The Night I Let Go novel Chapter 9

The meeting dragged on for over an hour, but the outcome was far from ideal. Neither of the critical issues had been resolved.

Harold, the chairman erupted in a fury, reprimanding every department head present.

Back in the chairman's office, Harold sat behind his desk, his face stormy, anger still lingering.

He asked Wendy in a sharp voice, "I gave you authority less than a year ago, and you've already let things spiral out of control. Do you think this is how you repay my trust?"

"Dad, these two issues weren't my fault. Yel Corporation decided to cancel the partnership, and the resignation of Ms. Hart came as a surprise. What was I supposed to do about it?" Wendy stood across the desk with her head bowed and looking aggrieved.

Harold seemed ready to continue his outburst, but upon seeing the look of distress on Wendy's face, his anger wavered.

He sighed heavily and said, "This is our family's business. The other executives might not care, but we have to. If we lose the Yel Corporation partnership, Jennings Corp will inevitably go downhill."

He added, "And on top of that, Evelyn's resignation will directly affect the quality of our pharmaceuticals and jeopardize future projects. Both of these problems must be fixed."

Taking a deep breath, Harold steadied himself before giving his orders. "You need to go to Yel Corporation personally and try to salvage the situation.

"Even if you can't win them back, at the very least find out who this 'someone' they mentioned is.

"And as for Ms. Hart, reach out to her again. Spare no effort. We need her to see the pharmaceutical optimization project through, even if it means hiring her as a private consultant.

"Let her name her price, and as long as it's within reason, meet it!"

Wendy nodded in acknowledgment.

After a pause, Harold continued, "Give the business department some pressure. If we're losing the Yel Corporation account, they need to secure new business to make up for the loss. Every bit counts."

He then asked sharply, "By the way, why wasn't the head of the business department present at today's meeting? How could he miss something this critical?"

Wendy immediately explained, "Ethan had a family emergency and left yesterday."

Harold's brow furrowed in confusion. "Ethan? He's only been with the company for a month, and he's already a department manager?"

He shot a sharp look at Wendy, who averted her gaze. Suppressing his irritation, Harold asked through gritted teeth, "Did he follow the proper procedure to request leave?"

"No. Not yet," Wendy replied, shaking her head.

"Ridiculous!" Harold slammed his hand on the desk, his face full of displeasure.

He shot her a stern glare and asked, "Wendy, what exactly have you been doing lately? Don't tell me you still have lingering feelings for Ethan.

"Have you forgotten that you're married? Do you think this is fair to Zachary?

"Back then, if it hadn't been for the three million dollars Zachary put up as a wedding gift, this company would have gone bankrupt long ago. We wouldn't have gotten this far without that money!

"Zachary may be useless, but at least he's contributed something to the family, unlike Ethan."

After a moment, he added, his tone growing more accusatory with each word, "What has Ethan ever done for us? What's he done for the company?"

Wendy's expression shifted slightly, and she quickly shook her head. "Dad, I have no feelings toward Ethan."

Harold snapped. "You better not! I see right through what kind of man Ethan is. He's the type who only moves when there's profit to be made. He's got no real talent, just a big mouth. When you were together with him back then, I never approved of it!"

Harold's eyes were filled with contempt as he spoke, "Besides, he left you in a heartbeat to go abroad for further studies, didn't he?

"I thought after five years overseas, he might have improved himself. But the moment he got back, he came running to our company.

"What does that tell you? It tells you he's still the same useless man he always was!"

"Dad, Ethan isn't as bad as you think! He's only been with the company for a month, and he's already brought in quite a bit of business! Even the overseas channel deal was thanks to him," Wendy protested, trying to defend Harold.

Harold responded with a cold laugh. "Overseas channel? What does that have to do with him?"