“How do you think she landed the CEO spot here out of the blue?”
“How else? Must be because Mr. Blackwood likes her.”
“Tch. I wonder what he sees in her. She’s not even that great-looking. Nowhere near as beautiful as my goddess, Dr. Moss. Dr. Moss is a rare beauty in our field.”
“Don’t even compare her to Dr. Moss! She’s not fit to lick Dr. Moss’ boots. But then, you don’t need much talent to please a man, if you catch my drift!”
…
At 1 PM, Darcy rushed into the office.
After a quick drink of water and gathering her things, she wheeled her chair and her backpack into the R&D department.
The R&D staff was stunned.
Was she for real? She wasn’t just bluffing?
Jax stood up from the far end of the room. He wasn’t particularly fazed by her moving in.
Moving her desk was the easy part. The hard part was delivering on what she’d promised last night.
Coordinating and getting it done?
He was going to see just what she could “coordinate.”
These sales types were always spouting trendy buzzwords, but it was all flash, no substance.
“Mr. Steel, where should I sit?”
Jax pointed. “You can sit opposite me.”
This spot would make it easiest to keep an eye on her.
Darcy smiled and wheeled her chair to the designated spot.
Once settled, she turned to him. “Mr. Steel, what are the main development bottlenecks right now? Which product features can’t be implemented? I plan to start there.”
Jax mentally scoffed.
Such a big talker, going straight for the hardest problems.
Problems that we, programmers from top tech firms and product managers with finance degrees from overseas, can’t solve. And she, an empty suit, thinks she can fix them?
What a joke!
Ding.
A notification sounded from the office messenger.
Darcy opened her laptop.
Across from her, Jax said coldly, “I’m sending you the development roadmap. Take a look.”
Then he ignored her.
He and his team had no intention of explaining it to her, regardless of whether she understood it or not.
In truth, Darcy had already studied the company’s product thoroughly before joining. Stratagem Tech currently only had one core product, and it wasn’t overly complex.
Having dealt with the CEO of Easemark Ventures for three years, Darcy knew exactly what kind of product they wanted.
Building on the existing product, Darcy spent an hour outlining the new features needed. Then, she wrote a detailed product requirements document explaining how to implement them.
To put it into practice, they just needed to write code according to the document.
Actually, Darcy was also proficient in coding. Her undergraduate degree in Financial Engineering required both programming skills and financial understanding.
During her five years at SummitCore, she had frequently been involved in product development and delivery; several products were developed under her leadership.
But she was new here and didn’t want to show off too much.
Besides, this was the R&D team’s job. If she did it for them, what would they have left to do?
As dusk fell, Darcy stood up and stretched. She then packaged the files and sent them to Jax.
“Mr. Steel, I’ve sent you the files. Please review them when you have a moment. Let me know if anything is unclear, and I can add more detail.”
Jax, who was discussing code with a team member, frowned unconsciously upon hearing this.
Such a big mouth!
I’m a company veteran! What could I possibly not understand!
He immediately signaled his teammate, and they both went to his computer and opened the folder Darcy had sent.
When they saw the contents, their expressions changed.
They couldn’t believe that the problems that had been stumping them could have such an elegant solution!
Jax pushed his glasses up his nose, hardly believing his eyes.
His teammate looked equally shocked.
They both stared at the screen in silence for a long time, neither saying a word.
Darcy received a message from the caregiver saying they were short on some daily necessities at the hospital. She immediately replied, “I’m leaving work now. I’ll buy them and bring them over right away.”
Worried about her mother, Darcy didn’t pay much attention to the look on Jax’s face. Seeing it was the end of the workday, she packed her things, said goodbye to everyone, and left.
After she was gone, Jax slumped into his chair.
How is this possible? She’s only got a few years of experience, and she’s never worked in R&D. How does she know all this?!
There was a shopping mall near Stratagem Tech. It wasn’t far, and biking there was convenient. Having decided this, Darcy slung her bag over her shoulder and headed straight for the elevator.
She didn’t expect to run into Jethro inside.
She nodded respectfully. “Mr. Blackwood.”
Jethro reached out a long arm to hold the elevator door, one hand in his pocket as he looked at her with a smile. “How did your mom’s surgery go? Was it successful?”
“Yes, it went very well. I’m just heading to the mall to buy some things to bring to her.”
“Perfect timing, then. I’m driving past that mall. I can give you a lift.”
“That’s not necessary. I’ll bike; it’s quick.” Darcy declined his offer.
As her boss, he had already been very accommodating at work. She didn’t want to trouble him with minor personal errands.
Jethro just smiled. “Don’t stand on ceremony. Come on, we’ll go straight down to B1.”
Now that he’d said that, Darcy felt it would be rude to refuse again and nodded in agreement.
The lighting in the underground parking level was dim, and the parking zones were laid out in a confusing maze.
Worried Darcy might get lost, Jethro deliberately slowed his pace.
Beside the Rolls-Royce, Jethro proactively opened the passenger door for her.
Darcy, who had been planning to sit in the back, paused.
“What’s wrong?” Jethro raised a brow.
Darcy pressed her lips together and decided to be direct. “Mr. Blackwood, do you have a girlfriend?”
She knew he wasn’t married – as the CEO and a major shareholder of the Blackwood Group, that information was public. But whether he had a girlfriend was unclear.
If he did, sitting in the passenger seat might be inappropriate.
The sudden question caught Jethro off guard. Then, realizing her concern, he shook his head.
“Don’t worry, I don’t have a girlfriend. I do have a sister who loves riding shotgun, though.”
He finished with a gentlemanly “after you” gesture.
Once Darcy buckled her seatbelt, she asked curiously, “A sister? Your biological sister? Does she also work at the Blackwood Group?”
Jethro made a sound of affirmation, his hands turning the wheel as the Rolls-Royce glided out of the garage.
“I forgot to mention. Cindy Blackwood – my sister – is an Account Manager at Stratagem Tech. She’s returning from a business trip next week. You’ll meet her then.”
Cindy?
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.