Chapter 18

At the Johnson Group headquarters...

Jeremy was taken aback the moment he walked into the office.Someone was lounging behind his desk.

When he realized who it was, he was both shocked and thrilled. "Mr.Johnson, what brings you here in person?"

Michael was playing with a pen in his hand, smirking as he replied,"What? I can't drop by? Fine, I'll leave then."

He started to get up.

Usually,Jeremy couldn't get Michael to come even if he begged. Now that Michael had shown up unannounced, there was no way Jeremy was letting him leave.

Jeremy quickly walked over and pushed him back into the chair, saying urgently, "Of course, you can come anytime you want. The company is yours;we will always welcome you."

Seeing Jeremy's anxious look, Michael said irritably, "What's so great about Qiana? Why are you sucking up to me so much?"

"You wouldn't understand Qiana's charm."

When Qiana was mentioned, Jeremy had a look of bliss on his face,which made Michael feel nauseous.

Michael quickly changed the subject. "You handled the Philip situation well."

"Thanks for the compliment, Mr. Johnson," Jeremy said with a grin. "It's

not every day I get praise from you."

"Don't get too cocky," Michael's expression turned serious. "How did you not notice that Philip was such a scumbag for so long?"

Jeremy personally brewed a cup of coffee for Michael and placed it in front of him,explaining, "Although Philip isn't a great person, his work performance is pretty good. Since he became the general manager,the branch's performance has been way ahead of the others, almost on par with headquarters. When we choose a manager, the company isn't looking for a moral model; as long as they can bring in profits, that's what matters.That's why we decided to use him."

Michael ordered, "We still need to prioritize character. Let's issue an industry-wide announcement! After he leaves, no company or organization that has business dealings with the Johnson Group is allowed to hire him."

"Okay, I'll send it out right away." Jeremy started typing on the computer,wondering, 'Michael's usually not this vengeful. If something can be solved with money, he won't waste his time. What's the deal with Philip? Why go to such lengths to fire him in the middle of the night and gather evidence to send him to jail?

The more he thought about it, the more curious he got. He couldn't help but ask, "What did Philip do to piss you off so much that you'd goto these lengths?"

Michael replied, "If you're asking as Qiana's husband, I'll tell you. If not,here's a piece of advice."

Jeremy didn't dare to assume the role of Michael's brother-in-law.He couldn't afford to offend either Qiana or Michael.

He shut his mouth and made a zipping motion, indicating that even if Michael told him, he could keep it a secret.

Michael continued, "Curiosity killed the cat! Mr. Wright, if something happens to you, who's gonna look after Qiana?"

Michael took a sip of coffee, which was so bitter that he frowned, but it also woke him up.

"With Philip gone, the general manager position at the branch is open.Find someone reliable to fill it," Michael instructed. "Character is crucial;don't appoint another scoundrel."

Jeremy kept his mouth tightly shut.

Michael glanced at him disdainfully and made a zipping motion in front of his mouth with his long fingers.

Jeremy took a deep breath and started, "Usually, we promote someone from the supervisors. They know the team and understand the company operations, so there's no need for a tranasition period."

"Then just follow the usual procedure and promote someone to supervisor for him," Michael interrupted.

"Yeah, but..." Jeremy began.

"Then what are you waiting for? Promote him!" Michael cut him off.

"It's not that simple. He doesn't want the promotion," Jeremy explained,sighing inwardly. 'These siblings never let anyone finish a sentence!'

Michael was intrigued. "Who wouldn't want a promotion? Spill it."

He leaned back, arms crossed, ready to listen.

"You know him too. It's Victor Allen's son, Eric. With his skills, he could easily be a VP at headquarters, maybe even take my job. But he just wants to stay as a department supervisor."

Jeremy paused, took a big gulp of the coffee he made for Michael,and grimaced at the bitterness.

"Why doesn't he want the promotion?" Michael asked, looking at Jeremy with disdain.

"You're asking the right guy," Jeremy said proudly. "He likes someone in his department, so he doesn't want to move up or leave."

"If he likes her, he should just be with her," Michael said indifferently.Michael couldn't understand Jeremy's behavior. In his view, when you liked someone, you should do everything you could to win them over and hold them in your arms.

"You know our company has a no-office-romance rule!" Jeremy reminded him.

Michael thought, 'That stupid rule again. I'll send out a notice to get rid of it later.'

Michael had spent the whole morning in Jeremy's office. Seeing it was almost lunchtime, he grabbed his car keys. "I'm outta here!"

"Stay for lunch? It's almost time, and I'll treat you..." Jeremy was about to invite Michael to lunch to strengthen their relationship and help him become Qiana's husband sooner.

"Having lunch with you is no fun!" Michael didn't look back and walked out,leaving Jeremy standing there, stunned.

Michael arrived at the branch office and sat in his car, waiting for Isabella to get off work.

Unexpectedly, he saw Isabella walking out with a guy,

He recognized him; it was Eric, the one Jeremy mentioned who had a

crush on a female employee in his department.

Isabella was chatting with Eric, smiling. The smile on her face pierced Michael deeply; she had never looked this happy when she was with him.

To Michael, that smile was particularly annoying. He wished he could swoop in like Superman and grab Isabella's attention, and even more,he wanted to grab Eric by the collar and toss him away.

Michael was suddenly glad he hadn't impulsively abolished the no-office-romance rule.

Before he could get out of the car, Isabella noticed him. She hugged Olivia beside her and quickly ran towards him.

Eric was also staring at him. Michael remembered that this Eric was the one who had helped Isabella when she fell the last time he came to pick her up.

Michael thought,'I need to find a way to make him back off! I can'tlet Eric get close to Isabella.'

Eric watched Isabella get into the car and felt that the vehicle looked oddly familiar.