Chapter 390 Promotion
On Monday, right when Susan clocked in, she got this weird vibe in the office.
She walked in and saw Ingrid and some other gals whispering. The second they spotted her, they clammed up and gave her these goofy grins.
Without understanding why, she headed to her office and peeked out from behind the blinds. They were still gossiping, but she couldn't catch a word, just their faces.
Then, her desk phone rang out of nowhere.
Susan snatched it up. "Hey, Group Six."
A sugary voice chimed in. "Ms. Wilson, this is Mr. Bell's secretary. He wants to see you in his office, like, now."
Susan was floored.
Walter wanted to see her? She was just a department manager, and Walter was way up the food chain. Usually, Linda or the VP would handle stuff like this. She'd only seen the VP a couple of times. Now Walter himself wanted a chat? Must be something big.
Even though she was freaking out inside, Susan didn't waste any time. She got up and made a beeline for Walter's office.
She knocked on Walter's door, but there was no answer.
Just as she was about to knock again, the door swung open!
Her hand almost smacked Walter in the face, and she yanked it back, totally freaked out.
So awkward. She quickly looked down. "Sorry, Mr. Bell, I didn't think you'd open the door yourself!"
But Walter was all smiles. "Susan, come on in!"
Susan shot him a suspicious look and walked in. She thought, 'Is Walter in a good mood today? Maybe his second wife is pregnant or something?'
"Have a seat!" Walter's wrinkled face crinkled even more as he smiled. He motioned for her to sit.
Susan didn't say a word and plopped down on the guest sofa.
A moment later, Walter himself brought her a cup of water.
"Thanks, Mr. Bell." Susan jumped up to thank him.
"No problem. Sit down!" Walter settled into a big sofa across from her.
Staring at the water, Susan felt something was definitely off. Walter usually had this grumpy face and would chew people out when he was in a bad mood.
Susan instinctively pulled her legs together. She was rocking a black business suit today. She got this bad feeling.
Walter had a history of fooling around with his young secretary, which led to a messy divorce and a hefty alimony. Clearly, Walter couldn't keep it in his pants. His sudden niceness made her wonder if he was trying to hit on her.
Susan suddenly felt a headache coming on.
But then she thought, nah, probably not. There were plenty of younger, hotter girls in the company. Why would Walter be into her?
Just as Susan was getting all jittery and overthinking, Walter suddenly piped up, "Susan, I had no idea you were Mr. Anderson's wife. It's a real honor having you here."
"I’m just..." Susan started to say she was his ex-wife.
But Walter cut her off, "Susan, I'm really sorry. I didn't know who you were before, and I feel bad for any crap you've dealt with here. I can't even face Mr. Anderson. You gotta put in a good word for me and ask him to keep backing our Pioneer Accounting Firm!"
Susan quickly jumped in, "Mr. Bell, actually, I'm just Seb's ex-wife now."
Walter replied, "I know you two split, but you're about to get back together, and you're still the mom of his two kids. Mr. Anderson thinks the world of you. Aren't you already living at his place? Susan, you're part of our company, so your loyalty should be here. Of course, I won't treat you unfairly. I've already told HR. Starting this month, your salary's gonna double, and next month, I'm promoting you to vice president of Pioneer Accounting Firm. How's that sound?"
Susan was so freaked out she jumped up. She waved her hands and said, "Mr. Bell, I don't want a promotion or a raise. I just want to do my job. I really don't have any other plans!"
What the heck? Walter wanted to make her VP of Pioneer Accounting Firm? That was a position even Linda, who'd been there forever, couldn't dream of. And now he wanted her to skip levels and double her salary? She was already making nearly ten grand a month, and doubling it would mean twenty grand?
Walter patted her on the shoulder and said, "I know you're honest and capable. Our company needs people like you. Go get ready. I'll set it up so you can start as VP next month."
Walking out of Walter's office, Susan was in a daze.
She hadn't even made it back to her office when Linda stopped her in the hallway.
"Susan?"
Hearing her name, Susan, lost in thought, looked up and saw Linda staring at her with a weird expression.
Feeling a bit flustered, she quickly nodded. "Linda, do you need something?"
"Come to my office for a sec." Linda turned and walked into her office.
Susan, puzzled, followed her in.
"Close the door." Linda walked to the window, crossed her arms, and turned her back to Susan.
Susan obediently closed the door. She looked at Linda's back and felt the vibe was off. Linda seemed pissed.
Could it be that Walter had already told Linda about the promotion?
It made sense. Linda had been at Pioneer Accounting Firm for years and was just a business director. For Susan to suddenly become her superior was a tough pill to swallow, especially since it was all because of her connection to Seb, and Linda had a thing for Seb.
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