Chapter 11 The Top-Notch Secretary

• As long as you believe in me, I’ll be fine!
• These were the warmest, most loving words that Deborah had heard in the last four years.
• A tear escaped and ran down her cheek.
• If it were possible, she wanted to spend the rest of her life with Austin.
• For now and forever, even into the afterlife, you’re my everything; through snow and storms, the ordinary things of life, for better for worse, for richer for poorer.
• You’re every shining moment of my life, the warmth in my heart, the light of my eyes.
• The next morning, Deborah received a phone call before she went to work. It was Mrs. Brigham herself. She informed Deborah that the upper management wanted to collaborate with the Brigham Corporation. Deborah was to hurry over to the office immediately to decorate the venue, and arrange things so they could welcome both the upper management and the Brigham Corporation leadership.
• Deborah was not a stupid woman. She immediately understood what was going on.
• The upper management wanted to collaborate with the Brigham Corporation, which meant several billion dollars worth of profit were involved.
• To the Brigham Corporation, this was an incredible opportunity.
• As the Brigham Corporation’s executive manager, Deborah would naturally give her all to advance the company’s interests.
• She, too, hoped that the company would eventually rise to become a leading enterprise in the field.
• After the call, Deborah did not have time to waste. Hurriedly swallowing a little breakfast, she headed for the office immediately.
• The junior members of the Brigham family and the company executives had already been notified one after the other. They hurried to the office to help as well.
• This was the perfect opportunity for the Brigham Corporation to truly take off and expand. The bigger and stronger they showed themselves to be, the more profit they would rake in.
• All the Brigham Corporation employees that turned up to help were excited. As they worked, they discussed the matter of collaboration with the upper management.
• "If the Brigham family succeeds, we’ll share the spotlight as well."
• "Once the Brigham Corporation starts making a profit, we’ll be able to get rich too."
• "With the support of that eminent personage, who knows? With the two cities merging, the Brigham Corporation might even become a leading enterprise in the new city."
• …
• At ten in the morning, the delegation of representatives from the upper management arrived at the entrance of the Fairview Building.
• Leading the group was a muscular, dark-skinned man with ramrod-straight posture. This was Mr. Sawyer.
• He was the leader of this particular delegation.
• However, he was actually only a secretary, not the eminent personage from the upper management.
• There was also someone in the group that Mrs. Brigham was more familiar with.
• This was none other than Leah’s father Charles, Mrs. Brigham’s son-in-law.
• Charles stood at the end of the delegation. Tall and slim in a well-cut suit and matching tie, he looked calm and unruffled.
• Mrs. Brigham was already waiting at the entrance. When she saw the delegation arriving, she did not dare to delay. Instead, she hurried forward to give them a warm welcome and greeted all seven members of the delegation with a firm handshake.
• "Let’s go in and discuss things!" Mr. Sawyer stated as he cast an eye over everyone present from the Brigham Corporation.
• Even toward Mrs. Brigham, his attitude was neither deferential nor arrogant. It was studiedly neutral. He strode into the Fairview Building immediately.
• Mrs. Brigham followed behind him, personally guiding the delegation.
• The Brigham Corporation employees brought up the rear, discussing Mr. Sawyer in whispers.
• "This Mr. Sawyer is certainly a promising young man. If he can become that eminent personage’s secretary at such a young age, he’s got a very bright future."
• "He's so imposing when he's walking, carrying himself tall like that and looking so formidable. What a handsome guy! I wonder if he's married yet."
• "What a pity the eminent personage didn’t come. I’d have loved to see his elegance with my own eyes."
• …
• A little while later, Mr. Sawyer, Mrs. Brigham, and everyone else arrived at the conference room.
• Usually, Mrs. Brigham presided at the head of the table during meetings.
• Today, however, she voluntarily surrendered her seat to Mr. Sawyer.
• Mr. Sawyer did not stand on ceremony either and sat down expressionlessly.
• Even though it was very short notice, the Brigham Corporation still took great care with their preparations for the event.
• Once Mr. Sawyer and the rest of the delegation had seated themselves, they were served freshly brewed cups of top-quality coffee.
• Charles gave a mental nod of approval to the Brigham Corporation. They had done a thorough job preparing; this meant that the chances of collaboration were higher.
• "Mr. Sawyer, for this visit, did you have a particular project in mind for working together with the Brigham Corporation?" Mrs. Brigham took a sip of her coffee and delicately broached the subject.
• Since the eminent personage of the upper management was from the Brigham family, the chances of the Brigham Corporation obtaining the project were practically assured.
• Therefore, Mrs. Brigham was both confident and calm.
