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“Did you spend the weekend in prison? You look terrible,” Gerda commented as she pulled out her chair and sat down, munching on a hot dog.
“The cooperation project I’m handling is moving so fast. I needed to work overtime for two consecutive days,” Natalie drawled and yawned. She was so tired that she felt she would doze off the next second.
“Were you able to finish?”
Leaning on her table, Natalie nodded weakly. “It was finished this morning!”
As the two chatted idly, Tiffany’s voice rang out from behind them. “Quinn, please see me in my office.”
In a daze, Natalie raised her head. Gerda shot her a sympathetic look then stuck out her tongue like a little child. “Sounds like you’ll need to revise your drawings. Good luck!”
Barely holding herself together, Natalie trudged into Tiffany’s office.
“You look exhausted. I never thought anyone else here would work harder than me.” Tiffany sipped at her coffee pensively, looking Natalie up and down almost sympathetically. Then, she spread out the design drawings on her desk and said, “The Color Company has sent these to the factory already. There’s no need for you to make any modifications. They’re very satisfied with your work. That’s all I wanted to say. You can go back now and take things easy.”
Natalie looked at Tiffany warily and asked slowly, “Is there anything else you wanted to say, Ms. Fisher?”
She found it hard to believe that Tiffany just called her in to praise her.
“No. Go back to your desk and take a nap, will you? I’ll pretend that I don’t see you slacking off.” The corners of Tiffany’s red lips lifted, revealing a warm smile.
Then, having dismissed Natalie, she fixed her eyes on the design drawings before her.
After lunch, a notification popped up on Natalie’s computer.
It was Brandon. “I heard that you did a good job.”
Natalie read and reread his message, feeling flattered. There were thousands of employees in the Larson Group, and she was just a newbie. How could the news about her work have reached Brandon’s ears so soon?
Natalie cautiously replied, “I was just doing my job, Mr. Larson. I’ll do my best to keep contributing to the company.”
Actually, new designers weren’t usually get well-paid. Only Natalie herself knew that if she didn’t enjoy this job, she would’ve long quit.
To her surprise, Brandon then said, “We monitor every employee’s output. Given your progress, I’m going to give you a raise.”
“Really?”
Thrilled beyond belief, Natalie lost control of herself and nearly shrieked with excitement.
She had just joined the Larson Group. A raise was the least of her expectations, but it was very much welcome, as it would help her pay for Hannah’s medical fees.
Sitting in his brightly-lit office, the man watched the surveillance video from his computer screen, staring at the woman who was snickering at her desk. He couldn’t help but chuckle.
“Have you been working overtime in the past two days?” he asked.
Natalie looked around the office secretly, wondering if the CEO was watching her.
But then she soon realized that the CEO probably had access to the attendance of all the employees.
However, it was still surprising that he would pay special attention to her, an insignificant employee, let alone a newbie.
Natalie shrugged off any feeling of uneasiness and cheered up at the thought of her raise.
She answered, “Yes. I had to work overtime because I needed to finish my design for our client as soon as possible.”
After she sent this message, confusion began to creep on her.
There were thousands of employees in the Larson Group. Why did the CEO personally tell a newcomer that her salary was to be raised? Wasn’t that the HR’s job?
In that moment, Brandon seemed to read her mind.
“It’s not yet time for annual evaluation for raises and promotions. Your raise is my special reward for you, which is why I’m the one who’s telling you about it.”
Natalie heaved a sigh of relief and replied, “Thank you, Mr. Larson. I will work harder in the future!”
Then she sent a smiling emoji of good will.
This was her first job. She was so lucky!
And the Larson Group was a huge company, too. Perhaps the boss was willing to shell out a tiny sum in an effort to retain the talented employees.
Without thinking too much, Natalie proceeded to focus on her work.
When it was time to get off work, Natalie was about to turn her laptop off when Brandon sent her another message.
“Don’t work overtime today. You have to get proper rest.”
Natalie’s body went stiff.
After what had happened with Garrett, she didn’t dare to even consider the idea that Brandon was interested in her. After all, a mysterious big shot like Brandon was different from the playboy, Garrett. It was impossible for him to take a fancy to her.
So she decided that perhaps he was just a really considerate boss…
When Natalie came home, she found the apartment empty. Hours ticked by, yet there was still no sign of Sebastian.
Finally, at eleven o’clock, Natalie heard the sound the door unlocking. She walked to the door subconsciously.
When the door swung open, she met Sebastian’s gaze.
The man looked exhausted. He put away the key and said curiously, “I thought you were exhausted from working overtime. Why aren’t you in bed yet?”
“I got to take things easy today. Anyway, I cooked fish with sweet and sour sauce. Have you had dinner?” She should have been bed by now. For some unknown reason though, Natalie had decided to wait for him tonight. After a moment’s silence, she asked hesitantly, “Why are you so late tonight?”
She had been working overtime the past few days, so she was out of the apartment early and came back late at night. She hadn’t seen Sebastian in almost three days.
“Fish with sweet and sour sauce? Sounds great. I haven’t had dinner yet.” Sebastian shrugged off his coat and tossed it on the sofa. He picked up the remote control on the table and turned on the TV. The sound of a football match droned on. “The convenience store was restocked today,” he murmured absentmindedly. “I had to help move things.”
“Oh,” said Natalie. Shrugging it off, she walked to the kitchen to prepare the food.
Hearing the sounds of dishes clinking, Sebastian followed her to the kitchen and leaned against the door frame. “How’s work?”
Natalie looked up at him, her eyes lighting up excitedly. “I was just about to tell you. Mr. Larson himself told me that he’s going to give me a raise. He thinks I’m a promising designer. Maybe I’ll be rich in the future!”
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