Orion hurried to the two arguing women. He glanced at Blair with a complicated look in his eyes before telling Rebecca, "It was the decision of the board of directors to fire you. Miss Jing had nothing to do with it. If you have any doubts or complaints, please bring them to me. Stop putting innocent people on the spot."
Clearly, Orion was frustrated. Although he was the CEO of the company, the real power was still in the hands of his grandfather.
Every time his grandfather issued an order, not only did he have to say yes, but even the board of directors followed suit without hesitation.
The personnel transfer concerning Rebecca and Blair was also his grandfather's order. Earlier, all the old man did was merely speak a few words to all the directors on the board and just like that, the decision was made. Before long, the personnel manager executed the decision in an efficient way.
Since Orion still cared about Blair, he wanted to get to the bottom of it. As a result, he decided to confront his grandfather. The old man told him that Rebecca had offended a big shot with great influence, who they couldn't afford to be on bad terms with if they wanted to develop their business in this city.
That was all the information his grandfather parted with and as for the details, he kept most of it on the hush-hush. A few minutes ago, the old man asked him to handle the matter personally.
On his way to the translation department, Orion more or less figured out who the big shot was. It had to be Wesley.
Although the other colleagues assumed that Orion might be Blair's mysterious husband, Rebecca didn't think that was the case. After all, Orion usually spoke English, but Blair's husband spoke standard Chinese.
Since the CEO himself had stepped in to deal with the matter, Rebecca instantly pulled back from making a scene, although she was still curious about Blair's husband. "Is Blair's husband a member of the board?"
Blair thought that Rebecca's curiosity was a bit ridiculous. What was the point now? Why was she so interested in who her husband was?
Orion took one good look at Blair and then at Rebecca. "That's a private question. You'd better ask Miss Jing yourself. But now if you don't have any other questions, please pack your things and leave the company."
There was a finality in the CEO's tone. Rebecca realized she had no choice but to shut her mouth and pack up her things.
Just as Orion was about to leave, Blair stopped him. "Orion, I'm sorry to trouble you," she apologized.
Orion smiled. "No big deal."
"Well, actually, I think you should talk to the personnel manager. Maybe the company should reconsider their decision about my promotion." Blair wasn't ambitious enough to climb over another person for the sake of career growth. She was quite happy in her current position and being promoted to a manager was never really her plan.
Even if she did want a promotion, she'd rather achieve it through her own merits instead of going through any connections.
Orion appreciated Blair's integrity. "I understand. I'll handle it."
"Thank you, Orion," Blair said genuinely.
Blair returned to her desk and sat in her seat, deep in thoughts.
She needed a little time to allow her brain to process what had happened. Everything was happening at a fast pace. The problem she had with Wesley hadn't been settled yet and now there was trouble in the company.
She shouldn't have overslept in the morning. If she had just called Rebecca herself, none of this would have happened.
Orion had promised to talk with the personnel manager about her promotion, but when it was time to clock out, she still hadn't received any notice from the company. They must have decided to stick with her promotion.
Blair worked overtime that night. The deputy general manager called her personally to tell her that someone would be coming to take her measurements for her new work attire at nine in the next morning.
After getting off the phone, Blair instantly texted Orion. "Hey, did you get to speak with the personnel manager?"
Orion texted back in a minute. "Oh, sorry, Blair. I forgot to tell you. They can't change the decision without finding a replacement. You know that can take a while. So, you'll be the manager."
Then, he added, "I wonder why you don't want a promotion."
Blair felt helpless. She explained honestly, "It's not like that. I just want to work my way up through my own efforts and abilities. My colleagues won't respect me if I get my promotion this way. I don't want them talking behind my back."
Orion sent her a smiling emoji, and then typed some Chinese characters that he had just learned recently. It was an idiom—"Follow your own course and let others talk."
Blair was stumped by his reply.
By the time she wrapped up her work and left the company building, it was already past 8 p.m. As she was trying to decide whether to go back to Wesley's apartment or the company dorm, a black Hummer came into her sight.
A man stepped out of the car and walked towards her, with his phone still close to his ear.
Blair had a few questions in her mind, like how long he had been waiting here or why he didn't just call her when he arrived. But in the end, she swallowed all those questions.
She chose to keep silent.
With one hand holding the phone to his ear, Wesley helped her get in the passenger seat of his vehicle with his other hand. After making sure that she was seated comfortably, he closed the door and walked to the other side.
After he sat in the driver's seat, Blair heard him telling the person on the other end, "Don't come to me. Stay in the hospital and work hard."
'Hospital? Is he on the phone with Niles?' Blair wondered.
"I don't want to see you," the soldier said coldly.
"No way!"
"I'd rather go blind than see you!"
A barrage of disdainful words came out of Wesley's mouth. Now Blair was certain that it had to be Niles on the other end.
Her guess was indeed, correct. A minute after Wesley hung up, Niles called her.
She threw a glance at the man driving the car before answering the phone.
"Hi, Niles," she said in a chirpy voice. Wesley frowned, his face turning sour. 'Why is she being so nice to Niles, but so distant to me?'
The young doctor said in a pitiable voice, "Sister-in-law, I just got off work. I miss my brother and I want to go to your apartment. Do you mind if I come over?"
"No... Of course not." 'It's not my home anyway.'
"Yay! You are always nice to me. My brother is the bad guy. Do you know that he didn't come to see me even after he came back from his mission? He wouldn't even allow me to visit him," Niles complained.
Blair's lips twitched a little. "Perhaps...he's been really busy."
"Busy? He's on leave. We all know that he isn't working at the moment. He's been away from home for more than two years. His mission is over, but he still hasn't come back home. Do you think those are the deeds of a good guy?" Niles happily got in his car and drove towards Eastern Coastal Apartments while he spoke to Blair on the phone.
"Well... I see what you mean." Since Wesley was sitting right next to her, she didn't want to say too much.
Niles was just glad that Blair agreed with him. "You see, I'm right. By the way, did you work overtime? Don't tire yourself out. You should take care, keep healthy and give birth to my brother's baby as soon as possible. I want a nephew."
Blair was rendered speechless. She would have kept silent if she could. However, moving a little closer to the window, she coughed and muttered, "Maybe your brother has a son already. You should go ask him."
Her words finally caught the driver's attention. He didn't hear it clearly but he was sure they were talking about him. "What do I already have?"
Blair failed to hear what Wesley said, because Nile's dramatic voice overpowered Wesley's on the phone. "How can that be? My brother would never betray you. Blair, don't think too much and don't ever doubt him. I know he's been away for two years, but he's not that kind of a man. He's a righteous man."
When she recalled what happened last night, she felt gloomy again. "Hmm." That was her response.
Niles sensed the unhappiness in her voice. "Blair, I'm driving. Let's talk when we meet. I haven't had dinner yet. Can I have a free meal?"
"Sure!" Blair was hungry too. Perhaps, they could dine together.
As soon as she hung up, Wesley asked his question again, "What do I already have?"
"No, nothing." Blair leaned back in her seat and looked out the window. Obviously, she didn't want to speak with him.
Despite feeling helpless, Wesley had no choice but to remain silent.