บท 14: Time to Face Off
After getting her shot, Scarlett returned to the office just as she'd left that morning - same clothes, same hairstyle. Yet, the glances thrown her way were tinged with a new weight. News of her new contract with the Zhou family had already spread. After all, secrets were hard to keep in an office.
As she'd suspected, one of her more sociable colleagues beckoned her over, his face alight with gossip. In a hushed tone, he asked, "Scarlett, was that really Lucius Zhou who came by this morning?"
Before she could even respond, a crowd of at least twenty people had gathered around her, their eyes full of curiosity and questions nearly bursting from their lips, like high schoolers cramming for their exams.
Nodding, Scarlett answered truthfully, "Yes."
The atmosphere instantly became electric. Someone asked, "When did you manage to secure the Zhou family? They've gone through at least a hundred tutors, loads of them top A-grade ones."
"Hey, hey, did Lucius Zhou personally come to pick you up? Did you know each other before?"
"Is Lucius Zhou easy to get along with? I heard…"
"Did you meet Lucius Zhou's son? What does he look like? Is he a handful?"
Scarlett was surrounded and couldn't get a word in. Eventually, someone piped up, "Look at you all, acting like you've never had a client before. Keep some professionalism, would you?"
Scarlett glanced over at the speaker - Naomi, who hadn't even bothered to stand up or look their way.
Naomi, like Scarlett, was a B-grade tutor. Not the most top-tier, but everyone knew she was close with Amelia He, the deputy director, and was therefore treated with a certain level of respect. So, when she threw her usual barbs, most people let it slide.
However, someone loved to challenge her, "Yeah, the one with the most experience and authority here is Naomi, right? After all, you did apply to tutor the Zhou family. Shame you didn't get it."
That someone was Ryan, who'd just returned from the break room, an iced fruit juice in hand. Ignoring everyone else, he walked over to Scarlett, handed her the juice, and congratulated her with a smile, "Congratulations, Scarlett, on landing the 'big fish' of the City."
Naomi's brow furrowed. "What's that supposed to mean? One-upping Scarlett and putting me down?"
Ryan glanced at her coolly, his smile gone, and said in a detached tone, "If you know it's pointless to put others down, then stop with the sharp-tongued comments."
Naomi hadn't expected Ryan to confront her again in the middle of the day, let alone not give her any way to save face. With half the office out on their lessons and the other half still present, she had no choice but to bite back, "Who's making sharp-tongued comments? I'm reminding everyone that this is office hours, not gossip time. Now you're accusing me of putting others down… And besides, what I say to others is none of your business. Do you really need to butt in?"
Ryan looked at Naomi, who was still seated, and said in a low voice, "If you have something to say, stand up and say it. Who do you think you are, putting on airs?"
Naomi, her anger getting the better of her, shot up and retorted, "Ryan Xia, watch your tone!"
Ryan was about to retort when Scarlett tugged at his sleeve. The rest of the office tried to step in and play peacemaker. The office was thick with tension, and no one noticed when Amelia stepped out of her office, until she asked, "What's all the commotion?"
Upon seeing Amelia, Naomi immediately burst into tears, sobbing out her grievances. She accused Ryan of picking fights with her twice in one day, claiming she was the wronged party.
Amelia glanced at Ryan, who was standing next to Scarlett, and was immediately incensed. Putting on a stern face, she said, "Ryan, forget for a moment that this is office hours and issues should be resolved privately. Even if there's an insurmountable problem, I'm here, and so is the CEO. As a newcomer, you shouldn't be giving your seniors a hard time. And as a man, you shouldn't be making a young woman's life difficult."
Ryan, a straightforward man from the Northeast, wouldn't have bothered with this female-dominated setting if it weren't for specific reasons. His face reddened not because he couldn't handle Amelia, but because he was hesitant for reasons of his own.
Before he could speak, Scarlett interjected calmly, "there are some things I didn't want to say in front of everyone. But since you've made it public, there's no need for me to cover for Naomi. Yes, I've lost eight clients in the month since I arrived, which is disappointing considering the effort the CEO made to headhunt me, and the support I've received from you. But that doesn't justify certain people taking advantage of my situation."
When Scarlett spoke up, everyone was surprised, including Amelia. This was the first time Scarlett had openly stood up for herself. People had grown accustomed to her mild manner and thought she was an easy target, protected only by the CEO. Who would have expected her to expose the situation today?
Naomi, having been singled out, was taken aback. Choking on her words, she asked, "What do you mean by that? Are you accusing me of kicking you when you're down?"
Scarlett looked at her, expressionless, and said, "You know exactly what you've said about me to others. I've been tolerating it to maintain workplace harmony, but I'm not willing to put up with your disrespect anymore. If you can't treat me decently, I don't see why I should continue to be polite to you. Today, in front of the Boss He and everyone else, I'm warning you for the first and last time: if I hear one more bad word about me coming from your mouth, I promise you'll be more embarrassed than you are today."
Scarlett, tall and commanding, radiated an intimidating aura. Naomi found herself speechless, unable to respond.
The office was deathly silent until Amelia broke the quiet, "Alright, we're all colleagues here. Any misunderstandings can be cleared up with a conversation."
Worried that Scarlett might argue, Amelia quickly added, "Scarlett, come to my office. Everyone else, disperse. Let's put today's incident behind us."
Scarlett shot Ryan a quick glance before following Amelia into her office. As soon as the door closed behind them, Amelia said, "Scarlett, in public I need to save face for everyone, but privately, I don't approve of what you just did."
Sitting in her boss chair, Amelia wore a serious expression, her gaze heavy with the gravity of settling scores. This time, Scarlett didn't stand idly waiting for a lecture; she pulled up a chair across the desk, looking calmly at Amelia and said, "I understand your point, boss. Try to defuse big issues and ignore the small ones. If something can't be resolved, we have you and the CEO above us."
Amelia replied, her tone neither cold nor warm, "Knowing this, your actions earlier were clearly intended to create a problem for me."
Scarlett said, "Even though I've only been in the city for a short while, I've heard plenty of rumors about Naomi being your trusted confidant. True or not, she does have a tendency to gossip around the office. Everyone might not voice it, but they're not happy about it."
Amelia responded, "She's no relative of mine, nor a close friend. Most of what you've heard is probably rumors."
Scarlett then said, "I believe in your character. You've been more than generous to a newcomer like me. I can't imagine you would condone someone bullying others behind their backs."
Amelia didn't respond, seemingly accepting the point, yet remained alert as she watched Scarlett.
Scarlett continued, "I've only just arrived and I'm still getting used to the local customs. I only found out from others how influential my new clients are. But securing contracts depends on your support and the client's trust. I considered passing them to Naomi, but I doubt the clients would agree. Besides, the young Mr. Zhou and I seem to get along well."
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