Novel Palace
12
As long as Nelly hesitated, Lara would have control over the negotiations. But Nelly had no time for trivial matters.
“What does this have to do with me?” she sneered. “It’s not my project, and that bonus isn’t mine to take.”
Lara confidently declared, “A single word from me and you’ll be in charge.”
Nelly’s eyebrows raised ever so slightly, realizing that Lara knew more than she let on.
“I have no interest in stealing my colleague’s hard work. I may not be good at much, but I have my limits. Whether you use our company’s proposal or not, I couldn’t care less. It’s your loss. I can’t say our proposal is the best in the world, but it’s certainly the best you’ve seen,” Nelly spelled out, mockingly imitating Lara.
Lara’s expression instantly darkened. She wanted nothing more than to wipe that smug look off Nelly’s face.
“Instead of using the project to manipulate me, why don’t you ask how much money it would take for me to obey your requests? Wouldn’t that be a better approach?” Nelly stared directly into Lara’s eyes.
Narrowing her eyes, Lara realized Nelly was sharp. Out of all her previous negotiations, Nelly proved to be the toughest opponent she had encountered. Breaking her stance seemed nearly impossible.
“One million,” Lara offered.
Nelly arched an eyebrow in response. “Seems like you think Alpha Kilian is only worth one million in your eyes!”
“Nelly Jackson, you know the worth of Alpha Kilian. One million is an opportunity for you. Even greed has its limits,” Lara replied.
Nelly pondered Lara’s words, then nodded. “You’re right. In that case, have you prepared the check?”
Lara expected a few more rounds of debate, so Nelly’s immediate agreement caught her off guard. Nevertheless, money was mere child’s play to Lara.
She reached into her bag and pulled out a check for one million, placing it on the desk.
Nelly examined the check. “Is there anything else you want me to do?”
“Do not have any further contact with Alpha Kilian,” Lara commanded.
Nelly nodded. “Understood.”
A subtle smile appeared on Lara’s face. No matter how difficult a woman may be, as long as she can be appeased with money, she will never be a match for me.
“If there’s nothing else, I’ll be leaving now!” Nelly said, picking up the check and leaving the office with an ambiguous expression.
Just outside the door, Nelly bumped into Nelson.
Concerned, Nelson asked, “Is everything alright?”
A small smile curled on Nelly’s lips. “Mr. Yondel, hurry and inform the company that Ms. Gareth from Morris Corporation feels sorry for us. She’s given the company one million as a bonus to be divided among all the employees.”
“W-What?” Nelson gaped in disbelief.
Others in the front desk area perked up their ears as well.
Nelly waved the check in her hand. “The money’s here. I trust you to distribute it to everyone, Mr. Yondel.” With that, she handed the check to Nelson and walked away.
Lara witnessed the entire exchange as Nelly left the office. Her face flushed with anger.
Nelly turned around, noticing Lara. “Thank you, Ms. Gareth,” she said before proceeding to the front desk. “Help me order one hundred sets of afternoon tea. My treat.”
“R-Really?” the receptionist stuttered.
Nelly nodded definitively. “Of course! Order whatever you guys want to eat. I’ll pay!”
“Alright! I’m on it!” The receptionist smiled widely.
Radiating happiness, Nelly returned to the Programming Department.
In contrast, Lara stood still, clenching her fists. Well played, Nelly. Well played.
Meanwhile, Nelson couldn’t take his eyes off the check in his hands. Looking at Lara uncertainly, he stammered, “Ms. Gareth, this…”
Without another word, Lara left, leaving Nelson confused.
Nelson didn’t know what to do with the hot potato he was left holding.
Word of Nelly’s actions spread quickly in the company’s group chat.
One million was a significant amount, and even divided among many employees, it would still be a substantial bonus. It was easy money, and no one minded.
People expressed their disbelief in the chat. The receptionist had to take multiple photos, including one of Nelson’s disbelief, to convince everyone.
But one million still seemed impossible.
Nelly had casually distributed it to everyone else.
Confusion and curiosity filled people’s minds.
Finally, someone couldn’t contain their curiosity and asked Nelly, “M-Ms. Jackson, w-what’s with the one million?”
“So, you heard?” Nelly responded with a smile.
“So, it’s true?”
“Mm-hmm!” Nelly confirmed, knowing Lara was too proud to ask for the check back. “The money is with Mr. Yondel. You can go see him if you don’t believe me. But it’s a check, so it’ll take some time for everyone to receive their bonus.”
“I-I…” The person was stunned. “I’ll go check!” And off they scurried.
The news of the exchange spread rapidly among colleagues.
Though no one knew why Nelly did it, they were all astounded by her actions.
Soon enough, the person who talked to Nelly returned. Leaning against the department’s doorframe for support, they looked as if their soul had been drained.
“So? What happened?” someone asked.
This triggered an exclamation. “Damn, it’s real! The check is real!”
Emotions washed over the Programming Department.
At that moment, a hundred meal sets were delivered.Content property of NôvelDra/ma.Org.
Staff members carried the food into the office.
Confused, Ross asked, “Yvonne, what’s all this? Who bought all this food?”
“Ms. Jackson did! She’s treating everyone to afternoon tea!” Yvonne answered with a broad smile.
Once again, all eyes turned to Nelly.
Standing up from her desk, Nelly cleared her throat. “I know I’ve caused a lot of trouble since I started working here, but it was never my intention. As an apology, I bought everyone some afternoon tea! Please accept my small offer!”
Money and free food? It seemed the wolf in Nelly was full of surprises.