Free Web NovelChapter 40: Chapter 40: Subtle Concern
Cecelia Archer couldn’t believe her luck was this bad.
She’d come all this way, full of hope, only to cause a huge mess before she even had a chance to prove herself at work.
Not only had she exhausted her colleagues, but she had also alerted the president, who now wanted the officers to personally escort her back...
This was probably the last new product Mr. Lee would develop before his retirement. She had been thinking that if she followed it from the testing phase all the way to its market launch, she would learn a great deal—knowledge she could use to get a promotion and a raise. But now...
Although Mr. Lee was kind to her, without this opportunity for hands-on learning, she would just be running errands and doing odd jobs.
Thinking of the house that was still a distant dream, the balance on her card, and her daughter back home who depended on her, Cecelia Archer was suddenly overcome with sadness.
’Life is so hard,’ she thought. ’There are always countless pitfalls waiting for me. When will things ever get better?’
She wasn’t willing to go back like this. She couldn’t bear the thought of embarrassing Mr. Lee in front of the president. So, as soon as the officer finished speaking, she shook her head firmly.
"I’m not going back. The misunderstanding only happened because we didn’t know the local customs. Now that you’re here, you can just explain it to them, and everything will be fine. There won’t be any more trouble. I just arrived. I haven’t done a single thing. How can I leave now?"
The officer said, "The customs of our two peoples are different. They’re used to being uncivilized; explaining it to them might not do any good. For your own safety, you should leave this place at once."
Her colleagues were filled with disappointment and regret.
The tech department was full of men, and they rarely got the chance to interact with women, especially a pretty one.
They had finally been assigned a pretty assistant, and she’d even come all the way out here with them. Everyone thought their tedious lives would finally have a spark of joy, but who knew she’d have to turn back right after landing.
"What kind of godforsaken place is this? If we’d known, we wouldn’t have come either! You can’t just treat people like this! Cecelia, we don’t want you to go!"
"Exactly. After all the trouble we went through to finally get here, what is all this nonsense?"
Mr. Lee told them to stop being so pessimistic. "What could possibly be more important than Cecelia’s safety? Hurry up and go. This is my fault, too; I should have investigated the situation here beforehand. We’ll talk about it next time there’s an opportunity."
Heaven knew when the next opportunity would come, and Cecelia Archer couldn’t wait that long. ƒreewebɳovel.com
’What if the president holds this against me?’ she worried. ’Will there even be a next time?’
"No. Mr. Lee, if something really happens, I’ll take full responsibility. I’ve already come all this way; I really don’t want to go back now. Please, I’m begging you, put in a good word for me with President Vaughn. I really love this job, and I don’t want to lose it."
Everyone else, worried that Cecelia Archer would lose her job, also started pleading with Mr. Lee.
"The misunderstanding has been cleared up now. With so many of us here to watch over her, Cecelia should be fine. We can just work faster and be out of here in a week or two. Is it really necessary to make her leave by herself?"
Having worked with her for a while now, Mr. Lee had noticed that Cecelia Archer was very frugal and hardworking. He guessed her family must not be well-off, which was why she valued this job so highly.
Seeing her standing there in the twenty-something-degree air, her hair practically frozen stiff, yet still stubbornly fighting to keep her job, he suddenly felt his heart ache for her.
"It’s not that I don’t want to help you, but it’s President Vaughn who wants you to go back..."
"Then could you call President Vaughn for me? I’ll talk to him. Please?"
Soon, Damien Vaughn received another call from Mr. Lee.
Unsure of the situation on their end, his voice was colder than ever.
"What’s the situation?"
Cecelia Archer jumped at the sound of his voice, but she quickly composed herself.
"President Vaughn, hello, this is Cecelia Archer. I’m okay now. Thank you for sending someone to help me so quickly. It was all just a misunderstanding, and it’s been resolved. I’ll focus on my work from now on, so there’s no need to waste security resources on my account. I’m sorry to have troubled you and kept you up so late."
’What was this about?’ he thought. ’Did she call me specifically to say she doesn’t want to return to Veridia?’
’After such a major incident, she actually wants to stay?’
"What did you just say?"
Although she’d never met him in person, Cecelia Archer thought, ’His reputation as the cold-faced King of Hell is well-earned. I can feel his icy demeanor even through the phone.’
The wind sliced at her face and hands like a knife. Between the cold and Damien Vaughn’s frosty tone, she felt like she was about to lose her job, and she was suddenly on the verge of breaking down.
’I’m so useless,’ she thought, ’losing one job after another. I don’t even have a place to live, and I still have to pay for my child’s school...’
"I’m really okay. It was just a misunderstanding, and we’ve talked it all out now. I don’t want to go back. I’ll work hard, I promise I won’t hold the team back. President Vaughn, please, give me one more chance."
Both ends of the line fell silent. Through the phone, Damien Vaughn could almost hear the wind whipping on her end, and the tremor in her voice.
’Is she cold?’ he wondered. ’Or scared? Or just nervous?’
It was the first time he’d heard her speak to him in such a pitiful, humble tone. The feeling it gave him was... strange. freewebnovel.cσ๓
For some reason, he could almost picture her expression through her words: stubborn, yet pitiful...
Damien Vaughn hung up. A moment later, a message from him appeared in the group chat.
"Cecelia Archer will sleep in the patrol car tonight. I’ll coordinate lodging for all of you first thing tomorrow morning. That’s all. Get some sleep."
Then, he tagged Cecelia Archer individually: "Don’t feel burdened by this. It wasn’t your fault. Just protect yourself. I don’t want the Vaughn Group’s reputation to be damaged by any one person’s actions."
Mr. Lee read the message aloud to the group, and everyone’s faces instantly lit up.
President Vaughn was reasonable after all! This was great!
Filled with a sense of joy and gratitude, as if she had survived a disaster, Cecelia Archer couldn’t sleep a wink.
She lay awake until dawn, when the officer in the front seat suddenly called out to her.
"Why are there a bunch of RVs here? Hey, wake up and take a look. Are they for your company?"
"Whoa, he got them here overnight. Your boss treats you guys really well."
Cecelia Archer scrambled to the window to look out. It was true. Seven RVs were parked in a row on the grassy field outside, each bearing a banner that read: "For Vaughn Group Use Only."
Oh my god! President Vaughn had gone to all this trouble overnight, and for a mere assistant like her!
Mr. Lee and the other colleagues saw them too and ran out to greet the drivers. After a brief discussion, Mr. Lee took the lead in thanking Damien Vaughn in the group chat.
Damien Vaughn didn’t reply to the group, but instead tagged Cecelia Archer individually.
"From now on, do not leave the group’s sight. Report everything you do in advance, and post photos in the group chat every hour. Understand?"
Cecelia Archer didn’t quite understand.
’What kind of photos?’ she wondered. ’Selfies? Do I have to send a selfie to President Vaughn every hour just to prove I’m still alive?’
Her face suddenly felt hot. After hesitating for a long moment, Cecelia Archer finally typed out her reply.
"Do you mean selfies, President Vaughn?"
On the other end of the line, Damien Vaughn could almost picture her comical expression. He couldn’t help but let out a snort of laughter.
"Selfies will do. Photos taken by others, or photos of others, are also fine. Whatever you want."
