Free Web NovelChapter 38: Chapter 38: This Freaking Works Too?
Eloise Donovan and Caspian Rhodes, who knew the whole story, now felt much the same as Arabella Donovan. Their gazes toward Chloe Thorne held a touch more sympathy.
Chloe Thorne, however, didn’t notice the subtle shift in their expressions. Seeing Arabella Donovan freeze again after hearing her surname, she felt a strange sense of foreboding.
"Master, is there something wrong with my surname?"
Arabella Donovan snapped out of it. "No, no, your surname is perfectly fine. It’s just this potted plant..."
"What’s wrong with the plant?"
"It’s not that the plant is bad, per se. It’s just not well-suited for being on a desk, in close proximity to a person for long periods."
Knowing the tragic fate that awaited the woman before her, Arabella Donovan steeled herself and decided to let the plant take the blame.
"June Snow has a lesser-known name: Hourglass Tree. I just mentioned the taboo associated with hourglasses in the finance department. They can cause you to leak wealth and lose money."
The moment Arabella Donovan finished speaking, Chloe Thorne couldn’t help but cry out in alarm.
The surrounding crowd, already paying close attention to her, all turned to look in unison.
Chloe Thorne realized she had overreacted and said awkwardly, "A couple of days ago, I was cycling to work when an old man staged a fall to scam me. There were no cameras at that intersection, and I was in a hurry to get to the office, so I ended up paying him three thousand to settle it. That counts as losing money, right?"
Even though Radiant Entertainment was a well-known major company in the industry, she was just an ordinary employee. Three thousand was more than half a month’s salary for her, and Chloe Thorne had been smarting from the loss for a while.
Now, realizing that this undeserved disaster was very likely caused by the plant, Chloe Thorne felt like smashing it to pieces.
With such a concrete example as proof, the crowd, which had been skeptical of this "Master" Arabella Donovan, now looked at her in a completely different light.
Little did they know, Arabella Donovan herself was still stunned.
’What the hell? That actually worked?’
Eloise Donovan and Caspian Rhodes: "Pfft..."
However, to maintain her persona, no matter how thrilled she was internally, Arabella Donovan kept a gratified expression on her face, as if looking at a promising student.
This was both exasperating and amusing for Caspian Rhodes, who silently cursed in his heart, ’Little swindler.’
"Furthermore, while this plant is elegant, its Polar Energy is too strong. When it blooms, it also emits a foul odor. Though it’s not strong and is non-toxic, prolonged exposure can still have a certain impact on one’s health."
Chloe Thorne nervously patted her chest. "Lately, I’ve been feeling this tightness in my chest, and it’s quite uncomfortable. I was planning to go to the hospital for a check-up when I had time, but it’s been so busy these past few days that I put it off. Could it be..."
It was obvious what the PR department had been busy with recently. As soon as Arabella Donovan heard her description, she already had a good idea of the situation.
’Is it possible you’re just worn out from working too much and pulling all-nighters lately? It probably doesn’t have much to do with this.’
"Pfft..." Eloise Donovan almost burst out laughing. She quickly covered her mouth and ducked her head to hide it.
Fortunately, everyone’s attention was on Chloe Thorne and Arabella Donovan, so no one noticed her strange reaction.
Arabella Donovan let out a profound sigh. "I’m afraid so. Moreover, I can see that the space between your eyebrows is dim, and you have dark circles under your eyes. If you continue to be so careless, it will be detrimental to your health. I fear you may face a bloody disaster."
"A bloody disaster?" Chloe Thorne shuddered. She never imagined that a phrase she’d only ever heard on TV would one day be used to describe her.
Before, she would have dismissed it as a joke. But with everything that had just happened, she now felt a chill run down her spine and had no idea what to do.
Zane Lynch and the others hadn’t expected that before Arabella Donovan even met their company’s artists, she would first diagnose one of their own internal staff with a bloody disaster.
Seth Holt was also panicking. After all, this was his subordinate. If something happened to her on the job, he, as her direct supervisor, would definitely be held responsible.
"She’s just been pulling a few too many all-nighters lately. How did that lead to talk of a bloody disaster?"
"Isn’t it precisely because she’s pulling too many all-nighters that she’s more likely to encounter a bloody disaster? Don’t people often... die suddenly from overwork?" a male employee next to Chloe Thorne muttered under his breath.
In an instant, the atmosphere in the entire department visibly froze.
Wasn’t it true? They were all part of a high-intensity, sleep-deprived workforce. Today, it might be Chloe Thorne who dies suddenly. Who knew if tomorrow it would be one of them?
For a moment, many of them began to weigh their options internally: was it worth risking their lives for money?
Chloe Thorne’s eyes widened in shock. The more she thought about it, the more the symptoms she had just described seemed like the warning signs of impending sudden death.
"M-Master, by ’bloody disaster,’ do you mean sudden death?"
Arabella Donovan hadn’t contradicted Chloe Thorne precisely because she wanted to steer the conversation in this direction. Now that her goal was achieved, she quickly seized the opportunity and nodded.
Chloe Thorne sucked in a sharp breath. Zane Lynch’s expression darkened as well. "Do you all frequently work overtime late into the night?"
Seth Holt, terrified the blame would fall on him, cautiously tried to defend himself, "We only pull all-nighters occasionally..."
"From now on, for any situations requiring all-nighters, implement a shift system. No individual can work more than six consecutive hours of overtime, with a monthly cap of forty-eight hours. Overtime pay will be doubled from the original rate." Zane Lynch took a deep breath and turned to Chloe Thorne. "You are not to work any overtime for the time being. Go to the hospital for a full physical tomorrow. I’ll approve the leave, and the company will cover the cost of the examination."
"Long live the Chairman!"
"Long live the Chairman!"
"..."
Many of the employees in the PR department were young people fresh out of school. Hearing about these tangible new benefits, they couldn’t help but cheer loudly.
When Chloe Thorne heard she wouldn’t have to work overtime and that her hospital check-up would be reimbursed, her face lit up with joy.
"Thank you, Chairman! Thank you, Chairman." Then, she looked at Arabella Donovan, her eyes full of expectation.
Arabella Donovan pondered for a moment. Chloe Thorne had stumbled upon the crime scene because she was returning home late from overtime. Preventing her from working late would eliminate the possibility of her being out late, which, logically, should be enough to change her fate.
But there was no guarantee she wouldn’t wander out late one night on a whim and end up running into trouble again.
After some thought, Arabella Donovan decided to give her an extra layer of protection. "June Snow has another meaning: snow in June." freeωebnovēl.c૦m
"Snow in June?" Eloise’s brows knitted together. "Isn’t that from..."
Arabella Donovan glanced at her fourth sister. "It’s the one you’re thinking of, *Snow in Midsummer*. To put it simply, it means you might soon face a gross injustice that you can’t even explain."
’That’s not wrong, actually. Once she’s dead, her reputation will be at the mercy of others’ speculation, won’t it? Is she supposed to jump out of her coffin to prove her innocence?’
Eloise came to a sudden realization, recalling what Arabella Donovan had just mentioned about what happened to Chloe Thorne after her death.
Dying an innocent death was tragic enough. What was even worse was that she wouldn’t be able to rest in peace. She would be used and slandered, dragging her loved ones down with her to bear baseless accusations.
