Kendrick almost burst into tears, feeling like he had just dug a hole for himself.
He thought that Avery was just like a gentile and docile lamb and did not expect her to actually be a wolf in sheep's clothing.
“Well, well, well. Never judge a book by its cover, indeed. How can you do this, Avery?” Kendrick complained bitterly.
“I think you have too much time on your hands, Kendrick!” Cayden said coolly as he turned and headed toward the CEO's office. “If you have nothing better to do, you can go to South Alendor right now. I'll get Mr. Dartsley to book you the fastest ticket there!”
“Oh, come on, Cayden. Are you really going to send me away? You're so cold! Am I your buddy or not? There aren't many people as kind as me left in this world! And I really treasure you...
Avery was stunned and speechless.
This was the first time she felt that men could be awfully childish when they argued.
Kendrick shot Avery a begrudging glance before heading back to his office.
To prevent Cayden from shipping him off to South Alendor, Kendrick could only bite the bullet and force himself to continue working.
...
Avery returned to the design department and was immediately greeted by stares from her colleagues.
They stared at her while whispering among themselves, fearing that she would overhear what they were saying.
Her identity was no great secret, after all. Although Cayden had not officially made her his wife, it was a subtle reminder to everyone about who she really was.
The employees were very perceptive. Even if some of them did not particularly like Avery, they suppressed their negative feelings because of her background.
Yulissa, especially, had to swallow a lot of her frustration.
Avery's outstanding performance and Yulissa's embarrassing one at the designers' meeting showed the stark contrast between their abilities. It almost made Yulissa into a laughingstock.
An insignificant employee who had just joined the company stepped all over her. How could she take it lying down?
Despite knowing that Avery had Cayden, the CEO's protection, Yulissa still felt indignant.
In her opinion, only the beautiful, competent, and talented director of the design department, Wisteria, was worthy of being Cayden's partner.
Moreover, Wisteria had been working with Cayden for many years. Their relationship was not so weak that it could be easily broken by a nobody like Avery.
She felt that Cayden was merely infatuated with Avery for the time being. Once the novelty had worn off, he would realize who the better choice was.
Although men were creatures of impulse, Cayden was different as he was rational.
There was nothing special about Avery apart from her looks.
There were plenty of women like her out there. Avery is not even comparable to Wisteria, who is intelligent and tactful.
If Wisteria became the CEO's wife, then Yulissa's career would be smooth sailing with her boss at the helm since she was one of her followers.
As soon as Avery sat behind her desk, Yulissa walked up to her and criticized her coldly, “Avery, do you really think you can do whatever you want in Trident Group? I've warned you before to not go on leave. How dare you ignore my instructions? Just look at your attendance this month, you were on leave for half a month! Don't get arrogant just because you have a connection to Mr. Moore!”
Gasps were heard all over the room.
They wondered if Yulissa was truly brave or truly stupid.
Avery was the CEO's woman, yet Yulissa openly criticized her in front of so many people. Was she not afraid that Avery would tell on her to Cayden, thereby causing her to lose her job?
As for Avery, she was not bothered by Yulissa's criticism or her colleagues' gossiping. She merely did what she needed to do.
She met Yulissa's gaze and calmly replied, “Yulissa, there is no rule in Trident Group stating that employees are not allowed to take leave, much less limit the amount of leave they can take. Employees just have to do what is expected of them. Furthermore, I was working from home even while I was on leave. I've completed every single task you've assigned to me on time and sent them back to you.”
Since she had decided to be with Cayden, Avery knew that all sorts of rumors about her would be floating around the office. How was she going to get stronger and stand together with Cayden if she cracked under pressure easily?
Yulissa was at a loss for words after hearing Avery's rebuttal. She was unsure how to respond.
Her face contorted with anger as she watched Avery turn on her laptop and go straight to work. She felt like a clown sulking when Avery remained unbothered.
Cecelia cupped her hand over her mouth and snickered.
Yulissa let out a cold huff. She shot a deathly glare at Cecelia, who was laughing at her, before sashaying back to her seat with her heels clicking loudly against the floor.
She hastily sent a “situation update” to Wisteria who was currently in Western Epea. If she did not come back soon, Avery would take her place.
Without anyone to back her up in the company, she was afraid of someone taking revenge against her. She did not want to end up losing more than she gained.
Avery, Cecelia, and Trevor sat together as they discussed the collaboration project with Vivi Group.
Avery went through the documents they had on hand carefully.
She knew a lot of people in the design department would be displeased that Cayden had assigned such an important project to her.
Some senior employees did not even get a chance to work on this. However, she was handed this opportunity despite being new to the company, not having any accolades under her belt, and not having served for long. It would make sense for others to be angry and jealous.
Cayden's orders could not be disobeyed, and Avery did not want to turn him down either. Doing something under pressure may not necessarily result in a bad ending for things might turn out well!
Avery understood that point. Hence, she must work harder than ever to achieve good results so that she can impress everyone.
This project with Vivi Group is of extraordinary significance for it will have a huge and lasting impact on my career.
From the information on the files and the discussions she had with Cecelia and Trevor, Avery knew very well that she was facing a lot of challenges.
Trident Group and Vivi Group jointly purchased a prosperous business district in Ackleton. They planned on developing the area in the shortest time and investing in the construction of stores, hotels, shopping malls, luxury condominiums, affluent neighborhoods, and more.
Avery could not wrap her head around it.
Cayden was the only one who had the capital and gall to not only purchase a prosperous business district in an incredibly expensive city but also upgrade it.
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