“Okay! I want to eat noodles.”
Although Hayden refused to admit that Joseph was his father, Nicole knew that she had spent a night with Joseph five years ago. Joseph was the only man she had ever slept with. There was no light in the room that night, and she didn’t get to see what the person on top of her looked like, but Queenie had had Joseph intoxicated and sent into the hotel room at the time in order to attach herself to the Mann Family. Nicole knew the whole process, which was why she refused Joseph so fiercely when he said those words. If Joseph learned that Hayden was his son, someone like him would definitely use Hayden to intimidate her into helping Mann Clothing Co.
…
To Nicole, this year’s mid-winter holiday wasn’t any different than ordinary days, for she only spent the holiday hanging out everywhere with her son. This was the first time Hayden returned to the country with her, so he was very curious about everything in the country and the country’s customs.
Nicole had thought that she would be able to leave the country after the mid-winter holiday. However, after doing some mental calculations, she now realized that she had to stay in the country for at least another three months. Hayden’s school was about to reopen. Nicole had wanted to send him back to school, but he refused to go to school and insisted on staying in the country. Having no other option, she could only let him stay in the country with her for the time being.
After the mid-winter holiday, the companies had begun to resume business one after another. There was a nanny in the villa to look after Hayden, who was a smart and mischievous boy himself. Hence, with nothing to worry about, Nicole went to work at Gardner Corporation right away.
Even though Nicole didn’t have a work badge, the front desk lady was already very familiar with her, so she received Nicole with a bright smile.
Nicole went all the way up to the Design Department. Today was the first day she officially joined Gardner Corporation, where she would be staying for three months.
At 9:00AM sharp, Nicole stepped into Gardner Corporation’s Design Department.
Thanks to her arrival, the originally boisterous office instantly fell silent.
Today, Nicole wasn’t dressed as casually as she did when she came to the department for the first time. Wearing exquisite makeup, she was dressed in a light-colored overcoat that made her look especially radiant, matched with a tulle skirt and a pair of high heels. When she walked, her skirt would swish, creating an air current. The way she dressed today made her look like a successful businesswoman at first glance.
When she glanced around the office, no one looked up at her; everyone was lowering their heads and busying themselves with their own stuff. She darted a glance at where Sabrina was previously seated, and sure enough, the woman was no longer there, and her desk had been cleared. Seems like she has really been sent packing.
Shortly after Nicole came in, a young lady wearing a white down coat suddenly came to her side with a timid expression. She said in a whisper, “Hi, Miss Lisa. I’m Scarlett Lockhart, your assistant at Gardner Corporation. If you need anything, I’m at your service.”
Inwardly, Scarlett was in a state of nerves. She happened to join the company before the turn of the year. However, after the mid-winter holiday, she was suddenly informed by her superior that she would be working as an assistant for Lisa, the woman at the apex of the entire fashion design industry. Now that her first job out of college was to be Lisa’s assistant, she inevitably felt somewhat nervous.
Nicole also noticed how nervous the young lady before her was. With an amiable smile on her face, she introduced herself politely, saying, “Just call me Nicole. I’m looking forward to working with you in the next three months.”
Looking at the smiling person before her, Scarlett realized that she didn’t seem to be as ferocious as described by those in the office. After being startled for a moment, she immediately nodded, saying, “Just call me if you need anything.”
“In that case, do you know where my office is?” Nicole asked with a smile.
Scarlett promptly pointed at a room, saying, “It’s over there. President Gardner has specially ordered that a separate office be arranged for you. Let me show you the way.”
Nicole followed behind Scarlett. Only the sound of them conversing could be heard in the entire Design Department, whereas the others didn’t say a word, as though they were mute.
Scarlett led Nicole to her office, which was as spacious as her office at F&M Apparel’s headquarters. It seemed that some care had been put into it, for everything in the office was brand new.
Nicole entered the office. After looking around with a nod, she turned her gaze to Scarlett. Suddenly, she asked, “How old are you this year?”
Upon hearing her question, Scarlett felt extremely flattered. She quickly answered, “Uh, I’m 23 years old. I just graduated this year.”
Nicole replied with a smile, “I’m 26 years old this year. You don’t have to be too reserved with me. Just call me Miss Nicole in the future, and I’ll call you Scarlett.” Even though she always sought to be meticulous in her work, she felt it would be better to have a more relaxed attitude when dealing with people.
“Alright, Miss Nicole,” Scarlett promptly replied.
Seeing the gentle smile on Nicole’s face, Scarlett was confused all of a sudden. As soon as she arrived this morning, she had been assigned to Nicole. At the time, her colleagues told her in all earnestness that Nicole had fired a designer directly when she last came. According to them, she might not even pass her internship if she were to work for Nicole. Because of that, she had her heart in her mouth when Nicole came in. But now, it seemed that Nicole wasn’t as described by her colleagues, for she was clearly quite affable.
In the morning, Nicole briefly familiarized herself with Gardner Corporation’s Design Department. The Design Department was headed by Joanna, who had gone overseas before the turn of the year and had yet to come back; she wouldn’t be back until about a week later.
There were a lot of experienced fashion designers in Gardner Corporation’s Design Department, so Nicole called them over and had them introduce themselves briefly for her to get to know them. While she was at it, she explained the general direction of this collaboration, telling them to get their designs ready so that she could pick out the best.
