章 25: Irene And Damian Had An Understanding
Irene heaved a sigh.
Damian was one smart guy.
"Fine," she said. "I did talk about the selection of the R&D manager and the competition simultaneously. BUT, I never made a connection between them."
And she wasn't even lying.
Both Laura and Janine drew their own conclusions during their conversations. Just because Irene mentioned the two separate topics one after another, it didn't necessarily mean that the two things were related, were they?
Irene did not have high hopes for Damian to let her off the hook just because of that, but she just had to try.
Indeed, Damian did not believe that she was innocent at all. On a brighter note, he also did not have any proof that Irene deliberately caused the whole company to believe what they assumed out of a free will.
"It doesn't matter," Damian told her softly without any hint of reproach. "Human minds are designed to make connections between matters as long as they make sense. Accidental or deliberate, I will have you take responsibility for your actions."
Irene shrugged.
"I don't mind. This will be a good work experience for me."
Damian smiled. He ripped his eyes off Irene and stared at the rear-view mirror ahead of him before he continued speaking.
"Then it cannot be considered a punishment, can it?"
Irene stared at Damian in bewilderment.
"... Does this mean that you plan to punish me for real?"
Exactly what kind of punishment were they talking about?
The word "punishment" carried some negative connotations here.
Irene often heard that some police detectives developed mental health problems thanks to the nature of their work. Was Damian Henderson probably a sadist at heart?
Damian had to chuckle and shake his head when he looked at Irene's facial expression.
"No, why should I?"
"..."
If he did not plan to do that, why even mention the word "punishment" in the conversation?
Irene pursed her lips full of indignation. If Damian thought that she was easily scared, he was sorely mistaken. She was going to prove him wrong, one way or another.
Seeing that Irene had nothing to add, Damian decided to pick up the conversation.
"Make no mistake, I see no harm in sending our researchers to compete on a global scale."
"Then you are not upset with me, are you Mr. Henderson?" Irene asked while narrowing her eyes at her boss.
If he was not upset, there was no need to punish her, right?
A corner of Damian's lips ticked up in a gleeful sneer.
The lady in question was bold enough to do one or two things without much consideration but was seemingly unprepared for the consequences.
Or was it maybe because she thought she would not get caught?
Then it was a good lesson for her to never underestimate her opponents in the future.
Damian did not draw any enjoyment from torturing people, especially not women.
On the contrary, he found Irene quite interesting. She was smart and intuitive.
If ever Irene was interested in another job, Damian would be glad to introduce her to a few more challenging positions.
Secretarial work must be so boring for someone as intelligent as she was.
"No, I am not. I would appreciate it if you don't go behind my back all the time, though."
Before Irene opened her mouth to say something in defiance, Damian held a hand up to indicate that he was not done with his speech.
"I am open to suggestions. Any suggestion," he added with emphasis. "The next time you order a full audit on all suppliers using my name, I would love to be informed."
After hearing what Damian had to say, Irene knew that she could not win the argument. Biting into the inside part of her cheek resentfully, she mumbled, "Sorry for that, Mr. Henderson. And yes, I will."
"In that case, we will get along splendidly with each other," Damian flashed her a bright gentlemanly smile.
"..."
For the time being, Irene decided not to pull any tricks in front of her boss. When she got home that night, an email arrived from Glasgow.
"Dear Ms. Leah Mitchell,
we are honored to welcome you as a participant in this year's International Best Original Perfume Competition.
The competition is going to take place in the first week of December in Glasgow for one whole week. Please send us the list of materials and equipment that you need to create your amazing submission so that we can prepare them for you beforehand."
Irene pressed her lips against her phone like a little girl while smiling to herself.
Now that she was officially enrolled in the competition, what wonderful perfume should she make? The answer had to wait until after the weekend, because another exciting assignment from Die Rache was waiting for her.
Before long, Friday night arrived again.
All the lights in Irene Gallagher's house were switched off, giving the impression that the homeowner was either not at home or already sleeping soundly.
Irene was indeed far, far away in a remote house at the outskirts of the city.
The blonde woman hummed to herself as she zipped her catsuit up and put on fitted gloves and boots for her next assignment.
Slipped inside her leather belt was her Smith & Wesson and a dagger. There were also other useful devices and tools that she stuffed into her pockets, just in case she needed them.
Most of her long hair was tucked in neatly under a beanie hat. Her face had been altered to that of a different woman.
Smirking at her reflection in the mirror, she thought that she looked just perfect for the night.
Outside, a whirring sound of helicopter blades was heard. It gradually became louder as the helicopter descended slowly to the ground. By the time Irene locked up the house and stepped into her backyard, a helicopter was already waiting there.
Angela sat in the cockpit with a broad grin across her face.
"Hey, babe," she greeted her boss. "All good?"
"Yupp," Irene swung herself into the helicopter with one smooth movement.
"Off to Novosibirsk!"
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