Chapter 2
It was a custom ringtone used only for Rudella Schimm.
Ibsen froze briefly before quickly answering the phone.
Rudella's tearful voice could be heard on the phone. In fact, it was loud enough for everyone in the hallway to hear.
"Ibsen, please come back quickly. The data for that cross-border merger and acquisition case is all gibberish.
"The client is furious and says they're going to sue for damages. I... I don't know what to do. Sob, sob…"
In the background, a few shareholders' furious roars could be heard. "Where the hell is Ibsen?"
"The stock price has dropped by ten percent!" one fumed.
"Is this the supposedly gifted assistant he hired? She can't even fill out a simple spreadsheet," another mocked.
Ibsen's face turned pale, and a cold sweat broke out on his forehead. His hand holding the phone was shaking visibly.
He couldn't afford to waste time here now that there was a crisis back at his office.
Though the panic in his eyes was unmistakable, he still warned balefully, "Weera, you'll regret this.
"Without Sandhoff Enterprise, without me, you're nothing. You think Isenbard is truly sincere towards you?
"He just wants to use you to bring down Sandhoff Enterprise!"
As he backed toward the elevator, he shouted into the phone, "I'm on my way back. Tell the legal department to hold them off. And terminate Weera's authorized user account under my credit card account."
Just as the elevator doors were about to close, he threatened me through gritted teeth, "If you want a divorce, then stop spending my money."
After the elevator doors closed, I took out my phone and opened my bank app.
The truth was, I had already canceled all the additional cards linked to Ibsen's primary account three days ago when I walked out of Sandhoff Enterprise.
Half a minute later, before the elevator reached the first floor, Ibsen's phone received a notification: [This is a reminder that your additional card ending in 8888 was canceled by Authorized User, Ms. Weera Lambert, three days ago.]
I turned to look at Isenbard. He was leaning against the door frame, watching me with a hint of amusement in his eyes. "Ms. Lambert, you're very efficient at handling personal matters."
"Of course. After all, my time is precious," I scoffed before kicking the dropped cake box to one side.
*****
Meanwhile, on the top floor of an office tower housing Sandhoff Enterprise, the CEO's office was a complete mess.
Papers were scattered all over the office floor, and coffee stains were splattered across the white carpet.
Rudella was wearing a pink puff-skirt and a big bow on her head.
She was standing in front of the paper shredder with tears streaming down her face. As she looked at the shredded paper inside, she was completely at a loss.
"Ibsen, I swear I didn't do it on purpose... I saw all those red lines on the paper and thought it was just trash…" Rudella whimpered.
When Ibsen rushed into his office just now and saw the contents of the shredder, he nearly passed out from shock.
That was the newly signed strategic cooperation agreement. The red lines on it indicated the key areas marked by the legal department for revisions.
"Are you stupid?" Ibsen roared.
Rudella flinched, and she cried harder. "Sob! Weera never told me any of this before…" she wailed.
Before Ibsen could catch his breath, his personal assistant, Zaska, rushed in with an anxious look. "Mr. Sandhoff, something terrible has happened.
"The afternoon tea that Ms. Schimm ordered for Mr. Leedon has arrived…"
“So what if it's here? Do you really need to report on such a trivial matter?” Ibsen snapped as he loosened his tie.
"Er… Mr. Leedon has a severe nut allergy, and Ms. Schimm ordered a hazelnut latte.
"Mr Leedon went into shock after just one sip. The ambulance took him away, and he has been admitted to the ICU.
"Mr. Leedon's family says they're going to sue us for manslaughter."
Ibsen felt the world go black before his eyes, and his body swayed.
The next second, he yelled, "Ms. Lambert! Call the legal department at once! And prepare a car to go to the hospital, and contact some medical specialists..."
After he finished shouting, the whole room was eerily silent. No one responded.
The woman who understood him was gone. He had driven her away himself.
Now, all that stood before him was Rudella, who only knew how to cry, and a group of clueless staff.
Ibsen felt a gradual crushing sensation in his chest…
*****
Meanwhile, over at the boardroom on the thirty-eighth floor of Zoschke Global's office tower, the atmosphere was somewhat solemn.
I was standing in front of the projection screen, dressed in a white suit, and my hair coiled up neatly.
With a laser pointer, I pointed at various points on the logistics network map.
"The current inventory turnover rate is too low. The issue lies with the distribution center in the eastern region.
"My proposal is to eliminate three transfer stations, implement an automated sorting system, and renegotiate shipping rates with our third-party logistics provider."
I spoke slowly, but every word hit the heart of the matter.
In just two hours, I had sorted out the logistics issues that had been plaguing Zoschke Global for six months.
On either side of the conference table, Zoschke Global's senior management executives were sitting up attentively. They had initially been skeptical of me as I was an outsider, but now their skepticism had changed to admiration.