It was almost noon when Nicole finished her speech. At first, she had wanted to have a simple lunch outside, but as soon as she left her office, she saw Colton standing at the door.
Colton was dressed in a royal blue suit today. It was now lunch break, and the crowd happened to be swarming out of the office, but Colton’s impressive height made him especially conspicuous as he stood. He had broad shoulders and a slim waist. His suit was somewhat brightly-colored, but it had a steady quality about it as he wore it, for his aura suppressed the flamboyance of the suit.
Nicole walked up to the man and stood upright with a smile on her face. “President Gardner.”
“Nicole,” Colton said in a soft voice as his gaze fell on her. Then, he continued, “I noticed that it’s almost noon, so I thought I might as well ask you to join me for lunch and find out how you feel on your first day on the job.”
Nicole smiled without turning him down. She replied with a nod, “Let’s go, then.”
Colton entered the elevator with Nicole. Even though it was rush hour, those in the Design Department didn’t take the elevator in order to make room for them. However, when the elevator door closed, they couldn’t help but begin to discuss what had just happened.
“Did President Gardner just come down personally to invite Lisa to lunch?”
“That’s right! Miss Schmidt has contributed so much to our company, but President Gardner has never come down and invited her to lunch in person.”
“Seems like President Gardner really has his eyes on Lisa!”
With that, their discussion continued.
Gardner Corporation was situated in the center of the city, with Century Square located next to it.
On the top floor of a restaurant in Century Square, Nicole and Colton were sitting next to each other. Colton had led Nicole into a private room, which boasted a nice view despite its small space; its large French window allowed one to see most of the downtown area at a glance. “What would you like to eat, Miss Anderson?” Colton politely handed the menu to Nicole.
Nicole glanced at the menu before ordering a salad for herself.
Colton smiled before ordering another main course and telling the waiter to prepare the dishes. When there were only the two of them left in the private room, he finally said, “Miss Anderson, how do you feel on your first day at Gardner Corporation?”
With a faint smile on her lips, Nicole replied casually out of courtesy, “Not bad.”
Knowing that she had only said so out of courtesy, Colton said frankly, “Miss Anderson, if you’re dissatisfied with anything, you may tell me directly.”
Nicole gave a light chuckle before looking up at the man. As her gaze fell upon him, she suddenly asked, “President Gardner, there’s one thing that I’ve been curious about. Do you mind if I ask?”
Smiling, Colton nodded and replied in a husky voice, “You’re wondering why Gardner Corporation decided to engage in the clothing industry?”
As expected, it saves time and energy to speak to a smart person. He knows what I want to ask without me having to voice my question. Nicole nodded.
Gardner Corporation started up as an internet technology company. It owned an entire building in the center of the city, but only a few floors of the building were dedicated to the clothing industry, for the company placed greater emphasis on internet technology. When it came to the internet technology industry, the company was ranked among the best in the world, which brought the man before Nicole a net worth of at least hundreds of billions.
He would’ve been able to make a fortune by relying on internet technology alone, so why did he have to dabble in the clothing industry which he had never taken part in? thought Nicole to herself. She nodded and said modestly, “It’s okay if you don’t wish to talk about it. I’m just asking out of curiosity.”
Colton leaned back slightly in his seat while exuding a graceful air. He explained, “My mother was a fashion designer during her lifetime, but she gave up her career for my father. I’ve always wanted to realize this dream of hers.”
Despite his brief explanation, Nicole was surprised; she didn’t expect this to be the reason. “Forgive me for asking such an impertinent question,” she said apologetically.
Colton gave a deep chuckle with a relaxed look in his eyes. “This isn’t a secret, anyway.”
The two then exchanged some polite remarks about their daily lives. After the waiter served the dishes, Colton seemed to think of something all of a sudden. Looking at Nicole, he said, “Miss Anderson, this is probably your first time working with us in the country. If you run into any problems, please tell me directly.” He paused for a moment before adding, “It doesn’t necessarily have to be work-related. Anything, really.”
Nicole thought the man had only said so out of kindness, so she thanked him without saying anything else.
Colton didn’t say anything else either.
The two then discussed the next season’s fashion trends at the dining table. It was apparent that Colton took this collaboration very seriously, for he knew every step very well.
The two went back after lunch, only to run into an unwelcome visitor at the company’s entrance. It was Joseph.
Nicole looked at the man standing at the company’s entrance. Joseph was good-looking and dressed like a person of some worth, so he attracted quite a lot of attention as he stood there.
Joseph had wanted to enter the company right away to look for Nicole, but he was stopped at the front desk because he didn’t make an appointment with her. Therefore, he began to fall back on his old trick of waiting for Nicole at the entrance. After all, it was fine as long as he managed to meet Nicole. To his surprise, however, not only did he get to meet Nicole this time, but he also met Colton!
Colton couldn’t help but frown slightly as he looked at the person before him. He had heard during the mid-winter holiday that Joseph had accosted Nicole at her mother’s grave. Even though he didn’t know what the two had talked about in the hotel after that, Nicole’s face was pale when she left the hotel, which was why he had said those words at the dining table just now. “What are you doing at Gardner Corporation?” He stepped forward slightly and happened to stand in front of Nicole.
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