Chapter 252: I Will Take Care Of This Matter
For the rest of the week, Wendy waited to hear from Timothy.
Every time a call came, it scared Wendy a little. But when it didn’t come, it also made her panic.
On Thursday, the call finally came.
Wendy saw Timothy on the caller ID and took a deep breath.
As soon as the call was answered, Wendy said respectfully, "Timothy... "
"Corrine, you know what I’m calling about, right?"
"I know, you can tell me directly."
Wendy took a deep breath again and waited for the result from Timothy’s side.
"I’m sorry that I wasn’t able to help you."
Timothy sighed on the other end of the phone and said, "I called the directors and, in the end, most of them still think it’s better for you to come back to HG.
"The person they have chosen to replace you is Ronald Sawyer.
"You may not remember who Ronald Sawyer, is but he is also a long-time employee of HG and has been independently in charge of the project. Although the clothes he designed are not as well-known as the ones you designed, they are also best-selling brands."
"But... " Wendy was afraid of such an outcome, she had to fight for herself when it came in the end, so she said, "Timothy, on the MC side, I have signed a betting agreement with the collaborating company. If it doesn’t work out, we may also lose a billion or so. It might not be the best choice for me to be transferred back at this time."
"I’ve understood your circumstances." Timothy continued to say, "The directors are all thinking in terms of HG’s interests. The reason why you were allowed to go to work with MC in the first place was because of your personal wishes.
"If you hadn’t asked to go, the board had intended to send Ronald Sawyer.
"No matter how well you do in MC, HG and MC are in a collaborative partnership, so the money earned, and the profits are split in half.
"If you come back to HG and do new projects independently, the money earned will all be HG’s.
"Naturally, the directors are considering the interests of the company. In addition,
the board of directors felt indebted to you for not agreeing to the letter of request you submitted earlier.
"For all these reasons, we all want you to come back.
"As for the betting agreement, you can continue to design the Four Seasons collection with you as the main designer.
"If you don’t have the time and energy to wait for HG’s new project to start, you can let the design team do the heavy work and you’ll be responsible for redrafting and reviewing, instead of doing it yourself. Even if the betting agreement fails, HG and MC will share the burden. MC certainly does not care about compensation.
"As for HG, as long as you come back, the profits of the new project will definitely be more profitable than the project you are leading now, but even if you lose money, you will be able to afford it."
"But I... " Wendy said directly as she bit her lip, "I don’t want to go back now."
"Do not want to come back?" Timothy’s tone was harsher than before and he said, "Why? You’ve offered to come back before, haven’t you? At that time, you also urged the board of directors for results."
"I... " Wendy didn’t know how to explain things better. There was a moment of silence.
After a while, Timothy said angrily, "Corrine, you have to give me a reasonable excuse. I can’t even explain to the board of directors if you do this."
"I’m sorry Timothy, but it’s my personal reason."
"It’s not something that can be solved with an apology."
Jill walked in clutching documents and heard Wendy’s phone call.
She put the papers on the table and heard Wendy address him as Timothy, so she guessed it was her own father calling.
Standing still, Jill didn’t make a sound, nor did she go out.
Wendy looked at Jill, and for a moment, she didn’t know what else to say.
She gripped the phone tightly and slightly bit her lip as she said in an apologetic tone, "Timothy, can you see if you can still do something about it? I have not recovered my memory now. Even if I go back, I may not be able to handle the new project. I’m afraid that when the time comes, it will be messed up because of me."
"The fact that you were able to lead the design drawings for the Four Seasons collection after losing your memory and still manage to snatch back the client from DR is enough to show that even with the memory loss, you haven’t lost your design skills," Timothy said. "Corrine, it’s because I believe in you, and the board believes in you, that I want to transfer you back."
"I know, and I appreciate your trust."
Wendy looked at Jill somewhat helplessly, and there was no more sound coming from the other end of the phone.
The atmosphere stiffened again.
Jill pointed to the phone Wendy was holding. She meant for Wendy to give the phone to her.
Wendy said to Timothy on the other end of the phone, "Timothy, Jill wants to talk to you."
The phone was handed to Jill.
"Dad... " Jill now had a rough idea why Wendy had been so distracted the last few days.
Michael and Wendy had come a long way to get to this point, and it was indeed a little difficult to let her go back to HG.
Jill turned on the speaker and put it on the table, then said, "Dad, are you going to transfer Wendy back?"
"It’s not a question of whether I want to or not. It’s the HG board’s decision." Timothy was helpless and said, "Although your father is the president of HG, he doesn’t have full control of the company."
