Chapter 111
Eileen stood in the back, looking at Judie with a faint smile. Though Judie remained facing forward, she could feel Eileen’s eyes on her, causing her body to become a bit stiff. Nevertheless, she spoke up, her voice carrying a hint of exasperation, “Must I walk you through every misstep one by one? Surely, you’re not oblivious to…”
In the world of elite social circles, it was all about the aura of domination. Charli had navigated countless encounters with demanding clients; they were all intimidating people who spoke much. But Judie was a different breed; she had brought the tenacity of a marketplace brawler to the refined setting.
“We’re at a loss here. Perhaps you could provide us with more specific examples so we can guide our team in rectifying any missteps.” Charli’s response was measured, lacking the deference she had shown to Vivian.
Judie caught this shift and felt a flicker of irritation. She asserted, “Miss Warren sat here half the day without proper attention. She’s not someone your staff can afford to overlook…”
Judie aimed the spotlight at Vivian, trying to use her as an excuse. Eileen just felt disgusted by Judie’s demeanor.
Eventually, Judie said, “Miss Warren, isn’t what I’m saying correct?” She had voiced her complaint on Vivian’s behalf, so she expected Vivian to back her up now.
But Vivian’s reaction caught her off guard. Instead of the expected satisfaction, Vivian’s face drained of color, her attention fixed on the imposing figure standing at the store’s entrance. Bryan’s face was calm, one hand casually in his pocket while the other held a slowly burning cigarette, its ash piling up as he observed the scene with a serious expression.
“Mr. Dawson!” Charli’s heart skipped a beat at the sight of Bryan. As the manager, she should uphold fairness in situations where employees faced deliberate trouble. But Vivian was Bryan’s beloved. Whether Bryan would handle the situation impartially remained uncertain.
At the mention of Bryan’s name, Eileen paused, her surprise evident as she turned to look at Bryan. Why was he here again? Bryan didn’t enter. He just flicked his cigarette ash near the trash can, taking another drag.
Observing this, Raymond cautiously asked, “Mr. Dawson, should we intervene? Whose side do we support?”
Bryan shot him a sharp glance, conveying a clear message. Raymond quickly replied, “Handle it immediately.”
Entering the store, Raymond asked, “What’s going on?”
Charli succinctly summarized the complaint incident, then gestured towards Eileen, saying, “As for what happened in the lounge, let Eileen explain, or you can go for yourself.”
The door to the break room stood ajar, revealing the mess inside with just a slight movement of Raymond’s gaze. Raymond hesitated, unsure of where Bryan’s allegiance lay. Whose side should he take?
“It’s just perfect that Mr. Dawson is here,” Judie’s confidence swelled as she noticed that Bryan hadn’t come inside the store, interpreting it as his silent approval of her and Vivian’s actions. Her tone grew bolder: “Your store doesn’t have a rule mandating purchases after trying on clothes, does it? So, we’re not at fault for not buying, right? I was the one who tried on all those clothes, Eileen neglected Miss Warren, and I’m lodging a complaint on behalf of my friend. Is that unreasonable?”
Charli suddenly fell silent. Aniya and Essie observed the unfolding drama, their hearts pounding. Vivian felt anxious, her lips pressed together as she watched Bryan outside the store. The smoke veiled his expression.
Tension hung in the air. As Raymond hesitated on what to do, Bryan walked inside. A hint of smoke trailed him as he entered, reaching Eileen’s nostrils. His deep voice cut through the tension. “You made the rules of the store. You know how to handle this?” His words were aimed at Eileen.
An unfamiliar sensation stirred within Eileen. She found herself unable to suppress a smile. “Understood, Mr. Dawson.” She turned to look at Vivian and Judie and said, “In our store, if someone tries on more than ten dresses or uses our services for over two hours without purchasing, and then wants to file complaints, they’ll be considered ‘scammers’ and will be charged a service fee at the standard rate of eight hundred and eighty-eight dollars per hour. If this occurs more than twice, they’ll end up on our blacklist.”
“What… What do you mean?” Judie was dumbfounded.
“It means that from the moment you entered the store until now, totaling three hours, you owe a service fee of two thousand six hundred and sixty-four dollars. Since this is your first time, you only need to pay the service fee. However, since Miss Warren is here for the second time and has spent over two hours without buying anything, she’ll be added to our store’s blacklist,” Eileen calmly explained.
If Bryan hadn’t arrived, she had planned to bring up these agreements. But she knew Vivian wouldn’t accept this outcome easily. If Charli didn’t want to upset Vivian, these agreements would not be enforced. At most, Vivian would probably not return to the store. However, Bryan’s arrival had changed everything. He had taken the initiative to remind Eileen of the rules she had set. His intention was clear.
“Bryan…” Vivian glanced at him. “It’s not what you think. I just brought Judie here to broaden her horizons. I never expected her to cause such a scene…”
Judie was caught off guard and tried to defend herself. “Miss Warren, that’s not true! You were the one who told me to do this!”
