Filed to story: The Regretful Billionaire: An Unpredicted Reunion
“You don’t need to go.He has nothing to do with you anyway.Not even if he dies.”
Just like Eustace wouldn’t have visited Mortimer in the hospital if he was in Bardoff City, he naturally wouldn’t let Danika visit.
To him, Mortimer Quincey had died long ago.
Danika sighed in relief.
“What about Grandpa?”
“I haven’t told him yet.His health hasn’t been the best, so I don’t want him to know yet.”
All Eustace could do was pretend Mortimer was still fine in front of his grandfather.
Winning People Over
While Danika and Eustace were talking over the phone, trouble was brewing on the other side of the city.
A menacing man lounged back in his chair, gazing intently at the pictures on his phone. “Are you certain?” he asked his bodyguard.
The bodyguard nodded. “Yes, sir. The old man is one of the few who left the family those years ago. That’s his grandson. He’s achieved quite the success in Parrington.’
The man in the lounge switched off his phone. “What do you think their intentions are, these…strays? Why come back now after they left all those years ago?”
The bodyguard stayed silent, not daring to suggest anything.
“Heh. For power, obviously. They think they’re losing strength, so they’re crawling back for help. I wonder what makes them think the family will help them,” the man snorted, ignoring the guard.
He was incredibly pissed right now. He should’ve been next in line to take over the family, but then their family elder put out the order to recall all family members, even the ones that had left, back home so they could have a fair chance in competing to be the heir.
To him, the move was an attack in disguise, with its target being himself.
“Alright. He wants everyone to come back, doesn’t he? We’ll see how that’ll happen if those strays die before he can do so!” the man said ominously after a while. “Take care of those strays. I don’t want a single one of those outcasts to set foot in this family.’
The bodyguard nodded and left. Just before he stepped out the door, the man in the seat spoke again, “Especially the young one. He’s the most powerful one right now, yes?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Good. Make sure he doesn’t come back alive.”
Danika and Jolene were greeted by Zellweger Inc’s HR department manager when they stepped into the building.
“Miss Danika, Miss Jolene,” the woman greeted them respectfully.
Danika nodded while Jolene scoffed and demanded, “Where’s my office?”
“On the 17th floor, Miss Jolene.”
Jolene nodded. “Take me there.”
“Huh?” The manager gaped in surprise, then she glanced at Danika hesitantly.
She couldn’t afford to offend either one of these women.
As if seeing her dilemma, Danika shrugged. “I’ll head to the HR department myself. You go ahead.”
“No need, Miss Danika. We’ve already registered both of your applications. You just need to report to Mr. Caiman on the 12th floor before you start.”
Seeing the manager still occupied with Danika, Jolene put her hands on her waist and huffed, “Are you deaf? I told you to bring me to my office! Do you want to lose your job?”
The manager bit back her anger and said, “Alright, Miss Jolene. Come with me, please.” She shot Danika an apologetic look before bringing Jolene to the 17th floor.
The sisters were now employed in the company but undertook very different positions. Danika was starting small as a department staff, while Jolene was a manager. She was here to win people over to her side, and there was no way she could do that if she started small like Danika did.
Of course, she only had to win over those who had influence, such as those with voting rights during board meetings. An HR manager was clearly not someone like that, so there was no point going through pleasantries with her.
Gain Some, Lose Some
Danika found Mr. Caiman waiting for her on the 12th floor.
“This is your cubicle, Miss Danika. Our department handles sales. I’ll give you a rundown of everything we do/ the man said kindly. He wasn’t an idiot. Danika was obviously starting from the bottom in order to thoroughly learn the workings of the company. There was a high chance she would be his boss one day, so he didn’t dare offend her now.
Danika nodded. “You can just call me Danika, sir.”
“Um…” He really didn’t want to risk it.
“Really, it’s fine,” Danika insisted. She knew what the manager’s concern was. Might as well try to alleviate it.
Mr. Caiman relented. “Alright, Danika. Take a look at these documents first. You’re welcome to ask me if you have any questions.”
Danika went to her cubicle and started studying the papers given to her. The information listed was much more detailed than what she had dug up herself, so she soon grew quite invested, turning oblivious to everyone else’s attention on her.
The other employees had been quite curious about the new member. But now there was no doubt who it was seeing her in person. News of Danika returning to her family had spread like wildfire across the Internet, reaching even the employees’ devices.
