Chapter 41 - 41 40

Words : 1691 Updated : Sep 10th, 2025

41: Chapter 40 41: Chapter 40 In the office of the Deputy Secretary, the door was firmly closed. Sarah Utah stood in front of the desk, nervously looking at Douglas Smith, the Deputy Secretary, and stammered, “Mr. Smith, what did you want to see me for?” Although the Deputy Secretary’s office had only one room, it housed three desks. Douglas Smith sat behind his desk, squinting at Sarah. He was known for his lascivious behavior, often taking advantage of the female staff. Emily Smith had been taken advantage of many times, but compared to Sarah, Emily was far less attractive. Sarah was young, beautiful, and also gentle and shy, which made her an easier target compared to the feisty Emily. If anyone went too far, Emily wasn’t afraid to speak up. Thus, Douglas now focused his attention on Sarah instead. However, the Deputy Secretary’s office wasn’t always solitary, and Sarah didn’t often give him opportunities. But this time, an opportunity had finally presented itself, and he intended to utilize it fully. “Little Sarah, it seems your work hasn’t been very good lately, has it?” Rocking in his chair, Douglas wore a stern face, mimicking a leader discussing work performance. Sarah was startled and quickly replied, “Where have I performed poorly? Please advise, Mr. Smith. I’ll strive to correct it.” Douglas didn’t actually know where Sarah had performed poorly; he was merely trying to intimidate her. Shaking his head, he said, “Our department’s work is indeed average at the moment, and you certainly bear some responsibility.” “Yes, I am responsible,” admitted Sarah, naive and straightforward, easily intimidated by Douglas’s words. Pleased with Sarah’s reaction, Douglas nodded and said, “However, it’s normal for young people to make mistakes. As a leader, I allow my subordinates to err. Don’t be too nervous. Let’s talk about something else. Do you really want to always work in this branch company?” Sarah quickly responded, “I think our JYPP Region Company is really good.” “The JYPP Region Company is indeed not bad. However, it’s just a subsidiary after all. Compared to the headquarters, it’s still lacking. Haven’t you ever thought about making a move, possibly going back to the headquarters? Once you get there, not only are the benefits better, but later, even if you are dispatched back to a branch, you could at least secure a ministerial position. Isn’t that an excellent way to get promoted?” Seeing that Sarah was sitting across from him and her guard was down, she replied, “But I’m just a junior employee. How could I easily move to the headquarters?” “That’s not the right mindset. People should aspire to rise higher, like water flows downward. That’s the only way to do better.” “Thank you, Mr. Smith, for your encouragement. I will try my best.” “Still such a young person. Do you think you can become a minister by your efforts alone? In this era, everything is about connections and favors. Sёarch* The nôvelFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. If you don’t know anyone in the headquarters, how can you expect to advance?” “But I don’t know anyone there.” “I do, though. If I help you, I can surely get you to the headquarters quickly.” As Douglas spoke, he had already stood up, feigning a move to pour a glass of water, but when he returned, he was standing right next to Sarah. “Mr. Smith, are you going to help me?” Sarah said, somewhat excited. “Yes, I see you as a promising young person and I’d certainly like to help you.” As he spoke, Douglas reached to pat Sarah’s shoulder, as if a superior caring for a subordinate. Startled, Sarah instinctively stepped aside, causing Douglas’s hand to miss. She said, “Thank you, Mr. Smith.” Unperturbed by the miss, Douglas smiled slyly and said, “Little Sarah, in this world, everything comes at a cost; there’s no reward without sacrifice. I’m helping you get to the headquarters. Haven’t you thought about how you could repay me?” Sarah’s face twitched, and she said, “Mr. Smith, I’m sorry, but I think it might be better for me to progress step by step in the branch office.” She then tried to leave, sensing that Douglas was a dangerous man. Douglas, however, had been captivated by Sarah’s beauty and wasn’t about to let such an opportunity slip away. Believing her to be timid and unlikely to speak out even if wronged, he stepped in front of her and reached for her in an embrace, smirking, “Little Sarah, you know I like you a lot. If you agree, I can give you money and also pave your way for promotion.” Sarah recoiled in horror. She hadn’t expected Douglas to be so bold. She stepped back, her hands defensively over her chest, trying to avoid him. But as Douglas had said, she was indeed too scared to yell out. Firstly, she didn’t dare offend Douglas too