Chapter 316 Bewildered
Regarding Ethan's sentences, Susan was at a loss for words and just threw him a weak smile.
Out of nowhere, Ethan blurted, "But hey, I gotta thank you. Maybe there's a way to fix my mess now."
Susan's brow furrowed. "What do you mean? Why the thanks?"
She was drowning in her own drama, let alone dealing with Ethan's.
Ethan's face got all serious and cryptic. "Sorry, I promised someone I wouldn't spill the beans, so I gotta keep my lips zipped."
Susan was still in the dark, totally clueless about what Ethan was hinting at.
Then, Ethan got up, flashed a grin at Susan, and said, "Ms. Wilson, let's wrap it up for today. Hope we have a smooth ride working together."
"Smooth ride," Susan echoed, standing up and smiling as she waved him off.
Elliott limped into Group Six's office, and everyone was floored by the sight of his beat-up face, jaws dropping all around.
"Elliott, what the heck happened? Weren't you just getting someecold drinks?" Ingrid rushed over, giving him the once-over.
Elliott forced a grin, touched his face, and said, "I took a nasty spill on the way back. The drinks and ice creams? Total goner!"
He held up a trashed shopping bag for everyone to see.
On his way back, Elliott had mulled it over. Embarrassing as it was, he had to show up. Otherwise, folks might think he bailed on the drinks run and snitch to Paula about him trash-talking her, which would be a nightmare.
His performance had been in the dumps lately, and Paula was already on his case. He needed this job to keep his family afloat.
"Falling did that?" Everyone eyed Elliott, clearly skeptical.
"I swear, I fell. My face met a rock, and boom, this happened. Even lost a tooth. I gotta hit the hospital. Someone cover for me with Paula, please. I'm not slacking; I'm legit hurt this time!" With that, Elliott grabbed his backpack and hobbled to the door.
Just then, Susan walked in and almost collided with him.
Seeing Susan, Elliott froze.
Susan was taken aback by Elliott's state. His face was a mess, blood at the corner of his mouth, clothes dusty, and fear in his eyes.
Elliott ducked his head, shuffled past Susan, and bolted.
Watching Elliott limp away, Susan couldn't help but wonder, 'What the heck happened to him? Looks like he got jumped. Who'd do that?'
The office ladies, seeing Elliott leave, started gossiping right away.
"That wasn't a fall; he got his butt kicked. He even lost a tooth. Who'd go that hard on him?"
"No shocker. Elliott's always up to no good. Bet he messed with the wrong person and got a beatdown from their guy or dad!"
The office erupted in laughter.
Susan walked in, still puzzled, thinking, 'Elliott's beat-up face is kinda hilarious.'
Looked like her curse actually worked. A few days back, she cursed Elliott to get his butt kicked, and today, bam, his tooth's gone.
For a split second, Susan felt like cracking up. She thought, 'Let's see if Elliott's still got that swagger now.'
Then, Susan headed to Fiona's office and knocked on the door.
Her budget proposal got the green light from Capgemini Software Company, and she needed to give Fiona the lowdown.
"Come in," Fiona's voice called from inside.
Susan pushed the door open, walked up to the desk, and said, "Paula, Mr. Robinson from Capgemini Software Company signed off on it. Here's our copy."
She placed the document in front of Fiona.
But Fiona's face turned stormy. She glanced at the document and said, "Susan, you here to show off?"
Susan frowned. "Paula, I don't get what you're saying."
Fiona leaned back, arms crossed. "I know you got someone pulling strings for you, but let's be real, this ain't all you, right?"
Susan felt a flash of anger. "If I had someone backing me, I wouldn't be stuck here as your underling. Anyway, I did what you asked. Just reporting in, nothing more. I'm out."
With that, Susan turned and left Fiona's office.
As soon as the door shut, Fiona angrily tossed the document on the floor and clutched her head.
This morning, right when Fiona started work, Linda had called her in.
Fiona still remembered Linda's repeated warnings. A big shot had Susan's back. The budget proposal Susan was working on was already smoothed over by this big shot, and someone from Capgemini Software Company would come to discuss it. Fiona was told to play nice and not screw up.
Fiona had planned to use this budget proposal to boot Susan out. But now, it had turned into Susan's big win. With this under her belt, Susan would not only get a promotion but also catch Linda's eye. More importantly, Linda said Susan had a big shot backing her.
If Susan stuck around at Pioneer Accounting Firm with this big shot in her corner, she could be a real threat to Fiona's position. Fiona couldn't help but stress out.
Back at her desk, Susan was puzzled.
Both Ethan and Fiona had been all cryptic. Could someone really be pulling strings for her?
Thinking about how Ethan had suddenly replaced Sophia to represent Capgemini Software Company in the budget talks, it was a curveball. Given Dominic's reaction at the charity gala, he clearly didn't think Sophia could pull that off.
Suddenly, Susan thought of George.
At the charity gala, she had chatted with George, and he had said he'd help her. Could it be him?
Even though George and Ethan were friends, George was just a lawyer. Could he really make Dominic change his mind? Susan wasn't sure.
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