided upon?"
Jane and Boswell made a big decision without my knowledge.They had crossed the line, so I was
understandably infuriated.
Everyone else in the online meeting fell silent and tried not to make eye contact.
"Jane? Answer me!" I stared at her, making no secret of my dissatisfaction with her.I was the one who
transferred Jane abroad.
On the one hand, I didn’t want Helen to misunderstand our relationship.
And on the other hand, I transferred her abroad because of work arrangements.
Jane used to be in charge of the operations in our headquarters.She was more familiar with the
environment and operational procedures there, so making use of her talents was a sound decision I
tried my best to stay calm and stifle my emotions.
I figured it would be necessary to talk to her about this properly.
Jane looked straight into the camera, visibly calm.
"In my opinion, since Zhester Technology’s focus in the future is the domestic market, the research and
development team should focus all their attention on it.We could even merge the headquarters team
and the New York team together and make the best use of them! Personally, I believe that nobody is
more suitable to take charge of this task than me."
@ To be fair, Jane’s point was in line with the future plans of Zhester Technology and the direction of its
future developments.
Soon, the company would indeed focus on the domestic market, so it would make sense to attach
great importance to the domestic team.
Jane was undoubtedly the perfect person to lead such a team.
However, she shouldn’t act first and report later.She shouldn’t make such a big decision without
involving me, even though her idea was in line with Zhester Technology’s strategic plan.
I should have the authority to manage our company.
Frankly speaking, Jane and Boswell’s behavior was an open challenge to my authority.
Honestly, authority wasn’t something that I cared about that much, but that didn’t mean that people
could provoke me at will.
Otherwise, I wouldn’t be able to manage this company.I refused Jane’s proposal decisively.I made sure
to sound as authoritative as possible to prevent her from second guessing my decision.
She didn’t respond anymore, and Boswell proceeded to take over the meeting.
The meeting lasted three hours.
After the online meeting, Jane sent me a message.
"I’m sorry for what happened today.I was a little emotional.Listen, I’ll take care of the research and
development team in the headquarters, but I really need to go back home.My mother went to Philly to
visit her family, and I have to go back and pick her up."
When I saw this message, I didn’t want to reply.But in the end, I didn’t have the heart to ignore it.
"Jane, some lines just can’t be crossed.I’m sure you don’t need me to remind you of what you’ve
done.I’m hoping that this will be the first and last time you’ll do something like that.This will be my last
warning to you as a friend."
Jane didn’t respond, and I ignored her for the rest of the day.I had made my intentions clear, so I hoped
that she could just behave herself.
After working for a few more hours, I was finally done with work for the day, so I sent Helen a message.
"When will the lecture be over? I’ll come by to pick you up."
Strangely, she didn’t reply to my message.
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