SWNOVELS Chapter 34 What Is Going On with Mr. Li and Miss Lo
According to company rules, all employees must possess a bachelor's degree or above.
Of course, Sophia wasn't a college graduate either. His mother had found a way to bend the rules for her.
He hadn't looked any further into Jamie's background for Sophia. Jamie now found herself standing on the edge of cliff.
"... It was Mr. Qu, HR Manager." So that was it. She had taken advantage of Mr. Qu's weakness for young, pretty girls.
"Jamie, you're fired! Pack your stuff and leave immediately!" Colin's order took the air out of the room. Jamie felt weak in the knees.
In spite of the other people in the room, Jamie began to beg with Colin right away. "Please Mr. Li, just give me another chance!" Personal secretary to the CEO of SL group was in fact a desirable job, one with a degree of prestige and a high salary.
If she lost this job, what would she do? It would be near impossible to find something this good.
Colin was disgusted with Jamie grabbing his hand and begging. He pulled away from her quickly. "You want to stay here?"
"Yes, Mr. Li, I will work harder in the future, I promise!"
Jamie threw her hands up and swore. She used to believe that Colin felt different about her than other women. Now, she was beginning to doubt it. "OK. Miss Lo, come with me."
Confused, Sophia walked over to Jamie and Colin. What did he want now?
"Mr. Li."
"Miss Lo, I need you to teach Miss Chiao a lesson. I need you to teach her how to deal with other people."
"Ummm..." Sophia was stunned. What was he getting at?
Jamie was likewise dumbfounded. Neither woman understood what Colin was getting at.
"Did or didn't Jamie said you seduced me? Well? It is true?" Colin looked directly into Sophia's eye. He nearly winked.
Sophia clinched her jaw and firmly denied it. "Of course not!"
Colin was unhappy with what he heard. Still, he continued speaking, "Sophia, I need you to return Jamie the slap she gave you some days ago. As a secretary of SL Group, you need to learn how to stand up for yourself."
The office was dead silent. This was the culmination of Colin's plan!
Herring couldn't help but smirk to himself. So this was his plan all along! He helped Sophia take her revenge on Jamie.
Sophia looked at Colin's steely eyes. She was taken aback.
Did he just say? That she should return the slap on Jamie?
"Well, come on. What are you waiting for?" Colin prompted her impatiently.
Jamie's eye's were wide. She was terrified at what was coming. She begged, "Mr. Li... Mr. Li, I know what I did was wrong. I'm very, very sorry. I promise never to do it again."
"Sophia, stop wasting my time. Punish her." Colin looked at the hesitated woman in care and disappointment.
Sophia set her jaw and raised her hand high. SMACK! Sophia slapped Jamie's cheek hard with meaty part of her palm.
"Ah!" Jamie winched with pain and covered her face with hands. She dared not speak.
Colin looked at Sophia, who was rubbing her hands together, a satisfied look on her face. "Miss Lo, what are you doing? Did you slap her?"
"Huh?" Perplexed, Sophia looked back at Colin. Hadn't Colin seen her do it?
"I didn't hear anything. It doesn't count."
Jamie nearly threw herself at Colin's feet. "Mr. Li, I know it's my fault. I'm so sorry. Mr. Li, please.."
"It's your choice, the job or this punishment?" Colin spoke in a mild, matter-of-fact manner.
Jamie stopped whining immediately. She bit her lower lip and stopped talking. She closed her eyes, and braced herself for the next blow.
"Miss Chiao, if you promise never to...
However, when she saw the menace and warning in Colin's eyes, Sophia quickly bit her tongue. She once again raised her hand and slapped Jamie with all her might. Her plump hand landed squarely on Jamie's soft, heavily bleached cheek.
The other secretaries were silent. They seemed to be holding their breath.
What was the relationship between Mr. Li and Miss Lo after all? It was obvious that there was at least something to the rumors.
Colin quickly shot a cold glance at the other people in the room. "From now on, if this happened again, the first person to throw a blow will be fired immediately!"
"Yes, sir," the secretaries responded. None His command was received without debate.
Colin walked out of the secretaries' office without turning back. Herring walked over to Sophia. "Geeze, Sophia, who needs boyfriends? Next time you have a problem with a girl like this, just slap her back. Everything will be 'A-OK' I reckon. Good girl, damn.."
The blonde-haired Herring whistled and casually walked out of the room.
None Sophia looked at him speechlessly as he walked out.
Jamie covered her face, tears already dripping from her chin. She dared not blame Colin for the beating. It was her fault.
Sophia quickly finished a few tasks and headed out to the private consultant's office.
Herring was not there. Sophia sat on a chair in his office. Still in a daze, she couldn't figure out why Colin had helped her.
He had openly expressed his dislike for her, even calling her a 'loose woman'. Why would Colin, so eager to divorce her, suddenly turn and help her?
She thought about it for a long time but couldn't make sense of it. Sophia pulled out a pen and a copy of the company rules. She began copying them.
By lunchtime, the rumor about Colin being married had already spread around the whole company.
Upon hearing it, there were even a few women who cried..
Everyone's secret crush was now ruined with Sophia's words.
Of course, because of what Sophia had done to Jamie, she was suddenly everyone's enemy.
Still angry, Jamie dared only speak ill of Jamie behind her back. After the slaps, she dared not openly challenge her.
In the afternoon, Colin was in his office when Wade knocked on the door.
"Mr. Li."
"Yes, what is it?" Colin looked at the document in front of him and then turned to Wade.
"The results of the private investigation are as follows - Mr. Qu has indeed had issues with the female staff. He has routinely tried to take advantage of them when they ask for leave." Was this why Sophia didn't ask for leave the last time? Colin frowned. "Didn't the other female staff as for leave from their department heads? Why did they have to go to Quincy?"
Leaves of absence had originally been approved by the secretarial department. However, since the company had just been established, the secretarial department had been swamped. They had ceded the duty to HR for the time being.
"It seems that Mr. Qu has been using the leave of absence process to coerce the female staff. If they refused to do what he said, he would refuse to give them leave."
Colin smacked his desk with a heavy pen.
"Why didn't anyone say anything about this? Why didn't anyone come to me about it?" Sophia included. Did she submit to Quincy?
Wade went on, "A female employee in the design department did try to lodge a complaint. However, it seems that Quincy found out before she could. Apparently, he threatened her in private. The employee was so afraid that she took a multi-day leave before returning to work.
If it weren't for the salary and benefits here at SL Group, we think she probably would have quit."
Colin was furious. "Is there any evidence?"
"Oh yes. We have had over a dozen female employees record their testimony." Wade took out a digital recorder and gave it to Colin.
Colin's eyes were heavy and gloomy. "Call the top management in for an emergency meeting. I want them here in 20 minutes." Yes, Mr. Li."
"You can go now. Call Sophia Lo into my office."
Wade left the office at once.
Sophia, rubbing her sore wrist, knocked on the door to Colin's office.
"Come in!"
Sophia pushed the door open and stepped in. Inside, Colin stood at the end of the room, gazing out the window at the city below.