• "Yes, there’s a major project that we would like to collaborate on with the Brigham Corporation," Mr. Sawyer confirmed solemnly with the slightest nod of his head.
• Everyone from the Brigham Corporation looked as if they wanted to cheer loudly when they heard this. Their faces showed their excitement; inwardly they were screaming with joy.
• "The upper management certainly has a very discerning eye in choosing their collaboration partners. The Brigham Corporation is very competent and influential still," Mrs. Brigham said proudly.
• Mr. Sawyer surveyed the people in the conference room but did not see Austin there. Frowning, he asked, "Why isn't Austin here?"
• Everyone from the Brigham Corporation was astounded at Mr. Sawyer’s query.
• Had they misheard? Mr. Sawyer actually wanted to collaborate with that useless good-for-nothing?
• What on earth was going on?
• Mrs. Brigham was the first to regain her composure. "Mr. Sawyer, you know Austin?" she asked, scarcely able to believe her ears.
• "If I didn’t know him, why would I want to discuss a collaboration with him?" Mr. Sawyer shot back frostily.
• The entire Brigham family stared at him uncomprehendingly.
• Mr. Sawyer was a top-notch secretary in the new city and a man of high social standing and prestige. How on earth could such a loser like Austin Brigham have become acquainted with him?
• Mitchel was not about to let Austin gain the limelight at such a crucial moment. His own standing as the Brigham Corporation’s general manager might be in jeopardy next month otherwise.
• "Austin is my Uncle Richard's illegitimate son, so he's not a true blood relation of the Brigham family. The joke is that he served in the military for ten years but was merely a cook for the troops. He certainly didn't amount to anything. How could someone so unaccomplished be qualified to participate in such a high-level meeting?" Mitchel hastened to explain the situation to Mr. Sawyer.
• He was intentionally blackening Austin’s reputation, emphasizing how worthless he was.
• Mr. Sawyer’s brows knitted together at Mitchel’s words. Austin Brigham had been a cook for ten years in the military?
• If that were so, then did that make Mr. Sawyer himself a kitchen helper?
• In fact, Mr. Sawyer had transferred here from the Southern Continent, and Austin was the one who had personally mentored him there.
• If Austin had been a cook in the Southern Continent, then didn't that make all of the subordinates like himself mess cooks as well?
• "Mr. Sawyer, we shouldn’t wait on a nobody like Austin Brigham. Let’s get down to discussing the collaboration, shall we?" Charles hastily interjected, not wishing for any new issues to complicate matters.
• Many of the Brigham family members supported Charles’s view.
• They did not believe that Austin was at all qualified to discuss collaborating with Mr. Sawyer.
• Mr. Sawyer looked around at all these disdainful faces and laughed scornfully in his mind.
• "I came here to discuss collaborating with Austin Brigham. Aside from him, who else in the Brigham family is even remotely qualified to discuss the matter with me?" Mr. Sawyer stated with devastating frankness.
• Everyone present was shocked into silence at this. Even the junior members of the Brigham family and the corporation’s executives stood stunned as if turned to stone.
• So Mr. Sawyer truly had come to discuss collaborating with Austin after all!
• How could this be?
• Even Deborah found this incredible.
• He isn’t useless at all, she thought to herself, and a tiny smile appeared on her face.
• Already, she had previously suspected that Austin seemed to be hiding something. True, he did not refute the cold sneers and taunts that were flung at him, and he did not say much at all, but his steady character certainly did not seem like that of a good-for-nothing, useless person.
• Furthermore, the scars on his body and the occasional sharp glint in his eyes were not ordinary in the least.
• "Deborah, go call Austin on the phone now and ask him to hurry over," Mrs. Brigham ordered after pulling herself together.
• She might not acknowledge Austin as part of the family and did not have a good impression of him, but this was an unparalleled opportunity for the Brigham family to make a big name for themselves. They could not afford to lose this chance.
• Once Austin signed the agreement with Mr. Sawyer, then the Corporation could kick him to the curb.
• "Yes, Mrs. Brigham," Deborah replied dutifully.
• She did not dare delay; this was a major project that would affect the Brigham Corporation’s future.
• She immediately pulled out her phone and called Austin right away.
• When the call came through, Austin had just finished a long jog and taken a good shower. His spirits were high, and he felt refreshed.
• Seeing that the caller was Deborah, he immediately answered the phone.
• "Austin, you need to come to the office right away. Mr. Sawyer is here, and he wants to talk to you about a collaboration. This is a big project worth several billion dollars; it'll determine whether or not the Brigham Corporation rises or falls." Deborah gave Austin the gist of the matter at once, wanting him to come over as soon as possible.
• "Alright. I’ll come over right now," Austin promised.