SWNOVELS Chapter 67 Sixty Seven
After Jason asked-more like ordered-her to leave his office, Isabelle went back to her department and trudged to her desk in low spirits. She was worried that she might have offended him.
Her earlier confidence to set things straight was gone. In the aftermath, she felt that she had been too brazen, and that she never should have allowed her fears to take charge. He must have found it so inappropriate of her to ask him such a question.
Just because he showed concern and acted promptly whenever she faced an obstacle didn't mean he had intentions similar to her former department director. Maybe he really was just very diligent at his job. The next day in the morning, she was heading for the elevator when she noticed Jason standing there, waiting for one too. Glad to get a chance to apologise to him, she hurried forward. He noticed her immediately when she stopped in front of him, and she noticed how his eyes widened instantly.
"Good morning, sir," she greeted, her heart hammering nervously in her chest.
"Morning," he replied noncommittally, and then took a step away from her.
She followed quickly. "I would like to apologise for what happened yesterday. I didn't mean to-"
He looked at his watch and then turned on his heels, walking away from her as if she wasn't talking to him. Isabelle watched in confusion as he made his way to the stairwell, choosing to take the stairs. She moaned beneath her breath, unsure of what to do next. She had clearly offended him big time, and now, he would rather take the stairs than wait around for the elevator with her.
What was she supposed to do? Would he take disciplinary action against her? She hoped not. Or if he did, it would be fine, as long as he didn't fire her.
Isabelle was still worrying about having offended the vice president when she got to her desk and fired up her computer. A notification popped up on the monitor right away, and she blinked twice in disbelief. The notification was of a friend request from Logan Larson, the CEO of the Larson Group. Logan Larson! Why would she have a friend request from the elusive CEO, whom she had never even seen in real life? The guy was as mysterious as can be, and not many knew about him.
Clicking on the notification, she realised that he had sent the request the previous day. Quickly, she accepted the request and apologised for not seeing his request sooner. She had already pissed off the vice president-she wasn't taking chances with the CEO too.
***
Jacob was in his office when Isabelle accepted his friend request and sent him a message. He smiled contentedly.
This was a good idea.
There was no danger in talking to her as Logan Larson if she didn't know he was one and the same person as her husband. This way, he could find out if there was anything going on with her, help her, and receive the credit himself. No more fake knights in shining armour stealing all his credit.
Relaxing in his seat, he replied;
No worries, Ms Cruz. The company is running an investigation on its senior executives, and we would like feedback from our workers. Has the vice president, Mr Del Mundo, ever harassed you in any way? He knew that she would find it odd that the CEO of the company was messaging her directly, so he had made up the lie about running an internal investigation to avoid suspicion. It gave him the perfect excuse to find out whether anybody was giving her a hard time.
Her reply came soon after;
No.
Raising his brow, he typed again;
You don't need to worry about intimidation, Ms Cruz. Please be honest with me. Everything you tell me will be confidential, and everything reported to me will be dealt with accordingly. The company is pursuing an ethical workplace where all executives are responsible and stick to our values. If there has been any harassment, do not hesitate to tell me.
Her next reply took longer to arrive.
Thanks for the concern, sir. Mr Del Mundo has never harassed me in any way. Since I started here, he has helped me overcome obstacles several times. I feel that he is very diligent in his work, and I have nothing to complain about. If I face any harassment, I'll be sure to report it.
Satisfied with her reply, and really hoping she meant her last statement, he sent another message.
Can you tell me about your experience at the company so far? I see that you are one of our newest employees. What do you think of the company?
Her reply came a few minutes later;
I've always dreamed of working at the Larson Group and was very happy when I got my job here. My experience so far is great, because I'm getting all the opportunities I desired to have in order to advance my career. The resources here are also superb, and I know I can become a better designer at this company. I've had some obstacles here and there, but they've all been resolved promptly, and I was able to keep on with my work. I think the company really prioritises its values and tries to make this a good place to work while maintaining its reputation as a leader in the fashion industry.
He knew she had been through her share of obstacles since joining the company, and he found it interesting that she was still so positive.
Did she really feel like that, or was she just saying what she thought he wanted to hear? But he doubted that. She had mentioned going through obstacles, she just didn't elaborate on them, which he supposed made sense.
But, knowing Isabelle, she was likely the kind of person to see the glass as half full rather than half empty. She wasn't dwelling on the instances when she had been slandered and almost lost her job alongside ruining her reputation. Instead, she focused on how much she wanted to work at the Larson Group, and how it seemed to be the best place for her career.
He loved that she focused on the positive side. He was going to do everything in his power to ensure she didn't have to try so hard to stay happy at her job.
Wanting to talk more with her but knowing that he couldn't overdo it, he sent one more message;
What are your plans for the future?
Her reply was succinct and to the point;
I want to become a renown designer in the future, so I'm working hard to attain that dream.
After ending the conversation by wishing her all the best, he sat back in his chair, a silly smile on his face.
If there was anything about work that Isabelle didn't feel she could share with him at home, he was certain she wouldn't feel the same hesitance talking about it to her boss.
And when 'Logan' made things better for her, it was to him her gratitude would be directed at.
***
After the conversation with Logan Larson, Isabelle grew curious about him. Did the elusive CEO often reach out to his employees with such questions?
Given how secretive he was, she would have guessed that he had zero to no contact, whether physical or virtual, with common employees like her.
Once again, she sought Britney. If anybody knew anything about the mysterious Logan Larson, it had to be Britney.
When she asked her whether she had ever seen the CEO, Britney shook her head. "I have never seen him. Can you imagine? And I've been working here for like...years! He's so mysterious. Why, do you wan to see him?"
Isabelle shook her head. "No. I mean, yeah! Who wouldn't like to meet him?"
Britney laughed. "I know, right? Too bad, he doesn't hang around commoners like us."
In the end, Isabelle decided that perhaps the CEO chatted up random employees as part of his routine. Maybe questioning them like that was part of why he was one of the best CEOS in the industry.