Chapter 173
Jan shook his head slightly, thinking. See, someone’s already upset.
“That’s a good point,” Ophelia said indifferently.
Everyone else appeared to be smugly satisfied.
They all knew Hendrick was a key figure in the company. He was in charge of a lot of projects, so he was always arrogant without regard for anyone. The executives would never confront him directly.
They believed Ophelia was too naive.
They thought. Truly, ignorance makes her fearless,”
They were all waiting to see how Hendrick would embarrass her
Someone commented, “Ms. Spencer, you’re barely in college. What do you know about business or design? Who taught you to dismiss employees arbitrarily? If you make decisions based solely on your own whims, wouldn’t the company fall into chaos?
Ophelia appeared calm, leading others to believe she was taken aback by the words spoken.
“Mr. Leech, if someone like her is meddling in the company decisions, then I might as well resign now. I don’t want to wait until the company fails under her and I get laid off, remarked someone.
Ian sighed, and seeing this, more people echoed.
With a gentle smile, Phoebe addressed Hendrick, saying, “Mr. Rodriguez, please remain calm. We value your talent here, and after all these years, it’s unthinkable for the company to fail There’s no need to be upset. It’s possible that Elia has some genuinely good ideas.”
Feeling the gaze of the beautiful Phoebe, Hendrick licked his upper lip, adjusted his suit, and reluctantly sat down.
He thought, “What good ideas could she possibly have? Ridiculous!”
Ophelia announced, “Hendrick Rodriguez, aged 32, holds a Marketing degree from Havencrest University and boasts over five years of professional experience, with more than four of those years in senior management roles.
“Throughout his career, he has successfully negotiated agreements with numerous companies, attracting a number of international brand clients. At present, he is chiefly in charge of the company’s import–export operations, managing three active projects.”
“That’s right,” Hendrick said and lifted his chin, wondering. ‘What’s going on? Is she going to praise me in front of everyone? Trying to flatter me? What a childish trick!”
Ophelia opened Hendrick’s resume and said, “Your resume is impressive, but I have a question for you
“Go ahead.” Hendrick crossed his arms, speaking with an air of arrogance.
“Regarding our collaboration project with Manns, the profit margin was supposed to be between 8% and 12%, with the company aiming for at least a 10% profit. Under your management, the company’s profit has only reached 8%. Where has the additional profit gone?” Ophelia inquired
Hearing this, Hendrick dropped his hands, pursed his lips, and swallowed instinctively, sitting up straight.
Before he had a chance to clarify, Ophelia pressed on. “Did you omit to mention on your resume that you once served as the Deputy Director of Operations at Manns?
Chapter 173
“When you worked there, you were responsible for a significant financial setback following a pivotal company decision that turned out to be a mistake, leading to the payment of compensatory damages?
“So tell me, how did you manage to pay off a massive 1.8 million dollars in less than six months, when your annual salary was less than 300 thousand dollars?”
Ophelia’s tone was casual, as if she was discussing mundane matters, yet her gaze was sharp, piercing straight into Hendrick’s soul.
Sweat started to form on Hendrick’s forehead as he gripped the armrests. He constantly shifted his position nervously.
He pondered, ‘How could she possibly know about this? If she was bluffing, how could she recall the numbers so accurately?”
It was quite a coincidence.
Half a year ago, Ophelia participated in a design competition where one of the designers was from Manns.
At that time, Ophelia researched Manns and discovered it was collaborating with Huxley Fashion, with Hendrick leading the project.
Then Ophelia asked Chloe to investigate further, which led to a surprising discovery.
Ophelia’s eyes scanned the others at the conference desk, and she asked. “May I know who’s the Director of Finance?”
Terence Jensen, the Director of Finance, was stunned and slowly stood up.
Ophelia asked, “Mr. Jensen, are you unaware of this situation?”
“I knew nothing about it!” Terence waved his hands in denial.
After being stared at by Ophelia, Terence felt a chill down his spine and every hair on his body stood up.
“Well, this still needs to be confirmed, since Mr. Rodriguez is an experienced employee… Jan tried to smooth things over, but as soon as he caught a slight glance from Ophelia, he immediately shut up.
The people who had been waiting to see Ophelia get scolded by Hendrick were now shrinking back timidly,
The whole meeting room was silenced by Ophelia’s intimidating aura, and everyone else was afraid to even breathe too loudly.
No matter what position they were in, no one could guarantee their record was spotless.
They were terrified they’d become the next Hendrick.
They couldn’t tolerate the exposure of their secrets.
If the scandal got out, no company would ever hire Hendrick again.
The staff deeply regretted their initial impression of the woman as merely a pretty face, and they wished they could go in time to correct their foolish assumption.
Ophelia sneered and looked innocently at Phoebe, asking, “Phoebe, how do you think we should handle this? Mr. Zayn Huxley suggested we collaborate, so why don’t you decide how to resolve this matter?”
For a moment, Phoebe’s gentle smile became unnatural.
Phoebe pondered, ‘Is she setting a trap for me?
back
‘If I agreed with the harsh punishment for Hendrick, it would completely overturn my newly established nice–person imag
15:03 Wed, Nov
Chapter 173
‘But if I disagreed and Hendrick wasn’t severely punished, I wouldn’t be able to establish my authority in the company
This
This dilemma was more agonizing than being put on the spot.
Phoebe said, “It didn’t happen during Elia and my tenure, so Me Leech should be the one to handle it.”
What a smart move.
lan cleared his throat, thinking. The decision–makers choose not to decide, leaving it to me, a mere supervisor, which means they shift the blame on me.
lan suggested, “Considering the hassle of involving the judicial department, how about we take this approach: we temporarily halt Hendrick’s duties, require him to return the illicit gains to the company, and then we won’t pursue the matter further.
“After all, he was a vital team member. Involving the authorities could dampen the spirits of our other key personnel. Ms. Spencer, do you concur with this resolution?”
lan dared not to disregard Ophelia, his tone respectful and flattering.
Even though it was Phoebe who asked for his opinion, after proposing a solution, he sought Ophelia’s approval first.
The decision is yours,” Ophelia stated.
Ophelia, with an easygoing demeanor, continued. “Last September, designer Amelia Dawson allegedly copied two of Mystique Moon’s designs before the winter collection was revealed…”
Amelia shouted, “That’s nonsense! I did nothing of the sort!”
Ophelia’s head was initially turned to the left, but after hearing where the voice came from, she casually turned to the right to look at the speaker.
Ophelia stated, “Are you saying I wronged you? Phoebe, you’re Mystique Moon’s chief designer, so you should know Mystique Moon’s style well. Look at these two drawings. Aren’t they the two designs that went missing last year?”
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