deeply, and secondly, as a girl who had never even had a boyfriend, the last thing she wanted was for others in the company to know she was being harassed by him, as it would ruin her reputation. “You… you are shameless!” At that moment, Sarah Utah truly saw Douglas Smith’s shamelessness but she didn’t know how to handle it. Douglas Smith laughed heartily and said, “I am shameless, but if you were with me, I would definitely treat you well, and we could even move to the headquarters. Isn’t such a benefit worth your while? Come on, let me give you a hug.” With that, he reached out to embrace Sarah. Just then, the office door was suddenly pushed open, causing Douglas Smith to hurriedly retract his arms, while Sarah seized this opportunity to push him forcefully and scrambled towards the door. “Oh, sorry, sorry, wrong door,” the person who entered was James Brown, who immediately apologized repeatedly to Douglas Smith with a smile, quickly retreated, and conveniently closed the door behind him. Douglas Smith was stunned for a moment, then furiously enraged—just when he was about to succeed, James Brown had spoiled it. “Wrong door,” indeed; the guy had clearly done it on purpose. “Damn it, kid, you’ve got guts, messing up my good thing. I’ll see how I deal with you.” Douglas Smith angrily slapped the table, knowing that James Brown was a new employee in the logistics department, and as the deputy head, it would be too easy to deal with him. At this time, James Brown had already returned to the office where Sarah Utah was leaning over the desk, her shoulders shaking, with Jessica Wilson sitting beside her, comforting her. Jessica Wilson then looked up at James Brown and shook her head, “Little James, be careful from now on. You’ve spoiled his game; he will definitely target you.” James Brown shrugged nonchalantly and smiled, “It’s okay, I couldn’t just watch Little Sarah being bullied.” Jessica Wilson asked quietly, “Little Sarah wasn’t taken advantage of, was she?” “Shouldn’t have been, I was listening at the door, and when I heard Douglas Smith make his move, I went in.” Jessica Wilson breathed a sigh of relief, patted Sarah Utah’s shoulder, and said softly, “You haven’t been taken advantage of, so why cry? It’s because you are too weak that Douglas Smith dares to be so bold. You think he dares to mess with me? I’d crush his balls.” James Brown immediately broke out in a sweat at Jessica Wilson’s fierce words, even spoken so frankly in front of him. Sarah Utah, also shocked by Jessica Wilson’s words, stopped crying, raised her head to wipe her tears, and with reddened eyes said to James Brown, “Mr. Brown, thank you.” “Why be polite with me? I still rely on you to show me the ropes at the company, and I haven’t even treated you to a meal yet.” Sarah wiped her eyes again and turned to Jessica Wilson, “Ms. Wilson, do you think Mr. Smith will really trouble James because of this?” James Brown, seeing Jessica Wilson about to nod, quickly said, “Don’t worry, I was personally placed here by Mr. Lopez. Mr. Smith may be influential, but he can’t top Mr. Lopez. If he dares to trouble me, I will go to Mr. Lopez and see what he can do about it.” Everyone knew that James Brown was appointed by Gina Lopez, but they were puzzled and didn’t understand how Gina Lopez, known as the least sentimental boss, had arranged for James Brown to be there. Now, listening to James Brown, it seemed he had a special relationship with Gina Lopez. Jessica Wilson looked at James Brown doubtfully and asked, “Little James, do you really have a connection with Mr. Lopez?” “Yes, of course, we have a connection—otherwise, how could I work here?” While they were talking, James Brown noticed Jessica Wilson and Sarah Utah looking with strange expressions over his shoulder. He hurriedly turned around, only to see Gina Lopez glaring at him murderously, sending chills down his spine. “Mr. Lopez, hello!” James Brown quickly plastered on a smile and greeted Ms. Lopez. Gina Lopez snorted coldly and said, “James Brown, I warn you; although I arranged for you to be here, we have no personal relations. If you keep using my name around the company, I will fire you immediately.” Gina Lopez was particularly angered because she had entered just in time to hear James Brown mention their ‘relationship,’ which implied a more intimate association. If people were to suspect they were involved romantically, that was absolutely intolerable for Gina Lopez. However, Gina Lopez was perhaps being paranoid; Jessica Wilson hadn’t thought in that direction at all. She only meant they had some familial or personal ties. In her heart, James Brown couldn’t compare to the formidable boss Gina Lopez and certainly could not have a romantic relationship with her.

Chapter 41 - 41 40

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