“What’s the matter? Are you unwell? Do you want me to go over and fetch you?” Lucian’s voice was warm and caring. Roxanne sighed softly. “I was a bit. uncomfortable in the morning, but I’m much better now.”
Hearing that, Lucian furrowed his brows puzzledly. “What’s wrong then? Is it because of my mother? What did she say to you again?” Not wanting Lucian to misunderstand, Roxanne hurriedly explained, “It’s not that. It’s because of Jack…”
Roxanne could not help feeling upset as she brought up the topic. She could not do anything much to an outsider who was getting close to her employees. She felt a loss of authority as the person in charge of the research institute. This made her look bad as a leader.
Lucian became unhappy when he heard Jack was upsetting Roxanne. “What is Jack up to now? Don’t be bothered by him. I can see that he’s caring toward you, but it remains to be seen whether he has ulterior motives.”
Roxanne still felt discouraged. She hesitantly asked Lucian, “Am I incompetent at managing staff? It seemed like the research institute became a mess after Colby left.”
She was doing some self-reflection while drinking coffee earlier. The truth was she was a relatively new member of the research institute, thus, she did not know the employees well. Furthermore, she focused solely on her research and neglected her relations with her colleagues.
In the past, Colby helped her maintain relations. with the employees. After Colby was caught, she started drifting apart from them..
That was the reason why Jack was able to win their hearts so easily. Lucian’s expression turned solemn when he heard that. “Why did you say so?”
Roxanne felt a bit embarrassed to speak her thoughts. But she managed to find the courage to do so, as Lucian was the audience.
“I felt that during this period, the employees hit it off better with Jack than me. The situation looks like he’s the person in charge instead of me.”
Needless to say, Lucian instantly noticed the discontent and guilt laced in Roxanne’s voice. “Jack even said he’d issue bonuses to my staff in his name. I had already considered doing it myself, but he beat me to the announcement. After that, I was just too embarrassed to turn him down… Will the staff think that Jack treats them better than I do? Then again, our research institute is only collaborating with Damaris Group…” the latter muttered.
She hadn’t been able to shake off the nagging feeling that something was off, so she had no choice but to discuss it with Lucian.
After hearing Roxanne’s worries, the man softened his gaze and comforted her, “You haven’t done anything wrong. He’s the one who has crossed the line. Your talent and passion lie in the medical field, so there’s no need to worry about the management aspect. Feel free to come to me if you ever need any assistance. I’ll be your advisor.”
“What should I do now, then?” Roxanne asked, knowing she could rely on Lucian. Naturally, the man was more than happy to help. “Have you guys ironed out the profit- sharing agreement?”
“I told him we should talk about that first, but he turned it down,” Roxanne replied as she shook her head.
“In that case, you should find an opportunity to draft a detailed profit-sharing contract. Make sure all the terms and conditions are clearly stated. If you’re still worried, I can check the draft when you’re done.”
“Sure. I’ll let him know as soon as possible,” Roxanne piped up, sounding much more relaxed now that she had Lucian’s advice and support. “I’m sorry I have to trouble you again.”
Lucian chuckled. “It’s an honor to serve you.” Seeing Roxanne become wary of Jack suits me just fine. It sure beats seeing them getting closer and closer. After all, I’m the only one she needs.
“However, I’d still like to manage the company myself. Can you teach me if you have the time?” Roxanne asked cautiously.
Lucian has been single-handedly managing Farwell Group all these years, so there’s no doubt his management skills are top-notch. It’d certainly be a weight off my shoulders if he’s willing to guide me.
To Roxanne’s delight, Lucian agreed to it without hesitation. “I’ll do my best! Additionally, your secretary can also learn a thing or two from Cayden. You didn’t have many managerial opportunities while overseas, and I don’t think she has any experience, either. Therefore, it’d be good for her to learn from Cayden and help relieve some of your burdens.”
Roxanne nodded her head in agreement. “Yes. I’ll talk to her about it.”
The couple then went on to chat about the contract details when a commotion suddenly broke out at the door. With that, Roxanne promptly ended the conversation with Lucian and hung up her phone. The next second, Jack appeared in the cafe, reeking of alcohol.
“How are you feeling?” he asked as he strode in and sat near Roxanne. After glancing at the closed door and the tipsy Jack, Roxanne immediately put her guard up. “I’m much better now. Thanks for your concern, Mr. Damaris.”
In response, Jack smiled and casually undid his two collar buttons, his gaze shifting from the aroma lamp in the room to Roxanne
Feeling flustered by being stared at so intensely, the latter forced herself to stay calm and changed the topic to something work- related. “I’d like to confirm the terms of our cooperation now, Mr. Damaris. What do you think?”
Unfortunately, Jack refused to play along. “I’ve had a bit to drink tonight, so discussing such important matters wouldn’t be appropriate. Besides, didn’t I say tonight is for us to relax and have fun? Let’s talk about work another time!”
Roxanne furrowed her brows. In the past, Jack and I had only ever talked about work or medical matters when we hung out together, so what’s with this change? Argh. I don’t want to talk about anything else but our collaboration!
“In that case, let’s go over the content first. We can draw up the contract another day,” Roxanne suggested, still with a polite smile on her face.
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.