They weren’t used to such an elite presence, so the usually rowdy office now sunk into dead silence.
Some of the staff huddled up in the break room during break time, gossiping among themselves. “What was she thinking coming to our department? She’s definitely setting us up on purpose.”
Theirs was a relaxed department, with no high expectations of their work. All they needed to do was hit the minimum of sales each month in order to keep their job.
One could even skip work for days, and no one would blink an eye.
Danika’s arrival had disrupted the system.
“Of course she is! She’s been acting all busy since the start. Who’d leave work with her being like that?” someone else whined. Unlike other departments, they didn’t need to work on their computers TAH. Usually, they’d clock off after a few hours, but none of them dared to today.
“I really don’t understand why she chose this position. I heard Miss Jolene is working as a manager.” It was obvious to everyone that it was a better position.
“Miss Jolene grew up in the Zellweger family, after all. This Danika figure is bound to be different.”
“Didn’t they say Danika was the favorite, though?”
“Bullshit. Just look at the jobs they chose. Miss Jolene is obviously Mr. Zellweger’s favorite. As for Danika…” The person wriggled their brows and said nothing else.
Their friends grinned in tacit understanding.
Danika sipped her water outside the door, silently listening to the conversation.
She decided not to go into the break room in the end.
It was reasonable for her colleagues to be skeptical about her, so she didn’t mind it much. She had chosen the sales department because it was one of the best places to gain experience. As long as she bagged some clients and had results to show for it, no one would think less of her.
It was just…
Her status was troubling. Sure, being the daughter to Graham Zellweger had its perks, like making sales deals easier to close, but it also had its cons. No matter how great her results were, there would always be those who thought she achieved it due to her status and influence and not based on her own effort.
Danika sighed. “You gain some, you lose some, huh.”
Are You Going to Disagree?
“Miss Jolene,” Philippa greeted cheerfully, walking into Jolene’s office on the 17th floor. “Here are the documents you wanted.”
“Mm. You can leave it there.” Jolene nodded at the table. “How long have you been working here?”
“Two months, miss,” Philippa reported, fearful she might get picked on because of it. She’d heard Jolene was tough to handle. Surprisingly, the woman only smiled.
Two months was a good time; not too new, not too experienced either. Philippa would be of good use to Jolene in the coming days.
“Not bad. Work hard, and I’ll make sure you get your worth,” she praised, then unclasped the bangle on her wrist, placing it on the desk. “Here, a gift. Take it.”
Philippa gazed at her in shock. ‘I cant possibly, miss-“
“I said take it,” Jolene snapped. “You’re my assistant, and my assistant should be able to own fine things.”
Philippa bit back her refusal and hurriedly tucked the bracelet into her bag with gratitude.
Jolene hissed internally at the sight. That bangle had cost her thousands. But it was worth it if it meant she could buy people’s support. She wasn’t hurting for the money either.
“You know my sister, yes? She’s working as a saleswoman downstairs.” Philippa nodded silently.
“We’re both our father’s daughter, yet she’s left to do cheap sales work while I get to be a manager. What do you think that means?’ Jolene asked, waiting for an answer.
Philippa froze, then answered, “It means you’re Mr. Zellweger’s favorite, miss.” Jolene nodded. “Yes. Smart girl. Now, I’m going to give you the task of watching every move my sister makes. No matter what she does or says, I want you to report it to me exactly as it happened. Understand?”
Philippa bit her lip, not expecting this whatsoever. “But miss-‘
Jolene’s face instantly darkened. “Yes? Are you going to disagree with my decision?”
“N-no, miss.” Philippa wouldn’t dare. She just never imagined her career would involve something this shady.
As if reading her mind, Jolene sighed. “My sister is a cunning woman. I’m afraid she might do something out of jealousy since I’m a manager, and she’s not. Just do as I tell you, and I promise, when I take over the company as CEO, you’ll still be appointed my assistant.”
Philippa brightened up instantly. The CEO’s assistant cum secretary was a much higher position than her current one. “Don’t worry, Miss Jolene. I’ll make sure to report everything to you.”
Jolene nodded, pleased. “Go on then.”
After Philippa left, Jolene reclined in her chair and eyed the documents on her desk. They were information about all the higher-ups in the company, people
Jolene intended to buy over to her side. She soon grew bored of reading and started scrolling through her phone.