Chapter 13 Promotion

• When Mitchel saw that Mrs. Brigham had agreed to Austin’s terms, he immediately panicked.
• "Grandma, you promised that I’d be in charge of the Brigham Corporation! You can’t let this worthless good-for-nothing take over!"
• "Right now, the most important thing is to get this project," Mrs. Brigham said coldly, shooting Mitchel a fierce glance.
• At this moment, Mrs. Brigham was like an empress whose word brooked no discussion.
• One look at Mrs. Brigham’s expression and everyone else from the Brigham family who had objections immediately shut up.
• "If there aren’t any issues, then we can sign the contract," Cheetah stated.
• Since Mrs. Brigham had agreed to what he asked, Austin did not stall any longer and immediately signed his name on the agreement.
• Once the contract had been signed, Cheetah and the rest of the delegation did not linger, but departed right away.
• The entire Brigham family saw Mr. Sawyer and the delegation off out of respect.
• "We’re just making Austin some empty promises for now. When the time is right, we’ll turn him out of the Corporation," Mrs. Brigham said quietly.
• Austin’s audacity in trying to rule the roost was something the old woman could not countenance.
• "Granny, that worthless scoundrel certainly had some nerve, threatening you with terms. He doesn't respect you at all," Leah piped up, adding fuel to the fire.
• On the way back to the office, Mrs. Brigham's thoughts were centered around a single question.
• Why had Mr. Sawyer insisted on Austin being the one to sign the agreement? Not only that, he seemed to be somewhat afraid of Austin. Furthermore, when everyone was criticizing Austin, Mr. Sawyer had looked distinctly displeased.
• What was the relationship between the two men?
• Austin and Deborah had not gone with the rest of the Brigham family and the company to see the delegation off. They left the conference room together.
• "Why did Mr. Sawyer insist that he’d only sign the agreement with you?" Deborah asked as they walked along.
• Like the rest, she had also noticed that Mr. Sawyer had specifically asked for Austin to be present. Furthermore, it did not seem to be because of any connection to Richard. No, the man had come solely to deal with Austin alone.
• "Consider it a debt of gratitude. I saved his life once," Austin replied without hesitation.
• Of course, he had merely come up with a plausible excuse to explain the situation.
• "I see!" Deborah was taken in completely; she did not question the story.
• Today she was in quite a good mood, a faint smile lighting up her pretty face.
• Her husband was now a shareholder in the Brigham Corporation, which meant he finally had some proper standing in the company. This also meant that she would become his assistant. To her, this was an extremely agreeable prospect.
• She also felt that perhaps this was a time when Fate had drawn them together. As long as they both persevered and worked hard, they would have no trouble rising in the world.
• It was as if the sun had finally emerged, dispelling the dark clouds of worry that were continuously preying on Deborah’s mind. Now she truly felt that she could breathe a sigh of relief.
• Very soon, the news about Austin having forty percent of the company’s shares and replacing Mitchel as the CEO of the Brigham Corporation spread through the entire company.
• "Austin Brigham certainly had an ace up his sleeve there. He's only been back for two days, and he's already managed to put Mitchel out of the running for the CEO's position."
• "Asking for those shares was some high-level strategy! He's thrown Mitchel for a loop now."
• "Mitchel really has no brains, so to speak. See, even a cook can take advantage of him."
• Once the news got around, all the junior members of the Brigham family began a spirited discussion once more. There was no shortage of criticism either, except that this time, the target of their scorn was Mitchel instead of Austin.
• The staff of the Brigham Corporation had long since lost their patience with these sycophants of the Brigham family.
• For Deborah, however, this was the happiest day of her four years in the Brigham Corporation.
• Of course, that was because Austin was now the company's new CEO, and everyone in the Brigham Corporation viewed him differently. As his wife, she felt both proud and elated, and could finally hold her head high. How could she not feel excited?
• She called Meadow and asked her to prepare some special dishes so they could celebrate together as a family at dinner.
• Deborah was still elated and happy when she went home with Austin. However, as soon as the two of them set foot inside the house, they were greeted by Liam and Meadow’s unhappy expressions.
• What on earth had happened?