Before Judie could finish, Vivian silenced her with a piercing look. Their attempts to shift blame only elicited a brief comment from Bryan. “Follow the rules,” he said.
Charli sprang into action, signaling Aniya with a glance. Aniya approached Judie swiftly and said, “Miss, please settle the service fee.”
Judie was devastated. She hadn’t even worked today and now faced a day’s salary and attendance bonus being docked. The real kicker was being thrown under the bus by Vivian. Judie suddenly realized how naive she had been.
Turning to Eileen, Judie grasped Eileen’s hand. “Eileen, I don’t have that much money. Can you let me off the hook? We’re practically family; can you just show me some leniency?”
“No,” Eileen withdrew her hand, firm in her resolve. “I’m just an employee here. I can’t afford to let it slide.”
“Then…” Judie bit her lip, embarrassed. “Could you at least help me cover the fee? I don’t have that amount of money now…”
Essie and Aniya regarded Judie with disdain. They had noticed from the start that she wasn’t dressed very well, but since she was with Vivian, they hadn’t said anything.
“Mr. Dawson, can we deduct the service fee from Judie’s monthly salary and have finance handle the transfer to your side?” Eileen asked Bryan.
Bryan raised his eyebrows slightly as he replied, “Yes.”
Judie was in despair. Her monthly expenses were already high, and she had hardly any savings. The deduction would eat into what little she had left, but with no one coming to her aid, she felt utterly abandoned.
“Mr. Dawson, we should head back to the company now,” Raymond reminded Bryan.
Having rushed over, he noted that there was a meeting that was already starting later, and Raymond had to remind Bryan.
“Let’s go.” Bryan slipped his hands into his pockets and turned to walk away, his upright posture commanding attention.
Watching him leave, Eileen’s lips curved into a smile. Despite Judie and Vivian still being in the store, she turned and entered the lounge to tidy up the clothes.
After some time, Aniya and Essie also joined her, silently assisting in the cleanup. The three of them worked efficiently and restored the lounge to its original state within an hour.
Essie and Aniya didn’t pay much attention to Bryan’s words about the rules being set by Eileen. However, they secretly speculated whether Eileen had a connection to Bryan. They even admired Bryan’s fairness and impartiality, noting that he hadn’t let his relationship with Vivian affect his judgment.
But Charli had caught Bryan’s words loud and clear. During lunch break, she quietly made her way to where Eileen was eating her meal.
“Were you… Mr. Dawson’s special assistant?” Charli asked Eileen.
Previous encounters between Charli and Bryan had been brief, and Charli had never had close contact with Bryan or his assistant. Charli only recalled that Bryan had a highly capable female assistant, but she couldn’t quite remember what the assistant looked like. She thought about Bryan’s words regarding Eileen having set the rules of the store. She also remembered how Maison had recognized Eileen before Bryan had just changed his assistant. So, Charli took a bold guess.
Eileen’s movements halted as she lifted her head, asking gently, “What?”
Observing Eileen’s clear eyes and considering how diligently Eileen had worked since arriving at the store, Charli began to doubt her guess.
Would someone accustomed to being a special assistant tolerate the demanding job of a frontline employee?
“Nothing,” Charli said, turning to leave.
Eileen had lost her appetite. She had no intention of keeping it a secret from Charli. It was just that she hadn’t quite grasped Charli’s direct question, and before she could fully understand it, Charli had already walked away.
She couldn’t just chase after Charli and tell her that she indeed used to be Bryan’s special assistant. She thought about Bryan’s sudden appearance in the store. He hadn’t come just for her, right? Countless thoughts flooded Eileen’s mind, impossible to suppress.
On the way back to Apex Group, Raymond pressed down on the gas pedal, but he feared they would still be late for the meeting. Amid concern, he suddenly heard Bryan say, “Apex Group does not tolerate employees who work overtime on weekends just to slack off on workdays.”
“What?” Raymond glanced at Bryan through the rearview mirror, puzzled by the unexpected statement. Suddenly, it dawned on him. He understood that Bryan was talking about Judie. “Yes, Mr. Dawson,” he replied.
While Raymond had been preoccupied with the impending delay of Bryan’s meeting, Bryan’s mind had been focused on how to handle Judie. It seemed Eileen held significant importance to Bryan, and Raymond had learned his lesson. If a similar situation arose again, he would know how to handle it.
That afternoon, Judie hurried back to work, eager to salvage even half a day’s wage. But as soon as she entered the office, she heard the devastating news—she had been fired. The manager listed numerous issues with her work, leaving her no room for argument.
Carrying a box, she walked out of the company, stunned by Bryan’s decision to fire her. Had he done this because of Eileen? It must have been Eileen who instigated Bryan to do this!
Eileen hadn’t completely cut ties with Bryan yet, but Judie believed Eileen was already finding ways to distance herself from her and Roderick. Thinking of that, Judie immediately reached for her phone to call Roderick, but she hesitated, considering how incompetent he was. Instead, she dialed another number. “Mom, it’s Judie. You need to talk to Eileen. She’s not looking out for her own mother, and she’s coming after me. I’ve been fired from the company.”