Chapter 9

The meeting dragged on for over an hour, but the outcome was far from ideal. Neither of the critical issues had been resolved. Harold, the chairman erupted in a fury, reprimanding every department head present. Back in the chairman's office, Harold sat behind his desk, his face stormy, anger still lingering. He asked Wendy in a sharp voice, "I gave you authority less than a year ago, and you've already let things spiral out of control. Do you think this is how you repay my trust?" "Dad, these two issues weren't my fault. Yel Corporation decided to cancel the partnership, and the resignation of Ms. Hart came as a surprise. What was I supposed to do about it?" Wendy stood across the desk with her head bowed and looking aggrieved. Harold seemed ready to continue his outburst, but upon seeing the look of distress on Wendy's face, his anger wavered. He sighed heavily and said, "This is our family's business. The other executives might not care, but we have to. If we lose the Yel Corporation partnership, Jennings Corp will inevitably go downhill." He added, "And on top of that, Evelyn's resignation will directly affect the quality of our pharmaceuticals and jeopardize future projects. Both of these problems must be fixed." Taking a deep breath, Harold steadied himself before giving his orders. "You need to go to Yel Corporation personally and try to salvage the situation. "Even if you can't win them back, at the very least find out who this 'someone' they mentioned is. "And as for Ms. Hart, reach out to her again. Spare no effort. We need her to see the pharmaceutical optimization project through, even if it means hiring her as a private consultant. "Let her name her price, and as long as it's within reason, meet it!" Wendy nodded in acknowledgment. After a pause, Harold continued, "Give the business department some pressure. If we're losing the Yel Corporation account, they need to secure new business to make up for the loss. Every bit counts." He then asked sharply, "By the way, why wasn't the head of the business department present at today's meeting? How could he miss something this critical?" Wendy immediately explained, "Ethan had a family emergency and left yesterday." Harold's brow furrowed in confusion. "Ethan? He's only been with the company for a month, and he's already a department manager?" He shot a sharp look at Wendy, who averted her gaze. Suppressing his irritation, Harold asked through gritted teeth, "Did he follow the proper procedure to request leave?" "No. Not yet," Wendy replied, shaking her head. "Ridiculous!" Harold slammed his hand on the desk, his face full of displeasure. He shot her a stern glare and asked, "Wendy, what exactly have you been doing lately? Don't tell me you still have lingering feelings for Ethan. "Have you forgotten that you're married? Do you think this is fair to Zachary? "Back then, if it hadn't been for the three million dollars Zachary put up as a wedding gift, this company would have gone bankrupt long ago. We wouldn't have gotten this far without that money! "Zachary may be useless, but at least he's contributed something to the family, unlike Ethan." After a moment, he added, his tone growing more accusatory with each word, "What has Ethan ever done for us? What's he done for the company?" Wendy's expression shifted slightly, and she quickly shook her head. "Dad, I have no feelings toward Ethan." Harold snapped. "You better not! I see right through what kind of man Ethan is. He's the type who only moves when there's profit to be made. He's got no real talent, just a big mouth. When you were together with him back then, I never approved of it!" Harold's eyes were filled with contempt as he spoke, "Besides, he left you in a heartbeat to go abroad for further studies, didn't he? "I thought after five years overseas, he might have improved himself. But the moment he got back, he came running to our company. "What does that tell you? It tells you he's still the same useless man he always was!" "Dad, Ethan isn't as bad as you think! He's only been with the company for a month, and he's already brought in quite a bit of business! Even the overseas channel deal was thanks to him," Wendy protested, trying to defend Harold. Harold responded with a cold laugh. "Overseas channel? What does that have to do with him?" Wendy insisted, growing agitated. She replied, "Dad, how could you say that? The overseas channel deal was really all thanks to Ethan." Harold scoffed and asked, "Thanks to him for what? I personally went to Yel Corporation, waited three hours outside Ms. Wayne's office, and begged her to open that channel. What's that got to do with Ethan?" "That's impossible! Ethan said it was him." Wendy's face was a mask of shock. Seeing her disbelief, Harold's anger flared up even more. "So you just believe whatever he says? I've told you before, Ethan's all talk, no substance. Why won't you listen to me?" Wendy felt panic rising in her chest and quickly tried to explain. "Dad, it's not that I don't believe you, it's just that I didn't expect Ethan to lie to me!" Harold waved her off impatiently. "Enough about Ethan. What matters now is the Yel Corporation partnership and the pharmaceutical optimization project. Go to Yel Corporation personally, and please be sincere in your attitude." "I'll go right away!" Wendy nodded, turning to leave the office. Just as she reached the door, Harold seemed to remember something. "By the way, it's your mother's birthday today. Bring Zachary home for dinner tonight," he added. Upon hearing this, Wendy's body stiffened for a moment. She replied in a low voice, "Okay." Returning to her own office, Wendy sank into her chair, her eyes vacant and her expression distant. Her father's words echoed in her mind like a heavy blow. The partnership with Yel Corporation had nothing to do with Ethan. The overseas channel deal had nothing to do with him either. "How could this be?" she murmured, lowering her head, her emotions in turmoil. All this time, she'd believed that Yel Corporation's partnership with Jennings Corporation and the overseas channel expansion were both thanks to Ethan. But now, as she thought back, Ethan had never explicitly claimed credit for these things. He'd only ever made vague statements. Never denying, but never confirming either. … 11:00 a.m, at Yel Corporation's executive office… Anya sat back in her office chair, rubbing her temples in frustration as she spoke. "Mr. Lloyd, the headquarters specifically wants you to take over the company as the main person in charge. Now, you're telling me you want to start from the bottom? How am I supposed to explain this to them?" Half an hour earlier, Zachary had finished reviewing all the company's documents and then made an unexpected request to start working in the business department from the ground up. Anya had tried everything like refusing, persuading, and reasoning, but Zachary remained firm, leaving her with a headache. Zachary smiled as he said, "Don't worry about headquarters. If they press you, just tell them it was my decision. They won't hold it against you." Seeing how resolute Zachary was, Anya knew she couldn't change his mind, but her curiosity got the better of her. She asked Zachary, "Can I at least ask why?" "I've been a stay-at-home husband for five years. I feel a bit out of touch with society," Zachary explained. He added, "And besides, I've never worked in a company before. My understanding of business is limited to the files I just read. If I want to manage this place well, I need to really understand it first, don't you think?" Anya found his reasoning hard to argue with. Still, she had her doubts about whether he could endure starting from the bottom. After some thought, she agreed, though not without conditions. "You're the son of the chairman, so you call the shots. But if headquarters gives me heat over this, you're taking the blame. "I've worked hard to get to where I am, so don't ruin it for me." "Don't worry," Zachary replied with a grin. Anya sighed and said, "Alright then. If you want to understand the company and toughen yourself up, start in the business department. Fieldwork is the best training ground." "Sounds good. Just let them know. I'll report to the business department today." Zachary replied. With that, Zachary turned to leave, but just then, the secretary knocked and entered the office. "Ms. Wayne, the front desk says Wendy from Jennings Corporation is here to see you. Should I let her in?" the secretary asked Anya.