Way Back Into Love (Essie) novel Chapter 198

Zac said in a low voice, "You are not suitable for the CEO's office."

His words poured cold water over her. Cherry shivered and thought, 'Did he mean to have me transferred from the CEO's office?'

"I've just arrived, so I'm afraid I am not aware of what happened. If I did something wrong, then I'll do my best to rectify it. Please don't transfer me to another department."

Cold as ice, Zac turned his eyes back to his computer screen like he didn't hear anything that she said. Amy knew exactly what that meant and immediately pulled Cherry out of the office.

"Your internship is over. Starting tomorrow, you don't have to come to the office," Amy said in a cold voice.

Cherry's face turned pale. She said, "Are you firing me? I thought the boss just wanted to have me transferred to another office."

"Only regular employees can be reshuffled to other offices. You are an intern who haven't signed a formal internship contract. Once you make a mistake, it is our prerogative to ask you to leave," Amy said sternly.

"Was it wrong for me to send a document?" Cherry asked defensively.

"Although you are an intern, you received the employee code of conduct two days ago. You were expected to have studied the document and kept its contents in mind. It is clearly stated there that only the top executives are qualified to enter the CEO's office, unless the CEO has summoned others in. Non-executive rank employees can only send work reports or express their thoughts and opinions by email. Another thing: there is one absolute taboo in the CEO's office: never approach the CEO with any ulterior motive. In other words, if you dare express improper desire toward the CEO, you will be fired." With that parting shot, Amy turned her back to the other woman and returned to her desk.

Upset, Cherry called Mary as soon as she got out of the Emperor headquarters.

The news that she was fired surprised Mary. She immediately rushed over to meet up with Cherry.

"What's wrong with you? How could you irritate Zac the moment you came in?" she admonished the younger woman, disappointment written plainly on her face. She deliberately arranged for Cherry to be assigned to the office of Emperor's CEO. Her assignment was to get close to Zac and seduce him away from Essie.

If Valery couldn't win his heart, then she had to find someone else. Essie dared to be so presumptuous because her son was fascinated by her. That vile woman could only be displaced if Zac would fall in love with another woman and transfer his feelings for her.

"I was too eager for him to notice me that I ended up accidentally violating the company policies. I think I made a good impression on him. He didn't intend to fire me, only to transfer me to another office. It was his subordinate who made that decision without his permission." Cherry ranted to Mary in a voice full of agitation and righteous indignation.

"Forget it. I'll officially introduce you to each other this afternoon, but..." Something strange flashed through her eyes as a thought occurred to her. She leaned over and whispered something to Cherry.

Zac was preparing to leave the office when he received a call from his mother, who asked him to meet her for afternoon tea.

As soon as Zac entered the most high-end afternoon tea room on the West Street, Mary immediately introduced the person seated next to her. "Zac, darling, do you still remember Aunt Tracy in the United States? This is her daughter Cherry. She had just graduated from Columbia University and come to Dragon City for her career development."

"Auntie, we have already met." Cherry lowered her eyes, a picture of demure gentility, but it was to hide the frustration in her eyes. Then, she looked up with a gracious smile on her face and said, "He is the CEO of the company I am interning in."

"What a coincidence!" Mary exclaimed in feigned surprise. She told Cherry to pretend that she didn't know Mary's relationship with Zac. That way, he wouldn't suspect Cherry of deliberately entering the company with a hidden agenda.

Zac looked at her with his deep eyes and said nothing.

Still looking at Cherry, Mary took a sip of tea and asked, "Which department are you in?"

"The CEO's office, but I've been recently dismissed." Cherry fluttered her thick eyelashes, and tears began to form at the corners of her eyes.

"Dismissed? You mean fired? Why?" Mary covered her mouth in shock. Her son was a very shrewd person, so she had to take care not to overdo her acting so that he wouldn't notice.

"I went beyond authority to send a document," Cherry replied, voice injected with hesitation.

"It's not a very serious matter, then," Mary said in a decisive tone. She looked at Zac and said, "Son, please give Cherry another chance. She is one of Columbia's top marketing students in her batch, and I'm sure she wants to develop her practical knowledge in marketing. She will definitely be of big help to you if she continues to work in the company."

Zac again turned his unreadable glance on Cherry. "You are learning marketing, so why did you apply for a position in the CEO's office?" he asked slowly.

"When I came to the Emperor to look for a job, I heard that the CEO has six special assistants in his staff. I have also learned that these people are extremely powerful in their own right. I hope to become one of them, so I applied for a job in the CEO's office," Cherry explained with conviction. After all, her goal was to get close to him. The CEO's office was the department directly under him, so obviously it was her first choice.

"The available vacancy in the CEO's office was only a secretarial position, which is different from the special assistant position. It seems like you have yet to figure out what you want to do." The corners of his mouth lifted into a mocking smile.

She blinked her eyes guiltily and said quickly, "I'd like to be a secretary, too."

Zac sneered. His eyes looked very sharp, as if he had already seen through her tricks.

Seeing his lack of response, Mary again spoke on Cherry's behalf, "Zac, can you give her one more chance? She should at least finish her internship. If she does not perform well, then you don't have to officially hire her."

Zac cast a glance at his mother. He picked up his teacup, sipped at the tea, and said slowly, "If you must insist, I'll have her assigned to the marketing department."

Hearing the finality in his voice, Mary couldn't say much else. She could only go and figure out a way to salvage the situation to her advantage.