• When Deborah saw how displeased her parents looked, she was bewildered.
• "Mom, Dad, what’s happened now? Why are you looking so unhappy?" she inquired.
• "It’s because this worthless piece of trash has made a mess of things!" Liam snapped, stabbing a finger at Austin.
• "What has he done?" Deborah looked utterly bemused.
• All day, Austin had been busy familiarizing himself with various company matters. He had not even stepped out of the office until work ended; how could he possibly have messed up anything?
• "I heard Mr. Sawyer wanted him to sign an agreement today, and he took his own sweet time to show up, puffing off his consequence. It's a good thing Mr. Sawyer is a sensible man and didn't mind the wait, otherwise, it would be Austin's fault if the Brigham Corporation had lost a major project," Liam accused, eyeing Austin contemptuously.
• As someone who worked in the Bureau of Education, he was very punctilious about behavior toward those in leadership positions, regarding it only fitting that one show proper respect. This was why he could not countenance Austin’s behavior.
• Meadow was a well-educated, cultured woman, as well as a good wife and mother. However, even she felt that Austin had not conducted himself properly in this matter.
• "Austin, I thought you seemed to be a fairly sensible person. I never expected you to behave in such a manner for your own personal gain. Really, that's far too immature. Mrs. Brigham is your grandmother. How could you use the project to threaten her and force her to hand over the company shares?
• "The fact that she didn’t dispute your terms means that she sees the bigger picture. You may have gotten what you wanted, but you've also offended the entire Brigham family. Do you think your position as CEO will be secure after doing something like that?" Meadow chided, her disappointment evident.
• "Do you think that you’ll last as CEO just because you have some connection to Mr. Sawyer? Given that you’ve offended all the Brighams, I’d like to see just how long you’ll keep your position. Let me tell you right now, the day you get sacked is the day my daughter divorces you!" Liam roared, pounding the table violently and shaking a finger at Austin.
• "If you're only after quick successes and you're overly eager to prove yourself, you'll set yourself up for a fall," Meadow added with a sigh.
• Deborah had to admit that her parents made some valid points. Her previous elation slowly dissipated, and she turned to look at Austin in some concern.
• "Austin, I think you might have been perhaps a little bit too hasty," she murmured.
• Austin was rendered speechless for a while. What the hell? He wondered.
• The relationship between him and Cheetah was not just some superficial connection; they were sworn brothers.
• As for offending the entire Brigham family, he had already done that the minute he returned to Fairville. Anyway, did any of them even regard him in a pleasant light?
• Regarding whether or not he could maintain his position as CEO, that would hinge entirely upon his abilities, right?
• However, Austin was aware that it would be no use mentioning any of this to Liam and Meadow. They would only think that he was too full of himself.
• He would just let time prove all things!
• As a result of Liam and Meadow’s criticisms and accusations, what had initially been planned as a celebratory meal turned into an awkward, unpleasant affair that ended hastily with everyone in a bad mood.
• For the next few days, Austin continued to familiarize himself with the Brigham Corporation's various business matters. Whatever he did not understand, he would ask Deborah to explain.
• His diligence and enthusiasm pleased Deborah, who was more than happy to instruct him to the best of her ability.
• In the process, Austin also witnessed Deborah's professional capabilities first-hand, and finally understood why Mrs. Brigham thought so highly of her.
• Deborah was familiar with all the business matters of the Brigham Corporation, and knew all the details like the back of her hand. Not only that, she possessed unique insights into the company's state of affairs.
• This was not something achievable through mere intelligence. It was experience accumulated through unremitting hard work and great care.
• The person who was most unhappy about Austin taking over as CEO of the Brigham Corporation was none other than Mitchel. He had been downgraded from his position and was now the manager of the marketing department.
• His position had been snatched away by that worthless good-for-nothing; he was not about to accept this outrage willingly!
• Furthermore, every day he saw Austin and Deborah coming together to the office and leaving together as well, laughing and talking over various business matters. This enraged him even more.
• Mitchel had suffered a double loss because he had underestimated Austin so badly. Now, he racked his brains every day, trying to think of how to regain both his position and the woman of his dreams!