Chapter 7 His Effort

• "It's a massive house. You'd love it."
• "How massive?" Emily asked, a little weak. "I don't have a lot of money."
• "Oh, it's only 3 thousand a month. We can share. 15 hundred per lady every month. That good with you?" Cindy was a little worried Emily might refuse. 15 grand a month was a big deal for her poor friend.
• "Sure. I'll move tomorrow," Emily answered after a moment of hesitation. "I'd love to leave this place."
• "See you tomorrow."
• Emily lay on her bed, holding her sleeping daughter. She stared at the stars outside, her eyes filled with hatred and fury. Her simple life was once again ruined because of Corey's reappearance. Her refusal of his compensation displeased her parents, who had been giving her and Freya the cold shoulder. Due to that, she finally wanted to move out.
• "We're moving out tomorrow, babe. You won't have to suffer my parents anymore." The silhouette of Corey appeared in Emily's mind, and she clenched her fists. "Don't worry. I can give you anything he can. As long as we work together, nothing can beat us down."
• The next morning, Corey came to Northcity Group's chairman's office. Bruce Henderson simpered at Corey like a lackey and said unctuously, "Thank you for joining the company, Mr. Reid. I believe we'll be one of the top enterprises in this nation with your joining us."
• Corey nodded and tossed the contract to him. Softly, he said, "I'm not signing this for now. Not going to be the chairman, but you can hire me to be the president."
• Bruce paused for a moment, then agreed right away. "Oh, that's delightful." This was good news for him. He knew this man was more than met the eye, but he was unsure how revered Corey was. He gave Corey the company's shares the day before all to gain his protection for Northcity. It did not matter what position he held, but as long as he was here, the company had a lot to gain.
• "But we already have one president, Mr. Reid. It'd cause an uproar if we kicked him out. Why don't we go with a dual-president system? You and him will both have equal power. What do you say?"
• Bruce would not kick the current president out. The guy had made contributions, so there was no way he could just shove him off the team.
• "I don't mind. Now, let's talk about Emily's case."
• "Ah, I've been thinking about that. There's a vacancy in the sales department, deputy director. If you want more, she can be the director," Bruce proposed, observing Corey's response.
• A director? Fabian was displeased. He coughed, hinting that Bruce should give something better.
• "Hm…" Bruce was smart enough to know what he was implying. "What do you think would be the perfect position for her, Mr. Reid?"
• Corey smiled. He went through Emily's resume and said, "She'll start from the bottom. She has never done anything remarkable after she graduated college, and she's inexperienced. Plus, she has a lot of bad past. No one will want her, nor will anyone be happy if she becomes their director out of nowhere. Now, call an interview for her. She has two choices. One, take up sales, or two, take up the position as assistant to the president. Prepare two contracts. The assistant will have annual pay of 500 thousand and be bound for five years. If she takes on sales, she will have to accumulate 80 million worth of sales in two years before she's allowed to leave. If she fails, then she's bound to the company for life. Try to leave by force, and she'll have to pay 50 million in damages."
• "T-That's just unfair, don't you think?" Bruce was flabbergasted. He thought Emily was Corey's woman, but now, he believed they were nemeses. 80 million in two years? That's just impossible. Even the best salesperson in this city only made less than half that number. He's not even giving her a choice here. Cruel.
• "No questions. Just do your job and give me the contract for the sales position." Corey shot him an icy look.
• Bruce shivered in fear, then left the office. It was mortifying that he would bow to a company president, but then again, the guy was the company's shield. He had to take the humiliation if he wanted the company to grow.
• On the other hand, the rather emotional Fabian slammed the table, glaring at Corey. "What are you doing, boss? I thought you wanted to make up for what you did, not hurt her more."
• Corey looked at his comrade and laughed. "Fabian, you should look at her resume. She's a raging smoker and alcoholic. Even if we set that aside, she was arrested three times five years ago for aggravated assault. Got nothing but verbal warnings, but it's still on the record. And she's temperamental. Used to be severely depressed and almost took her own life. Everyone thinks she should be in a straitjacket. You think the company would give her a job if we didn't ask them to? Her whole resume's filled with bad records; nothing remarkable either. If we let her fend for herself, she'll wither away in three seconds. I don't want that to happen; I want to make her the best businesswoman in this nation. That's how I'm making up for my past, got it? Even if we can never be together, I still want her to be a business leader, not a court jester. I don't need her to forgive me, but she's still Freya's mother. I want her to live the best life she can."
• He got a little agitated as he spoke, after which Fabian nodded gently and fell silent. "I get it, boss. You're taking the long way. Trying to help her."
• "Not exactly." Corey leaned in his chair and stared at the bright city outside. Calmly, he said, "I ruined her dancing career, but I want to make her a legend in the business world. 80 million in two years isn't much. In fact, it's only the beginning."