Bennett parted his lips to speak, but Bridget beat him to it. She pointed at the door and said, "I wasn't around when you showed up here, but if I had been, I never would've allowed you to step in here. Anyway, I'm here now. You've already taken up enough of Mr. Reid's time, so I think it's high time you left. It's the best thing you can do now."Bennett stared at her incredulously, not expecting that he wouldn't even be given a chance to apologize. He exhaled loudly and trembled in fear, suddenly realizing how inconsequential he was in their eyes. The Evans family had a long history in Ashweir City and had accumulated generations of wealth, so everyone treated its members with respect. It went without saying that he, as its patriarch, received the most respect. However, after what he'd just experienced, he realized that there was a chance someone would think he wasn't worth their time.Bridget had a polite smile on her face as she continued pointing at the door. For the longest time

Erin lowered her head, looking guilty. Darius couldn't see this, but he could sense from her tone that she obviously felt bad. He frowned, wondering what she could've done wrong. He couldn't imagine it, but Erin's tone and actions told him something had gone astray. Darius sighed, shook his head, and said comfortingly, "Don't be too harsh on yourself. You don't have to feel guilty or that you've done anything wrong because, unlike me, you're not privy to a lot of information. It's normal that you couldn't deduce something was wrong with the sudden influx of business at West Atlantics Int'l."His gentle tone eased Erin's anxiety. "Understood, sir. Thank you." She shut her eyes, breathed deeply, and quickly composed herself. Then, she opened her eyes and said, "Now that I've gotten a grip on myself, I'll look into these prospective business partners. I won't allow them to do any harm to West Atlantics Int'l!"Darius smiled and nodded. "That would be for the best."On the other end of t

"I apologize for the nasty attitude; none of this is your fault. I'm the one with the problem." Erin waved a hand. "Alright, you can go now. As compensation, I'll pay you a sum from my personal account—it's equivalent to two months of your salary. You can speak to the HR department about that if you genuinely want to leave. Of course, if you're willing to stay, know that you're welcome." She shut her eyes. When she didn't hear anyone leave even, she said, "I know I should probably see you off or say something else, but I'm really not in the right state of mind to do that. My mind is messed up now—how could I have been obtuse enough to miss something that was right before me? I had to rely on others for something so simple. It makes me feel like such a failure."The employee faltered, then sighed and walked toward Erin. "Alright, stop looking so gloomy. I still admire and respect you—you discovered this early enough to prevent the company from making losses, so the rest of the employe

Darius raised an eyebrow and smiled. "Sure, go ahead. Deal with it as you see fit. Send me whatever documents you need me to sign to grant him the powers, and I'll handle them as soon as possible."Erin suddenly flushed and lowered her head. Then, she took a deep breath and said, "I'm sorry for making another mistake. I haven't done what I'm supposed to …""Because you don't know what the guy's called?" Darius' smile widened. "That's fine. The fact that you remembered to introduce him to me is already surprising enough—at least your memory hasn't deteriorated too much." He chuckled. Then, he put the phone on speaker mode and placed it on his desk. "Alright, I'm sure you can handle everything else on your own." With that, he hung up.Erin pursed her lips as she listened to the dial tone, looking helpless. Because of her mistakes, Darius had yet to know the name of an employee that was about to be promoted. He could've had a bright future, but she'd ruined it. This wasn't her intention

If he did, what did his presence here today mean? A barrage of thoughts flashed through Darius' mind—he could already imagine how the other members of the Evans family would reach when they heard about this. He crossed his arms, looking expectant. Everyone present probably had their questions, but not all of them could be answered at the moment. And so, Darius pushed his questions to the back of his mind for the time being, quietly waiting for Emerson.Through the computer screen, he could see that Emerson was nervous. The latter gulped and said agitatedly, "Thank you for giving me the chance to take up your time. Now, allow me to introduce myself in more detail. My name is Emerson Evans, and I come from the Evans family right here in Ashweir City. I'm not exactly close to my relatives, but there's no denying that we share the same forefathers. Also, it's been a while since I've come into contact with them, so I have no intention of working for them or any company under the Evans Con