Chapter 5 Expressionlessly
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This was already the fifth cup of coffee handed to me. I took a sip expressionlessly.
During the days I had to work from home, I was the one handling all the documents the secretarial department needed to modify or urgently process. And whenever Mr. Hall so much as coughed, I had to bring him tea or water. If he knocked on my door, I had to be on standby with my laptop, ready to take orders at any
moment.
I was pretty much on–call around the clock, with no end in sight to the overtime.
There was never really a peaceful moment. It merely seemed that way for my coworkers because I was carrying the burden for everyone else.
However, it wasn’t completely without its benefits. At the very least, I now had the chance to get involved in the new project. Once I had all the materials organized, I began drafting a project proposal. With firsthand data at my disposal, the proposal came together smoothly.
For the next two days, apart from my regular duties, I only worked on writing the proposal. And on the day before the meeting, I was finally done.
In truth, I knew nothing about the progress of that project. I had no idea if Mr. Hall had already appointed someone to manage it or whether the project would even
go through. Nevertheless, I remained optimistic. If Mr. Hall hadn’t found the right person yet, I would take the initiative and recommend myself with this proposal.
If he had already appointed someone, I would still show him the proposal to prove my interest in working on projects.
Before the meeting started, Mr. Hall specifically came to my desk so that we could go to the meeting room together.
I had all the necessary materials ready, but for some reason, the proposal I printed out was nowhere to be found. I clearly remembered placing it in the folder on my desk. How could it be gone?
Seeing me frantically rummaging through my things, Mr. Hall furrowed his brows. “What’s missing? Is there still time to reprint it?”
“It’s nothing important.” Setting aside my suspicions, I said, “I’ll tell you about it after the meeting.”
I stopped searching, thinking I could just reprint it later, but fate clearly had other plans. While I had always intended for the proposal to end up in Mr. Hall’s hands, what I didn’t expect was the completely unexpected way it would reach him.
The meeting had been going smoothly. A few department heads gave a basic evaluation of the project, and everyone supported Mr. Hall’s vision of the project.
Soon, several potential partners were chosen, and for a while, everything was coming together. But just as everyone was preparing to wrap up the three–hour meeting, Lindsay abruptly burst into the meeting room.
“Everyone, please don’t leave yet! I have something to say!” As she stepped into the room, she announced loudly, “This concerns the success or failure of the project. I’ll only take a bit of your time!”
As everyone was startled, no one rebuked her for barging into an upper management meeting uninvited.
With a folder in hand, she strode over to Mr. Hall. “Mr. Hall, I happened to find evidence of an employee betraying the company, and it’s related to this new project! The proof is in this folder!”
Mr. Hall glanced at her, then opened the folder with a frown.
Lindsay stared straight at me, a smug grin appearing on her face.
I froze, trying to figure out why she was smiling at me so disgustingly until I suddenly heard Mr. Hall speak.
“A proposal for Markfield Group’s Sandcore Project?”
My eyes widened in slow realization.
“That’s right!” Lindsay declared confidently. “Company policy states that before a project officially launches, only you and the project manager can view the proposal. Yet someone secretly stole it and even printed it out. Isn’t this a blatant attempt to leak company secrets? And that person is right here among us!”
“Among us?” The head of finance frowned. “Everyone here is a department head, all of whom handle countless projects. Who would be so dumb as to risk their job by leaking a new project?”
“Well, not everyone here is a department head,” Lindsay sneered, tilting her chin toward me. “There’s also a mere secretary here, no?”
In an instant, all eyes turned to me.
Blinking, I turned to Mr. Hall. ‘Mr. Hall-”
Lindsay immediately cut me off when I started speaking, saying, “Mr. Hall, I know you’re close with April, but this isn’t something that can be covered up! Everyone’s watching, after all!”
There was a thinly veiled threat in her words.
That was when it hit me. So, this was why she rushed in before the meeting ended to “expose” me; she was afraid Mr. Hall would cover for me.
At that point, Mr. Hall had more or less finished skimming through the proposal. He was still looking down, seemingly deep in thought. After a long pause, he finally asked slowly, “Where did you get this proposal?”
“It was on April’s desk!”
Mr. Hall gave her a look “You were going through her desk?”
Lindsay hesitated for a moment before forcing herself to continue, “That’s right, but I merely took a quick look around her desk because she’s been acting all sneaky lately…”
Smirking, Mr. Hall glanced at me. “Care to explain?”
That smirk sent a shiver down my spine. I was still trying to figure out what to say when Lindsay raised her voice again. “Mr. Hall, the evidence is right in front of you! Even if she explains herself, what’s the point? Are you really just going to let this slide? Is this the kind of attitude a leader should have toward a project?”
Chapter 5 Expressionlessly
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The department heads exchanged glances, looking visibly uneasy.
One of them cleared his throat. “Lindsay, watch your tone. Mr. Hall would never cover anything up. Apologize to him right now.”
I turned to look at him. He was the head of the logistics department, a token figure planted by a shareholder to skim off the top. The way he addressed Lindsay so casually, combined with her smug behavior, made me realize something. This wasn’t just about me. They were targeting Mr. Hall as well.
I was about to speak up and rescue Mr. Hall from this ambush when I heard him chuckle softly. “Cover up? I would never. If someone really tried to leak company secrets, I’d be the first to kick them out.”
Lindsay’s eyes instantly lit up, but Mr. Hall wasn’t done talking.
“But regrettably, this proposal can’t even be considered a company secret yet,” he said, half–smiling. “The project is still in its early planning stages, and a person in charge hasn’t even been appointed yet. So, how could there already be an official proposal?”
Lindsay instinctively stepped back. “T–That’s impossible… Then, where did that proposal come from?”
I slowly raised my hand. “I wrote it.”
Lindsay looked as though she had been struck by lightning.
“Come to think of it, I should thank you.” Mr. Hall suddenly spoke again.