"Right now, the Four Seasons project is just getting started, and the first version of the garment is about to start production and distribution, so if we let Wendy go back at this time, won’t that be a disaster for MC?" Jill spoke up for Wendy.
"I’ll say it again. It’s the company’s decision," Timothy was a little angry.
"Wendy can’t talk to you, so let me talk to you directly." Jill said, "Wendy is now in a stable relationship with Michael, and Leah and Jake are very used to living here.
They definitely do not want to go back. Anyway, they are helping HG make money in MC. It’s hard for the family of four to reunite, so you guys shouldn’t break them up."
"So, that’s the personal reason Corrine just said?" Timothy’s tone was obviously angrier than before as he said, "Give her the phone!"
When Wendy heard his tone, she was a little scared.
The phone was now on speaker, so Wendy could just talk.
"Timothy, you can say... " Wendy’s tone was cautious.
This matter was indeed her fault.
"Corrine, you can’t screw me like that. When I saved you, I gave you a chance and trained you. Otherwise, how could you have gotten to where you are today? Now you’re telling me you’re going to stay with MC because your relationship with Michael is stable? You can’t be so ungrateful, can you?"
"I’m sorry, Timothy." The guilt in Wendy’s heart grew deeper and deeper.
"I don’t want to hear the word sorry again." Timothy said, "Well, I’ll give you time to think about it. Are three days enough? I’ll call you back in three days, and I want to hear you agree."
The phone call was abruptly ended.
Wendy and Jill only heard a beeping sound.
Jill glanced at the phone, then took Wendy’s hand and said, "Don’t worry about him. My dad only cares about HG, and he wants you to go wherever you can bring him more profit.
"It is true that my father saved you, but the profit you have generated for HG in the past few years is more than enough.
"HG relied on those two collections of products you designed two years ago to double the company’s market value.
"You don’t owe HG anything anymore, so don’t pay too much attention to my dad’s words."
"But it is true that I am the one who has wronged Timothy and HG in this matter,"
Wendy lowered her head slightly and her tone was sullen.
After all, it was a life-saving grace and a boost.
On one side was her life saver, and on the other side was her family and husband.
Wendy really didn’t know how to choose.
Wendy was in a really bad state.
At the end of the day, Michael came to the office to look for her, and he could tell right away.
On the way back, Michael talked to Wendy several times and she was lost in thought.
"Wendy, did Timothy call you?" Michael had guessed it.
"Yeah." Wendy turned her head to look at Michael and said truthfully, "The board decided to let me go back after all."
"So, what do you want to do?"
"I don’t know." Wendy shook her head and said, "Timothy got mad today when I said I didn’t want to go back and said he would let me think about it for three days and, then, call me back."
"If you don’t want to go back, then don’t go back." Michael said, "I’ll handle this, so you don’t have to worry about it."
"How are you going to handle it?" Wendy looked at him with some concern and said, "Forget it, I’ll handle it myself."
Michael had said a few days ago that she should resign, and he would give HG compensation.
At this point, if Michael offered compensation, the compensation would not be small.
Money might not be important to Michael. But now the competition between MC and DR was intense, and half of DR’s share of the market was taken away.
During this period of time, Michael had been lowering the interest in order to take down DR in one go, and it was the time when he needed money to do so.
If Wendy were to cause problems with MC’s financial chain, it would be more of a loss than a gain.
Furthermore, Wendy was afraid that Michael would be too pushy.
After all, Wendy was indebted to HG.
After returning home, Michael went straight to the study.
He didn’t listen to Wendy, who had told him to let her handle it herself.
As soon as he got to the study, Michael called Timothy.
Wendy looked for Michael for dinner before she found him in the study on the phone.
Pushing the door open, Wendy heard Michael say, "I’m not letting Corrine go, and if you directors at HG insist on transferring her back, then I’ll let her quit."
"I know you have a contract, and I’ll pay you double, no matter how much the breach of contract is."
"I appreciate how you took care of Corrine for those five years, and I know that without you, the three of them, mother and children, wouldn’t be here today. That’s why I’m willing to pay double, and if you think it’s not enough, I can add more."
"Yes, I won’t let Corrine go."
"I respect you as Corrine’s mentor, and I appreciate your care for the three of them."
When Michael heard the door open, he turned his head to look at Wendy.
His expression was calm, but his tone was still firm as he said, "This matter is not negotiable."
After saying that, Michael hung up the phone.
Wendy opened her mouth slightly, pointed to the dining room and said, "Dinner’s ready."
"Okay." Michael put away the phone, walked over and took Wendy’s hand. He smiled gently at her, "Don’t worry, I will take care of this matter."
