Free Web NovelChapter 492: Chapter 492: The Transfer Document
The moment Caleb Summers pushed open his office door, the first thing he saw was his subordinate, Fiona Hollis, sitting in the corner.
Fiona Hollis had been assigned to Caleb Summers’s department two years ago. She was young, beautiful, and skilled at playing to her strengths, occasionally flirting with Caleb in subtle, ambiguous ways in exchange for special treatment and opportunities.
Although Caleb Summers and his wife, Zoe Kane, had a good marriage, few men could resist a dalliance on the side. Besides, Caleb wasn’t one to walk the straight and narrow, so the two of them often exchanged flirtatious glances in the office.
Fiona Hollis was vibrant and captivating, gentle and sophisticated—a completely different type from the sweet, delicate Zoe Kane. The forbidden thrill of it all was intoxicating for Caleb Summers.
Looking at Fiona Hollis’s elegant figure from behind, Caleb Summers couldn’t help but smile.
He walked over, familiarly placing a hand on Fiona Hollis’s shoulder and giving it a suggestive squeeze. "Hollis," he said, his voice laced with a smile, "hard at work?"
The warmth of his hand on her shoulder made Fiona Hollis stiffen slightly. Any other time, she would have turned with a smile and cooed a few soft words to Caleb Summers. But now...
Fiona Hollis shrugged his hand off her shoulder with a look of disgust. She rolled her eyes and snapped, "What is wrong with you! Keep your hands to yourself!"
Fiona Hollis’s expression and attitude left Caleb Summers stunned. ’What’s gotten into her? Why is Hollis reacting like this?’
Caleb Summers stared blankly at Fiona Hollis, completely bewildered. ’Isn’t Hollis supposed to lean in, smile, and call me "Summers"?’
’Isn’t she supposed to check the cut on my forehead with a look of concern, then tenderly blow on it for me?’
’Why is she giving me such a look of disgust?’
Before Caleb Summers could even react, Fiona Hollis had already stood up. She picked up a document from her desk and, without a single glance in his direction, turned and strode out of the room.
Watching her leave, Caleb Summers rubbed his nose, completely baffled. He muttered, "...What was that all about... So bizarre..."
He sat down sullenly at his own desk, only to notice a document lying there that hadn’t been there before.
Puzzled, he picked it up and saw it was a transfer order.
The moment he saw the word "transfer," Caleb Summers’s eyes flew wide, and his heart skipped a beat.
’Could it be...?!’
’Have the Sheffields already pulled the strings for me?’
’Is this the order promoting and transferring me to the new reconstruction department?’
At this thought, Caleb became so excited his breathing grew ragged, and his heart began to pound in his chest.
It was as if a thousand fireworks had just exploded in his mind. He was so thrilled, his hands were trembling.
He had waited for this day for what felt like half his life, and now it was finally here! His career was finally about to take off!
All those years of eating dirt and biding his time had been worth it. Outlasting his former father-in-law and ex-wife had been worth it. Sacrificing his daughter had been worth it. A man of humble origins with no connections, he had finally carved out a path for himself in the bureaucracy!
However, the euphoria lasted only a few seconds.
Once he read the document’s contents clearly, Caleb Summers turned to stone.
He stared blankly at the document in his hands, muttering, "This... This can’t be right... How could... How could this happen..."
It was indeed a transfer order, but not to the reconstruction department. Instead, it was a transfer to a sinecure so pointless it couldn’t be more of a dead-end, a post even worse than the backwater department he was in before.
They were making him head of safety education at the local youth center.
Caleb Summers was dumbfounded. ’A transfer to a post like this? What’s the difference between this and forced retirement?’
’How could this be happening?!’
He staggered to his feet in disbelief and ran toward Mitchell Sheffield’s office. He couldn’t accept this outcome. He had to find Mitchell Sheffield and demand an explanation!
But just as he reached the door to Mitchell Sheffield’s office, he ran smack into Fiona Hollis, who was just coming out.
Fiona Hollis brushed off the spot where he had bumped her, a look of disgust on her face. ’What terrible luck,’ she cursed internally. She’d seen the transfer order, too. She knew Caleb Summers was finished, which meant there was no longer any need to suck up to him.
The thought that all her time spent playing along with Caleb had been a complete waste made Fiona want to scream. She couldn’t even pretend to be pleasant to him anymore, so she just rolled her eyes, turned on her heel, and strode off.
Caleb Summers, however, was in no mood to deal with Fiona Hollis. His mind was a mess of anxiety and panic. He didn’t even knock; he just barged straight into Mitchell Sheffield’s office.
He rushed frantically to Mitchell Sheffield’s desk and asked, his voice trembling, "Sheffield! What’s the deal with this transfer order? ... Is-is it a fake?"
Caleb Summers could only hope this was all some kind of sick joke. He looked at Mitchell Sheffield, his face full of desperate hope, praying he would tell him the document was a fake.
Seeing this, Mitchell Sheffield felt a bit helpless. He could see that Caleb Summers was genuinely panicking; otherwise, he’d never ask such a ridiculous question. After all, anyone with half a brain knew you couldn’t fake a government document bearing an official seal.
He sighed. Meeting Caleb’s pleading, expectant gaze, he answered gravely, "Summers, the document is real. It’s a decision from the higher-ups..."
Seeing Caleb Summers’s face drain of all color, Mitchell Sheffield tried to console him. "Summers, try to look on the bright side. This job has its perks... At least it’s a cushy post!"
"You won’t have much to do on a daily basis. You just have to go explain some safety basics to the kids on weekends..."
Listening to Mitchell Sheffield’s "consolation," Caleb Summers was utterly dumbstruck. He looked as though he’d been struck by lightning.
’I’m still young. What’s the meaning of transferring me to a place like this?’
’This is completely ruining my future!’
Caleb Summers couldn’t understand why this was happening. His mind raced with possibilities.
’Could it be... because I told the Sheffields yesterday I wanted to postpone the wedding between Jim Sheffield and Nina Summers?’
’Do the Sheffields think I’m backing out of the deal? Do they think I don’t want Nina to marry into their family anymore, so they’re intentionally retaliating against me?’
At that thought, Caleb Summers rubbed his face and said to Mitchell Sheffield, "Sheffield... there must be some misunderstanding, right?"
"...I really wasn’t lying. My daughter, Nina, was genuinely injured a few days ago. But rest assured, now that I’ve agreed to this marriage, I absolutely will not go back on my word."
"Just give me two more weeks. I swear, within two weeks, I will make sure Nina is married into your family! I’ll drag her to the Sheffield estate myself if I have to!"
Caleb Summers rambled on, wishing he could tear his heart out to prove his sincerity about the marriage. All he wanted was for the Sheffield Family to show some mercy and not destroy his career.
Mitchell Sheffield understood what Caleb was implying. He couldn’t help but frown. "Summers, you’re overthinking this. The matter has nothing to do with the Sheffield family."
Seeing Caleb’s confused expression, Mitchell couldn’t resist lowering his voice. "Summers, I’ll be straight with you... This transfer was all Director Walsh’s idea."
Caleb froze. ’Director Walsh?’
’The new deputy director, Brandon Walsh?’
Looking at Caleb’s dazed expression, Mitchell Sheffield said gravely, "Summers, think hard. Did you ever do something to offend Director Walsh?"
