Chapter 76

But really, how could they expect someone so young to run a company? And if headquarters sent this girl to be president, what was her husband supposed to do? He had worked nonstop since day one, built the company from the ground up, and now some girl was supposed to be his boss? How was that even fair?
Lydia noticed the stubborn glare in Rose’s eyes, the way anger simmered just beneath the surface. She let out a quiet laugh. “It looks like you think of this company as your own house. Or maybe you believe it belongs entirely to your family. Josef, if you keep things from me, how am I supposed to trust you as my executive assistant?”
There was something pointed in her tone, and Josef felt sweat break out on his forehead. “Ms. Norwood, I… I just
“Forget it. Take me upstairs.” Lydia had a feeling the problems here ran deep, and she knew nothing would get solved in a single conversation.
Josef nodded quickly. “Right away.”
At the front desk, the two receptionists looked at each other, eyes wide and worried. One of them whispered, “What are we supposed to do? I can’t lose this job.”
Rose watched Lydia walk away, her lips curling in a cold sneer. “What are you so worried about? She’s not going to last. Some clueless kid thinks she can be president? I honestly don’t know what headquarters was thinking, making such a ridiculous choice.”
The two receptionists hurried over to Rose, dropping to their knees in front of her, pleading, “Ma’am, please, don’t let them fire us. We really need this job.”
Rose crossed her arms and lifted her chin, completely basking in her moment of power. She gave a smug little laugh. “Relax. She isn’t going to make any waves here. My husband will have her out faster than she came in.” New ɴᴏᴠᴇʟ ᴄhapters are published on.net
Josef was all set to take Lydia straight to the president’s office, but she stopped him. She wanted to check out the design department first. In a fashion company, that was where everything started.
As Josef led her to the design floor, Lydia could see even from a distance that order was not a priority here. Employees sat scattered at their desks. Some scrolled on their phones, others munched on breakfast, a few touched up their makeup, and a group clustered around, sipping coffee and chatting like it was Sunday morning.
Lydia checked the time. It was already 8:30. Work was supposed to start at 8.
Josef opened his mouth to say something, but Lydia raised her hand, stopping him. She walked closer, catching snippets of the coffee group’s conversation as they laughed over the latest viral news.
“Did you guys see that video? The one everyone’s talking about today? Three dudes riding motorcycles totally naked in the middle of the night. I almost spit my coffee everywhere.”
“I saw it too! Those guys had killer bodies. The abs… and, you know, down there… it looked huge!”
“Oh my god, you’re such a perv!”
“I’m just appreciating the view. Didn’t someone online say one of them looked like the ambassador’s son or something?”
“The ambassador’s son? Naked on a motorcycle in the middle of the night? Come on, you actually believe that?”
“Exactly!”
Lydia stepped forward and said, in a calm voice, “One of them really is the son of the ambassador from Country D.”
“What? Seriously?”
“Yeah.”
Her sudden comment made everyone turn around in shock. They saw a young girl with bright, clear eyes, flawless skin, and a cool, almost untouchable vibe.
“Uh… whose kid are you? How did you even get into the design department?”