Chapter 133 Bribery
The sun was blazing at noon, but Kevin felt like he was suffocating. He knew he had done something terrible to Evelyn Allen's husband, wrecking their family. He deserved this guilt.
"Kevin , wait up!" Evelyn caught up with him just as he reached the community gate, tears in her eyes. "Kevin , what happened today was Albert's dad's fault. I've already scolded him, and I'll make him apologize to you. Please, come back. I never wanted this to happen."
"Aunt Allen, thanks for your kindness," Kevin sighed. "But I need to tell you something. Albert's my good friend, and what I did is unforgivable. I'm ashamed, so I won't come here anymore."
He pulled out a thousand bucks from his pocket, handed it to Evelyn, and took off without looking back.
"Kevin ! Kevin , come back!" Evelyn called, taking a few steps after him. But Kevin kept running until he vanished at the intersection. Evelyn stopped, tears streaming down her face as she sobbed.
Monday morning, Audrey Johnson walked into the office. She had just sat down when Ethan Sanders, grinning, said, "Audrey, have you heard? The title evaluation results are out. You've been promoted to intermediate level."
"Really?" Audrey was over the moon. She'd been stressing about this all last week. Even though her score was pretty high, she wasn't totally confident and had thought about asking Oliver Jones for help. In the end, she decided to leave it to fate. She couldn't believe she was hearing such good news on her first day back. "Are you serious? Don't mess with me."
"Why would I lie? If you don't believe me, go ask Mr. Carter. He was just looking for you," Ethan said, looking a bit envious. Audrey was promoted to intermediate level at such a young age, and she graduated from a top university. Her future looked bright.
Audrey sat for a moment, but she couldn't contain her excitement and headed to the director's office next door. Just as she was about to knock, Vanessa Wood stepped out, surprising her. Vanessa had been on sick leave all last week and was now back at work. Had she also been promoted?
Vanessa saw Audrey and grabbed her hand with an unusually sincere smile. "Audrey, you must be here to see the director. I was just looking for you. We've both been promoted to intermediate level. It's fantastic. I used to be a bit jealous of how capable you were at such a young age. The director just scolded me and told me to learn from you. I speak without thinking sometimes. Please don't hold it against me."
Audrey was stunned. Vanessa seemed to have had a change of heart after her illness. But since Vanessa had extended an olive branch, Audrey couldn't stay distant. She smiled lightly and said, "Vanessa, there's no need to say that. We're colleagues in the same office. I have my shortcomings too. I hope you can guide me in the future."
"Alright, Audrey, let's chat another time," Vanessa said, humming a tune as she left, clearly thrilled about her promotion. Audrey shook her head, realizing Vanessa wasn't so bad after all. She knocked on the door, and when she heard David Carter's voice, she walked in.
"Audrey, perfect timing," David said cheerfully, handing her a document. "This is the official notice from the school. Both you and Vanessa have been promoted to intermediate level. Initially, neither of you was going to make it, but Principal Jones and the education bureau secured two additional spots. You should thank Principal Jones properly."
"Oh, I see. Thank you, Mr. Carter," Audrey said, her heart racing. She hadn't expected this twist. Seeing her name on the list, she felt a surge of excitement. This was a big step forward in her career. She'd have to think about how to thank Oliver Jones.
Back in the office, Audrey saw several male colleagues congratulating Vanessa, who was glowing with happiness. Vanessa, too, had been told by David Carter about the additional spots secured by Oliver Jones. She was puzzled since she hadn't made any deals with him. Why would he help her? Maybe she had misjudged him. She decided to visit Oliver Jones.
In the afternoon, Oliver Jones had just finished a school meeting and was resting at his desk, planning his next steps. The title evaluations were finally over, involving a lot of balancing and private deals, but he had managed to place the right people in the right positions. His next challenge would be to adjust the administrative staff, which would require even more finesse.
Suddenly, there was a knock at the door, followed by a sweet voice, "Principal Jones, are you in?"
"Come in," Oliver said, sitting up straight. A young, attractive teacher walked in, wearing a pink dress that accentuated her curves and showed off her long, white legs. As she walked, her plump buttocks slightly swayed, full of charm. He recognized her immediately as Vanessa Wood from the English department.
"Principal Jones, I don't know how to thank you for your efforts in the title evaluation," Vanessa said directly, pulling out a supermarket gift card from her bag. "This is a small token of my appreciation. Please accept it."
Vanessa had spent the afternoon pondering what to give Oliver. He didn't smoke, rarely drank, and she didn't know his hobbies. Giving cash seemed inappropriate, and she wasn't sure how much to give. So, she bought a $5,000 gift card from a supermarket, hoping it would suffice.
Oliver, however, pushed the card back, frowning. "Teacher Wood, this is inappropriate. As the principal, I make decisions based on the school's overall development, not for personal gain. You should focus on your work rather than worry about such things."
"Principal Jones, it's just a small token of my appreciation," Vanessa said, taken aback by his refusal. Seeing his firm stance, she had no choice but to take the card back and leave the office, feeling confused. Oliver didn't want gifts or money. What was his motive? Could it really be just for the sake of work?
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