Chapter 95: Chapter 94: Take the Money and Leave
"Before my mother’s death, there were three premeditated car accidents. The first one didn’t succeed, the second one injured my mother, and the last one..."
Elliana Lyle paused for a moment. Even without her continuing, Norman Bennett understood.
Elliana then continued, "From Shane Southwell’s words, I sensed something else. It’s very likely that the first and second accidents weren’t masterminded by him."
"And I need Luna to stay and help me investigate Nancy’s matters, and also George Lyle."
She said everything in one breath while Norman Bennett quietly listened throughout.
After seeing the young girl finish speaking, the man gently pulled her into his embrace.
With silent contemplation, Norman Bennett seemed to have a change of mind.
"Alright, but you must agree to my conditions," the man said.
"Say it," Elliana looked up with an unusually serious expression at him.
After Norman Bennett’s explanation, she learned of his conditions.
The condition was that Luna must follow Norman Bennett’s management. The first task is to merge the company established by Luna and her into the legal firm under the Harmony Group, turning it into a legitimate law studio. Instead of following Luna’s playful detective agency endeavors from abroad, which could easily violate the law domestically.
A simple condition, she agreed almost without hesitation for the sake of the future.
She was responsible for guiding Luna, and if Luna didn’t cooperate, she would be immediately sent back to XRB.
...
― Hotel.
"What? He wants me to follow his management arrangement?"
Upon receiving this call from Elliana, Luna immediately jumped up from bed.
She raised her hand to the air, firmly declaring, "Impossible, absolutely impossible!"
"Then send you back to XRB?" Elliana noticed that Luna was very reluctant to go back to XRB.
Hearing this on the phone, Luna was suddenly stunned, "No, it seems like you don’t care about me at all. Do you still want me to help you with things?"
"I do, but if you’re unwilling to stay, I can’t force you, right?" Elliana’s tone had an element of playfulness that Luna could detect.
Knowing that Elliana saw through her, Luna became calm and asked, "Is there no other way?"
"At present, it seems there isn’t."
"Alright, alright!"
Luna could only accept with a sullen face, but according to Elliana, she managed to retain two or three of the talents she found.
"Alright, quickly tell me about George Lyle’s matter," Elliana urged.
"What’s the rush? My brother hasn’t agreed yet. The latest by noon tomorrow, see you at the company tomorrow noon."
...
The next morning, as the first rays of sunlight cast down, a woman in a dark gray coat was already standing at the deserted crossroad of Normandy Road, South City.
A pearl hairpin secured her jet-black hair at the nape, lazy yet casual.
At this moment, a Volkswagen car stopped in front of her, and a neatly dressed young man, around twenty-seven or eight, ordinary looking with a warm charm, got out of the car.
"Phoebe, are you really waiting for me here?" The man appeared a bit anxious, stepping forward to take Phoebe Lyle’s hand and gently warming it with his breath.
"I told you to wait for me at home obediently."
The man was John Shaw, Phoebe Lyle’s high school deskmate, and now they were confirmed partners.
"Look at you, how cold your hands are." John Shaw looked at the woman in front of him helplessly. Though his tone was blaming, there was more of a heartache.
Phoebe Lyle smiled faintly without speaking. Today was the day John Shaw accompanied her to meet her parents to discuss marriage plans, although she knew that her mother was ninety percent against it.
The rear window of the car slowly rolled down, revealing John Shaw’s parents inside, "Oh dear, it’s so cold outside, Phoebe, come in quickly."
...
Noon.
The winter sun wasn’t fierce, just like a slightly larger light bulb.
At this time, Elliana Lyle had arrived at the company, only to see a few security guards inside dozing off, each lounging awkwardly, some even brought their pillows!
Of course, there were also some who were spirited, two gathered playing games together, three playing poker in a heated battle.
Everyone was playing their own games, and sleeping as they wished.
"Ahem!" Elliana stood at the entrance with her hands behind her back, Lana and two plain-clothed bodyguards evidently standing behind her.
The people playing games raised their heads towards the source of the voice and saw a delicate "little girl" standing at the entrance, in a beige coat, with elegantly loose black hair framing a captivating oval face.
Isn’t this their celebrity boss? After reacting for a long time, they hurriedly stood up.
One of them kicked a security guard sleeping on the ground, and after about a minute, everyone stood in two lines.
In unison: "Hello, boss."
"Hmm."
Although Elliana didn’t say much on the surface, she couldn’t help frowning slightly, perhaps the calm before the storm.
As soon as she entered the door, something felt off. There was a sour and rancid smell, and the whole company seemed to have dimmed a shade.
Clearly not a lighting issue.
Each computer desk and the floor clearly had a layer of dust, cigarette butts were carelessly tossed about, takeout boxes in the trash cans were moldy and growing fuzz with no one to dispose of them.
A vague sight of something squirming could be seen.
"..."
"All of you, come here." Elliana turned around, pointing at the security guards at the entrance.
"Boss."
The security guards respected Elliana quite a bit, given that the job felt like a game, yet paid well.
Looking at this group of young men, Elliana rubbed her temples, pointing at the various unsightly things in the trash, "How many days has this been?"
In winter, things don’t usually spoil so quickly, but the heating in the company was really warm. It was evident from a few young men who had taken off their security uniforms and were wearing short sleeves.
"Boss, this was not us. It was Lawyer Lee who ate this some time ago; we’ve just been clocking in at that spot by the door and haven’t really come inside." One young man spoke, looking like the leader.
"Then didn’t you smell it? Can’t you take it down when you clock out?" Elliana at this time exhibited a stern look, resembling a mother lecturing her children.
"But... we’re not the cleaning staff, that’s not our job either. Boss Luna said we don’t need to care about anything else."
Elliana squinted slightly, looking at the young man explaining, asking, "What’s your name? Do you know how much monthly salary you get?"
After all, there was nothing to do; what’s wrong with taking out trash?
The young man was honest, "Zhang Dabao, 8,000 a month."
"How much?" Elliana was somewhat shocked. She had once thought she heard wrong; this completely exceeded her expectations.
Come to think of it, it was her fault; she didn’t manage these things after opening the company.
"Very well, earning 8,000 salary, all they do is sleep or sit and play games, yet can’t even take out moldy, maggot-ridden trash."
Elliana gazed coldly at the few of them and said, "From now on, this place doesn’t need you anymore."
"How is that possible?"
"We were hired by Boss Luna, and she’s the one paying our salaries. What right do you have to dismiss us?"
Zhang Dabao appeared somewhat disgruntled, spreading his hands and glancing around, his companions were the same.
Elliana pulled over a relatively clean chair to sit down, with the two bodyguards standing tall behind her, exerting a suppressive aura.
Looking at the security guards who appeared to be confronting a tyrant, she slightly raised her brows, coldly saying, "The Boss Luna you mention, her salary is also paid by me. What right do you say I have?"
Observing their somewhat startled reactions, she knew more talking was useless, so straightforwardly said, "Everyone, go to finance to get this month’s salary along with a month’s severance. After collecting your money, leave immediately."