Chapter 41
“Linda? What’s wrong?”
Cordelia grew concerned, thinking Linda had burned herself as she’d been in the kitchen for quite a while, so she got up to check on her. To her surprise, Linda was giggling at the pot of soup like a madwoman.
“This is…” Cordelia froze, realizing this was the scent she had been smelling since the morning.
Linda tried to stifle her laughter and looked at her with a meaningful gaze. “Don’t react too badly if I tell you, okay?”
“What’s the matter?”
“So, all these are herbs…” Linda picked up some ingredients and explained, “These are ginseng slices, this is black fungus, these are fennels…”
“The rest are common. You know them too. Goji berries, ginger…”
Cordelia was confused. “What are these for? Why did Marcus make this soup for me?”
“These enhance women’s libido!” Linda burst into giggles. “Lucky for you, you haven’t consumed any. One bowl, and I promise you’ll be insatiable like a starved wolf. Marcus wouldn’t be your rival!”
Cordelia was stunned, then immediately blushed.
“So, what’s up with him?” Linda hooked an arm around Cordelia’s neck. “You’re having your period, yet he wants you active and wild at night?”
“Linda!” Cordelia glared at her, trying to stop her from saying more.
“Alright, alright, I’ll stop.” Linda helped her back to bed.
Whatever Marcus’ intention was, the nourishing soup was not meant for Cordelia to consume. Instead, Linda made her some honey water.
“Oh yeah, I have something serious to tell you.”
Cordelia grew nervous as she saw Linda’s smile fade, her expression turning serious. “What’s the matter?”
“I passed by Mr. Johnson’s office this morning and overheard him talking to Karine. You were mentioned.”
Cordelia’s face immediately fell.
Michael Johnson was Karine’s uncle, a major shareholder in the company. She had hit Karine the other day, and the latter had likely complained to her uncle about her. This meant that Cordelia might lose her job, especially since she hadn’t sent out her resume yet. She also had a few ongoing cases.
“Don’t get nervous now.” Linda patted Cordelia’s hand reassuringly. “I was quite surprised when I heard the conversation. Karine kept badmouthing you, but Mr. Johnson said nothing. In fact, he praised your capabilities at work and even sounded like he wanted to promote you to the sales team leader!”
“What did you say?” Cordelia’s eyes widened in surprise.
She was just a low-level salesperson who rarely interacted with higher-ups like Michael Johnson. She didn’t know much about him, but she had heard from colleagues that he was cultured, polite, and easy to get along with, not biased toward Karine.
“Maybe Mr. Johnson values talent more than family ties?” Linda mused. “Two veterans in the sales department left, taking many clients with them. The company needs capable people right now. Cordelia, maybe this is an opportunity!”
Cordelia pressed her lips together in thought, staying silent.
She recalled what Marcus had taught her—when unsure about someone or something, she should put herself in their shoes to consider the situation.
“Linda,” Cordelia said softly, “If you were a big shareholder in the company and your niece got hit by an employee, would you promote that employee without caring about what happened?”
Linda blinked.
“If that employee is capable, do you think they’d be your niece’s ally or enemy?”