The Night I Let Go novel Chapter 6

The moment the thought popped up, Wendy shook it off.

"No way! That can't be right! Zachary has nothing to do with Yel Corporation. Why would they cancel the partnership just because he and I got divorced?" she wondered.

Wendy couldn't help but ponder who Yel Corporation held in such high regard.

Just then, the HR manager burst in, looking worried. "Ms. Jennings, we've got a big problem. Our lead pharmaceutical R&D engineer just quit!

"Our new medication still has some issues, and the optimization project is only halfway done. We can't move forward without her!"

The double whammy of bad news caught Wendy off guard. Everything had been going smoothly since she joined Jennings Corporation as general manager. This was the first real crisis she had to deal with.

Her mind went blank, and she was at a loss for what to do. Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted Ethan remained seated on her office's couch.

Wendy's eyes lit up as she asked hopefully, "Ethan, do you have any suggestions? With your extensive network and connections, you must have a way to help me, right?"

Ethan was just as shocked by the news, his face showing disbelief.

Losing the partnership with Yel Corporation would hit Jennings Corporation hard in terms of revenue, but losing that brilliant pharmaceutical R&D engineer would be a blow to their core competitiveness in the industry.

Ethan realized that trying to grow a company without a solid competitive edge was just a pipe dream. But with Wendy staring at him, all hopeful and desperate, he couldn't bring himself to say he had no way to help her.

He tried to keep his cool, furrowing his brow like he was deep in thought as he said, "Wendy, don't worry. These problems just popped up out of nowhere, so I need some time to figure things out. But I promise I'll come up with a way to help you!"

But it was a different story in his mind. He thought, "I'm just saying I'll try to find a solution. I'm not promising I can fix everything, so you can't hold it against me if I can't make it work in the end."

"Alright. I trust that you can do it! You have so many connections. I'm sure you'll find a partner to step in for Yel Corporation!"

Wendy felt a little relief wash over her. She decided to meet with the pharmaceutical R&D engineer who wanted to resign for a face-to-face chat. Resignations typically arose from issues with pay and benefits or other factors.

If the engineer shared her concerns, Wendy was ready to do whatever it took to address the issues and keep her on board. With that thought in mind, Wendy slowly pulled herself together.

Once she sent the two managers off, she quickly looked for the lead pharmaceutical R&D engineer who was thinking about resigning. She set up a meeting with her at the café downstairs to talk things over.

…

At the café, Wendy sat by the window and focused on Evelyn Hart, the woman sitting across from her. Evelyn was in her early 30s, with short, neatly cropped hair and glasses.

Wendy gave her a warm smile. "Ms. Hart, I heard that you handed in your resignation this afternoon. Can I ask if it's because you're not happy with the pay, or is there something else going on?"

Evelyn was a graduate student at a medical university abroad. She had earned several awards and scholarships during her studies. After graduating, she returned home without a second thought.

She landed her first job at Jennings Corporation, and now, five years later, she was seen as a veteran and a key player in the company. Wendy figured that Evelyn had probably formed some attachment to Jennings Corporation.

Wendy thought that if she really made an effort to persuade her—by appealing to their emotional bond and offering a better deal—Evelyn might choose to stay, no matter what her reasons were for wanting to go.

"Ms. Jennings, I know why you wanted to meet. Just to be clear, I didn't resign on a whim," Evelyn said, taking a slow sip of her coffee with a confident smile.

Her words instantly deflated Wendy, but she didn't give up. "Can you tell me the exact reason?"