Chapter 26 Kidnapped
Joseph took a sharp intake of breath. " It seems like... Miss Beaumont... hasn't arrived yet!"
He said, cautiously observing the expression on Magnus's face.
The man's features grew stern, "Tardy on her first day? Who gave her that privilege?"
"Perhaps there was traffic this morning!" Joseph ventured a guess in Juniper's defense.
His eyes narrowed, "The subway in the Imperial Capital is congested?"
Joseph, trying to quell Magnus's irritation, suggested, "Maybe she's arrived by now, Mr. Blackwood. Shall I check the sales department again?"
Suddenly, Magnus's phone buzzed with several WhatsApp messages.
They were from Mary: "Mr. Blackwood, I was just at the airport on my way to a performance in Ocean City when I bumped into Juniper. How come she's getting so cozy with some guy?"
Mary had sent a few photos.
In the pictures, Juniper was hugging a man at the airport, an apparent farewell.
And that man was none other than William.
He almost forgot that this same William was supposed to be starting a new position in S City today.
Seeing that Magnus remained silent, with his countenance growing colder, Joseph ventured,
"Mr. Blackwood?"
Magnus tossed his phone aside, a frost gathering in his eyes, "Forget it, notify Sales. If Juniper doesn't show up in the next thirty minutes, she can forget about starting her job."
Thirty minutes was all the patience Magnus had to spare.
"Right away. I'm on it."
...
When Juniper hurriedly arrived at the Sales Department of Sycamore Group Realty, she was gasping for air.
She glanced at the time – it was just shy of 10:30.
Thankfully, there had been no traffic jams en route, or she wouldn't have made it to the office even by eleven.
Joseph stood at the entrance to the Sales Department, craning his neck expectantly. Finally, he saw her arrive: "Miss Beaumont, you made it! Mr. Blackwood is about to blow a gasket!"
"He knows I'm late?"
Joseph checked his watch and said, “Twenty-nine minutes! You're one lucky lady. One more minute and you'd have missed your chance at this job. What on earth held you up? What’s more important than your first day at work?”
As he spoke, Joseph led Juniper into the Sales Department.
"Listen up everyone, this is our new team member, Juniper! Let's give her a warm welcome!"
Juniper steadied her rattled nerves and greeted them, “Hi everyone, I'm Juniper. Looking forward to working with all of you.”
A round of enthusiastic applause followed.
Joseph called over the Sales Manager, “Mr. Boris, please take Juniper to handle her onboarding paperwork and get to know the place.”
"Got it, Joseph."
Juniper cast a grateful glance at Joseph, "Joseph, I'll go get started with the paperwork. Could you please... um, talk to Mr. Blackwood?"
Joseph nodded knowingly and flashed an 'OK' sign to Juniper, "Go ahead."
Following Mr. Boris, Juniper went to HR to complete her new hire procedures.
Sycamore Group had a wide array of interests, owning companies in real estate, venture capital, law firms, and the entertainment sector. This entire business park was a conglomerate of Sycamore Group's enterprises.
The main offices of Sycamore Group Realty occupied the entirety of Building 3.
"Juniper, our real estate firm mainly occupies this building. Our headquarters, including Mr. Blackwood's office, is located right over there in Building One. That's where Mr. Blackwood's office is. The whole complex quite expansive; you might not get the lay of the land in just a day or two, but give it some time, and you'll navigate it with ease."
Juniper offered a polite smile and a nod, "Mr. Boris, do we need to clock in in the morning?"
"The sales department doesn’t have a strict clock-in system compared to others. But arriving at this hour... lunchtime is just around the corner, and that's not ideal," Mr. Boris said, half-joking, half-serious.
"I'll make sure to get here earlier in the future," Juniper assured him.
Mr. Boris took a measuring look at her, his smile inscrutable. "Juniper, are you related to Joseph by any chance? It's not every day we see a regular sales associate personally ushered in by him."
Was he probing to gauge the extent of her connections? Juniper played coy, "I do know Joseph, but relatives we are not. We're just alumni from the same college!" It was a lie—a safe and distant connection.
In the corporate world, you had to be a chameleon, adapting to your surroundings. Without solid backing, you're easily manipulated by colleagues and superiors. Too much support and you'd be the subject of gossip. A little backing was most common and sensible, preventing alienation.
"I see, I actually thought you might be one of the higher-up’s relatives. I wasn't sure how to address you at first."
"Does Building One house mostly management?" she inquired.
"Pretty much," Mr. Boris confirmed. "But us at the grassroots level don’t interact with Building One that often. We hardly ever see Joseph from sales, maybe twice a year at most. And as for Mr. Blackwood himself, even rarer."
Juniper let out an inward sigh of relief. Not having to see Magnus too often was a plus. Every encounter with him had her palms sweating and her stress levels through the roof.
"Our sales department can be quite demanding. You’ll be at the showroom greeting clients or out showing properties to potential buyers, sometimes away from the office for a whole week. You look pretty delicate; can you handle the pressure?"
"I can!" Juniper responded firmly.
"Good energy, keep it up."
...
Juniper was greeted by a seasoned salesman on her first day of work, who quickly introduced her to the full range of tasks and workflows before they headed to the sales office.
"We're heading to the sales office for Global Views Apartments, which just launched and is conveniently located near our company. There's quite a crowd over there right now, Juniper, so be sharp and let's make a great first impression."
"Got it."
When they arrived, the sales office was bubbling over with people—sales agents mingling with potential buyers.
The veteran salesman, Christopher, ushered Juniper to the scale model. "Juniper, I have to meet with a client over there, but why don't you get acquainted with the model units and their orientations? If you have any questions, just ask."
"Will do."
After studying the model for a short while, a colleague tugged at Juniper's sleeve.
"Hey, you're the new person, right? Could you assist this customer?"
The elderly man was dressed in a simple linen shirt with a black flat cap and lacked any luxury accessories.
Initially, the man had approached Christopher, but seeing the seasoned salesman preoccupied with another client flaunting a Rolex Submariner, Christopher directed the older gentleman to Juniper.
With a polite and gentle smile, Juniper asked, "Sir, what size unit were you interested in? I'd be happy to show you around."
"What's the largest unit you have?"
Despite his plain dress, the older man carried himself with an authoritative air.
Juniper handed him a brochure. "Here's our promotional material. Our largest unit is a grand apartment spanning 3,000 square feet. However, I personally there might be a better fit for you."
The man's interest was piqued. "Oh? This is the first time I've heard a salesperson tell a customer that the biggest might not be the best. So, young lady, what do you suggest is better?"
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