Perfect Match: Irresistible Desire For You
Chapter 56

Reading the unspoken message in Ashley’s eyes, Yasmin continued her complaining. Laying her fork down, she related to her friend, “By the way, today’s press conference targeting the Synder Group was awesome. Then, Lina’s cloudy face made me even happier.” Giggling at the fond memory, she continued, “Oh, and she demoted me to deputy manager this morning in the name of personnel reshuffling. She was so arrogant in front of me. I didn’t think that she would get reprimanded by the big boss so soon after the news broke out. I’m telling you, when she came out of the boss’s office, her face looked so horrible that it scared people away.”

At that time, the all department team members were speculating among themselves the fate of the Synder Group, as well as the possibility of job cuts. At the same time, they were remarking on the handsomeness of the two men from the Empire Group. When Lina came to inspect their work again, the crowd dispersed as if of one mind.

Seeing this, Lina vented her anger to the whole department. “What do you people think you’re doing during working hours? You’re wasting company time talking nonsense! Why do you even get salaries?”

Her attacks were merciless. Everyone was silent, but they were united in their contempt for her. ‘You’re just hiding behind Mrs. Synder’s name to bully other employees. You’re nothing but a parasite, so how dare you shamelessly scold others…’

Inevitably, the accumulated resentment would reach a critical point and explode. Fed up with the other woman’s attitude, Yasmin retorted, “Tut, tut, someone here is so conscientious about company’s time. By the way, who framed one of our colleagues because she had way too much free time? Now that her actions have been revealed, look who’s lecturing? She really should get off her high horse.”

Everyone gasped, fascinated by Yasmin’s bravery. The team members of the planning department silently cheered for their former manager, and many of them who had hated Lina for her injustice also spoke out. “Who are you talking about, Manager? Who dared to pull such a shameless stunt to slander our colleagues?”

“I really don’t know who she is, but I’m sure none of the people who work with her likes her…”

“What should we do now? Who should issue the apology, then?”

“Yes, it’s hard to say. Maybe Mr. Marshall can put the culprit behind bars so that they would learn their lesson!”

“I totally agree.”

Emboldened by someone speaking out, the group of people expressed their opinions and doubts one after another. The cacophony sounded particularly harsh to Lina’s ears, considering how down she was feeling at the time. Every time she tried to speak up to stop them, another wave of voices drowned out her words.

Finally, tired of reining in her anger, Lina snapped with a face as dark as a storm cloud, “Shut up! Everybody, stay here after work today. I’ll have a good talk with every single one of you. Now, get back to work!”

Those who were used to Lina’s shouting turned to their computers and went back to work, clicking on keyboards and sorting out documents. The room became even quieter than before, making Lina’s diatribe sound as sharp as a thunderclap. Just then, the CEO of the Synder Group, James, passed by the planning department. After witnessing firsthand how Lina dealt with her subordinates, he wasted no time in summoning her into his office.

“Yes, sir!” Lina said in a humble voice. Her change in tone was so abrupt, just like turning a new page in a book. Everyone cheered in unison, saying, “Serves you right!

Half an hour later, Lina passed by the planning department again. This time, however, she only glared at the people with resentment burning in her eyes. There was a collective sigh of relief when she passed by without a word, but Lina’s silence left them puzzled. It was uncharacteristic of Lina to hold back the habit of scolding people. One brave soul ventured out to replace out what happened.

Yasmin was dying to replace out what caused the shift in the woman’s character, so she sneaked out of a side door and, seemingly by accident, bumped into Lina. Then, she greeted Lina cheerfully, “Hello, Deputy General Manager Synder.”

Given the scolding she had received from the CEO, the last thing Lina wanted to see at the moment was Yasmin’s smiling face.

James had witnessed her castigating the company employees, he immediately summoned her to his office. At first, he gave her an earnest speech about the proper conduct of a manager of the Synder Group. “As a manager, one cannot indiscriminately lose their temper and lash out at employees whenever she wanted. Never cause public outrage over a moment’s comfort, which will only distract the employees of the company.” Then, he analyzed the impact of today’s news on the Synder Group. He had his suspicions about Lina’s involvement in the whole slander debacle, so he asked her to reflect on herself and her actions.

The conversation between the two of them went smoothly. The CEO did not harshly admonish her, but he did criticize her unkind treatment of the employees, for which she had apologized in the most sincere voice she could muster. In the end, James asked her to reflect on what she had done and told her to rest at home for the sake of her baby. Going forward, she didn’t need to interfere in the company’s affairs from now on. Because of his authority, Lina didn’t utter a single word defending herself.

Finally, when Lina nodded in agreement, James asked her to hand over her work as soon as possible before quit.

The dissatisfaction she had been trying so hard to control began to show on her face as soon as she was out the door. ‘What a hypocrite! He was the one who gave the go-signal to fire Ashley, and I did nothing but add fuel to the fire. Now, that old bat was actually trying to push all blame to me? How ridiculous!’

After all, she hadn’t even started executing the plan of slowly swallowing up the Synder Group’s assets. “I can’t be dismissed from the Synder Group!’ she thought with conviction. With his cunning personality, that old fox would probably kick her out once the baby was born. It seemed like she had to come up with a long-term backup plan.

As she passed by the planning department, the thought of those team members who had gotten her into trouble annoyed her to no end. However, she was no longer in the position to shoot them down, and she couldn’t afford to disobey James at this point. Thus, she could only vent her resentment through her glare.

To make matters worse, Yasmin was giving her a ‘friendly’ greeting which grated on Lina’s nerves even more. This woman was her enemy, but she couldn’t come to blows with her at this point. With a cold snort and an arrogant toss of her head, Lina walked away.

Seeing that Lina didn’t even rebuke her and just left with an unpleasant expression on her face, Yasmin stared at her departing figure in surprise. ‘Did that bitch hit her head? Will wonders never cease?’

Trying to remember as best as she could, she later related to Ashley the events that had happened in the company that day, as well as her surprisingly tame confrontation with Lina.

Even though they racked their brains for every possibility, the two women couldn’t figure out what was wrong with Lina. Was she scolded by the CEO, perhaps? “Ah, forget her.” Ashley dismissed the topic. “A toast to you, Yasmin, for your bravery today.” With a grin, Yasmin clinked her glass against Ashley’s. After that, the dinner became more pleasant with their lively conversation and laughter.