Chapter 211
Pearl chuckled. “I know. By the way, I have some new medicine for you. If you take it regularly, you’ll recover faster.”
“I don’t want to get better,” Hanzel mumbled under his breath.
Pearl raised her hand in a somewhat threatening manner upon hearing his response. “Don’t talk nonsense. This medicine is quite expensive, and if you don’t take it as prescribed, you’ll have to answer to me.”
“Fine.” Massaging his throbbing head, Hanzel relented. “Also, you can look into becoming a good manager. Feel free to ask me any questions.” He was excited when he found out Pearl was going to be his temporary manager.
Pearl didn’t take his enthusiasm too seriously because, as the president of an entertainment company, she had a solid grasp of what it took to be a manager.
“Alright, I’ve spent enough time here today. I need to go home now.”
Hanzel couldn’t keep her there, so he simply nodded.
As Pearl walked out of the hospital, she spotted a car parked nearby, and Richard stood next to it. He didn’t react but just calmly looked at Pearl and asked, “Can I have a word?”
Annoyed by his apparent composure, Pearl turned to walk away. “No. There’s nothing to talk about.”
Richard persisted, “You haven’t been to the office for a week. I’m worried you’ve forgotten that you’re my secretary.”
Π
Pearl scoffed at the irony. “Secretary? There are plenty of people vying for the chance to be your secretary, Mister Richard. Why do you care if it’s me?”
“We’ll dock one day’s pay for each hour you’ve missed. So far, that’s around fifty to sixty hours.” Pearl was appalled. How inhumane was that? “Fine, I’ll resign then.”
“Sure, but you’ll need to draft a three-thousand-word resignation letter and pay two years’ compensation for violating the agreement.
11
Pearl was enraged. “Richard Waldorf, you’re violating the labor law. I’ll sue you for this!”
Rickard didn’t care about that. “I know, but I have connections in the labor department and the police force. Plus, I have the best lawyer in Enswood. Your chances of winning are quite slim.”
“I don’t get it. You’re the one sending mixed signals, and now you’re the one who doesn’t want to let go. What’s going on in your head?” Pearl’s patience was wearing thin.
Richard took a deep breath. “I don’t want you to leave.”
“Don’t you think it’s a little too late for that now?” His statement seemed to have a profound effect on Pearl, as she fought back tears. “If I wanted to become the design director, would you replace Sophia and let me take her position?”
Richard was silent for a moment before replying, “No.” Switching her into the role suddenly would create office gossip and hinder the ambition of newbies like Sophia.
“There’s nothing more to say then.”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean you should calm down. The problem between us isn’t as simple as you imagine.” Pearl took a deep breath to hold back her tears. “As for the resignation letter, I’ll email it to you later. Make sure to read it.”
Richard didn’t have a reason to stop her. His finger twitched as if he wanted to reach out to her but lacked the courage to do so.
