Chapter 1049:
“Yes. Just do it,” Brenna urged.
Though reluctant, Lorna obeyed. She retrieved one of the untouched bags from the pantry, placed it in an elegant gift bag, and pulled open a drawer to collect a few chocolates worth over…
…ten thousand. She tucked the chocolates into her pocket and made her way to the ninetyninth floor.
When the elevator doors opened, a row of secretaries looked up, their faces lit with curiosity. The moment they saw her, they straightened at their desks and pretended to work. Lorna wasn’t easily fooled. She sensed the tense atmosphere the instant she stepped off the elevator.
She walked directly to Alani’s desk and asked, “Did something just happen in Mr. Mitchell’s office?”
Muffled voices drifted through the closed door—heated, but unintelligible. Alani’s eyes flicked to the gift bag dangling from Lorna’s hand. “Did Ms. Harper send this?” she guessed.
Lorna lifted the bag slightly. “A client’s gift—rare coffee beans, supposedly the best in the world. There were only two bags, and Ms. Harper treasures them. Yet she still asked me to deliver one to Mr. Mitchell.”
Alani cocked her head. “Ethan isn’t short on coffee. The break room is stocked with premium blends.” She smiled. “But anything from Brenna is special. He always cherishes her gifts.”
“You might want to wait,” Alani continued, pulling up a chair. “Three deputy managers are in there with Ms. Wilson, and they’ve been arguing for over ten minutes. Their meeting should end soon.”
The two women settled in and chatted quietly—after all, they knew each other well and shared almost everything. As they spoke, Lorna slipped a few chocolates from her pocket and offered them to the secretaries nearby, giving Alani two extra pieces. Luxury perks were common in a firm this size, and everyone recognized the chocolates as highend. With salaries between ten and twenty thousand a month, none of them would normally spend over ten thousand on a single box.
Lorna was met with grateful smiles all around. After a bit of small talk, she leaned closer to Alani and asked, “So, what’s all the fuss about in there?” After a stretch of small talk, Lorna got to the point.
Alani didn’t intend to hide anything. “Do you remember a few days ago when Ms. Wilson tried to take over the fiftyseventh floor?”
𝘿𝙤 𝙣𝙤𝙩 𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙙 𝙘𝙤𝙥𝙞𝙚𝙨 — 𝙫𝙞𝙚𝙬 𝙖𝙩 𝙜ⲁ𝗅𝗇𝗈ν𝖊𝗅𝘀﹒𝗰𝗈𝗺
Lorna nodded. “Yeah. She even went straight to Ms. Harper and stirred up trouble over it. I can’t believe it—she’s barely settled in and already wants to send us packing. Is she trying to take over both our floors again today?”
With a sigh, Alani replied, “Gracie is determined to become general manager of the venture capital project. The three deputy managers and Mr. Mitchell all disagree. Gracie keeps talking about her years leading the Wilson Group and her wide network, but Milton pointed out that she’s on a streak of bad luck, and a project this important can’t be entrusted to her. Besides, she’s buried in debt, so nobody trusts her with that responsibility. That’s what sparked the entire argument.”
Angry voices still poured from the CEO’s office. After about ten minutes, Gracie emerged with red, burning eyes and marched past the secretaries’ desks into her own office.
Lorna grabbed the gift bag and stood. “I’m going in now.”
No one stopped her—Ethan had made it clear that whether Brenna or Lorna delivered something, they were to be allowed direct access to his office.
.
.
.