Meanwhile, Jennifer had recently been waiting patiently for a chance to finish Sophie once and for all. As she stared at James then, she felt like the time had come.
“Here are the details. You can read through them thoroughly when you get back. Ring me up if there's anything that you don't understand,” Jennifer explained.
James was smart. He knew what he had to do. “Noted, Ms. Whitley. Don't worry. No problem will arise. We will make the best team.”
Don't blame me for this, Sophie. If you have no regard for me, I won't hesitate to take action against you. I've worked in Tanner Group for so long as compared to Sophie. How dare they disrespect me? Since they did this to me, there is no way I'll continue serving the company willingly and loyally.
James continued, “Let's make a pact. My salary mustn't be lower than my previous salary at Tanner Group when I join Whitley Group.” Even though he initially wanted to request a salary double the amount his salary at Tanner Group, he didn't have the nerve to do so.
Naturally, Jennifer knew what James was going on about. “Relax. I'll keep the promises I made to you. However, let's get things straight. It would be best if you were on your toes all the time. Make sure you leave no trace behind.”
This time, Jennifer was determined to end Sophie thoroughly, ridding Jipsdale of Tanner Group forever.
James nodded. “I know. Don't worry. Leave it to me.”
Then, he got up, took his things, and left.
With that, only Jennifer was left in the private room. She had held her anger in for so long, and now was the time to exact her revenge.
Her expression twisted viciously as Jennifer mumbled to herself, “Sophie, you always thought that you were an impressive woman. This time, I'm going to show you the cruel reality of the real world!”
Different emotions flashed across Jennifer's face uncontrollably when she thought about the challenges coming Sophie's way. Jennifer wanted to know whether Tristan would cover up for Sophie this time.
Minerva had accompanied Jennifer through her conversation with James, so she was aware of Jennifer's plan. She remarked worriedly, “Jennifer, are you sure it's okay to do this?”
Why did Jennifer's personality change drastically after falling in love with Tristan? Minerva went on, “What you are doing is illegal. If someone finds out, the consequences could be dire.”
Everything she said was from the bottom of her heart, for she genuinely regarded Jennifer as her friend. However, her advice fell on deaf ears.
“Minerva, you are my friend. I need your support most at a time like this, so please stop spewing this nonsense at me, okay?”
Minerva furrowed her brows. “But...”
What Jennifer is doing is wrong! In my opinion, it isn't okay to frame an innocent person.
Jennifer didn't bother to explain anymore. At that moment, all she hoped was for Sophie to experience misfortunes.
James ran into Sophie at the entrance when he got back to Tanner Group. She glanced at the files in his hands.
The man's hands shook ever so slightly when he noticed Sophie's gaze. James tried to calm himself down before speaking. “Oh, you are in, Ms. Sophie.”
His mind raced. Why am I panicking? She doesn't know what I'm trying to do. These just appear like regular files. Nothing out of the usual. It's impossible for her to see through my plan.
Sophie knew James was up to no good upon seeing how suspicious and sneaky his actions were. “Mr. Lestrange, why did you head out during working hours?”
“Something happened at home, so I went out for a while. I'm sorry, Ms. Sophie, for not informing you in time. But I just went out for a short period. It's no big deal, right?” James replied. He was extremely displeased by Sophie's attitude.
In the end, I'm still one of the veterans at Tanner Group. How dare Sophie disrespect me in this manner? If this is what she's going to be like, then she deserves whatever I do to her. A person like her doesn't deserve the loyalty of her employees.
James couldn't help but feel excited when he thought about how Jennifer was going to deal with Sophie and the dire situation that Sophie was going to end up in.
“Indeed, it's no big deal for you to head out for a short while. I didn't say you did something wrong,” Sophie stated, unwilling to converse further with James. She walked into Tanner Group.
Victor knew Sophie was visiting today, so he waited for her in her office. When he saw her, the man asked, “What happened? What's with the sullen expression?”
“Victor, I'm afraid we have to get rid of James quickly. Find a person to replace his position as soon as possible.” Sophie noticed that James had displayed signs of being disloyal to Tanner Group.
“I had the same thought. It's tricky business, though. He is one of the old-timers at Tanner Group. If we replace him now, I wonder whether it will cause unease among the other staff,” Victor explained his worries. He would have kicked James out before this if he didn't have to consider the effect it would have on the company.
“You don't have to worry about that. The staff at Tanner Group should be trusting us. If they don't believe that we can bring the company to a higher, better level, there's no point for them in staying here,” Sophie answered. She wanted a team, a company that was able to work together peacefully and appropriately.
“Okay. I understand. I'll find someone suitable for his position within these few days.”
One should know when to admit that they are getting old as they end up not being able to handle matters appropriately. Moreover, James is an old-timer with a high salary at Tanner Group. If he does his work correctly, his contribution will match his salary, which would be enough for us not to doubt him.
“Whitley Group has been trying to sabotage us endlessly lately. Do you think we should do anything to retaliate against them?”
“Oh, I know. Do whatever you need to do to teach them a lesson. I'll be there to take care of the mess if anything bad happens,” Sophie promised. She didn't want to back down from the conflict since Jennifer was the one who provoked her first.
With Sophie's words, Victor knew he could finally do whatever he wanted to retaliate against Jennifer's dirty tricks. Who does she think she is? Jennifer wouldn't be able to abuse her power if she weren't part of the Whitley family.
As for James, he had returned to his office to browse through the files that Jennifer had given him. At last, he knew what Jennifer's plan was.
I've been Tanner Group's employee for so long. Even though I've had no overwhelming accomplishments, I can say that I've worked hard all these years. Who would have expected Sophie to disrespect me without regard for my contributions? She can't blame me for doing this now.
“Old Mr. Tanner, if you can see what I'm doing now, please don't blame me. It's not my fault that things turned out this way. I have no other options left.”
I've sacrificed so much for Tanner Group. It's disappointing that I'll end up in these unfortunate circumstances. I no longer want to continue living like this. Since Jennifer is able to offer me such significant compensation, I have to put myself first. Humans are selfish, and we've been this way since the beginning of time. No one can resist the temptation of money, so no one can really blame me for doing this.
The next day, Sophie arrived at her classroom with her backpack when a group of people in uniform came looking for her.
She was having breakfast with Sandra when the men showed up. When Sandra saw these people, she was dumbfounded.
What happened? What's with the crowd?
Comments
The readers' comments on the novel: Changing only for her (Sophie and Tristan)
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