Chapter 44 Fire Me Then
On the way to the laboratory, Liam instructed Vivian to gather all the lab personnel in the lab.
In the early morning, as most people hurried to the lab from breakfast, there was a sense of unease in the air. Vivian's demeanor hinted at urgency as she delivered news of an emergency.
Realizing the gravity of the situation, Vivian shed her usual laziness and diligently reanalyzed the essential oils brought back from the factory, comparing them meticulously with the formula. She couldn't fathom why the end products had such significant discrepancies.
Despite her recent complacency, Vivian maintained her professional integrity. She was confident that there were no issues with the essential oil components. So, where did the problem lie?
Liam hadn't informed the lab staff about the issues with the oils and end products. Instead, he simply indicated that the company had a new task, requiring the existing staff to undergo assessment and adjustment. This assessment entailed analyzing the components of the current batch of essential oils and identifying any differences from previous batches.
This assessment left the lab staff puzzled. Since Liam had instructed them to do so, they complied. Each person was busy but couldn't pinpoint any problems.
Liam didn't hold high hopes. Most of the lab staff were recent graduates. Previously, Evelyn had been around; she could solve all issues, so Liam hadn't considered grooming backup talent.
Furthermore, nurturing talent required resources. Outstanding perfumers were scarce, and experienced ones demanded high salaries. Liam's company wasn't large, and he didn't want to invest in training perfumers.
Evelyn had been working for free and was competent. With her, he had felt adequately covered. However, he hadn't anticipated that the woman he thought he had under control would fly away.
After inspecting several lab staff, Liam frowned. Time was of the essence. If they couldn't identify the problem quickly, the factory wouldn't be able to produce, leading to potential losses due to breach of contract. So...
Approaching Vivian's lab door, Liam peered inside and saw only her working diligently. Something seemed amiss. After a moment's thought, he turned back, scanning each lab staff until he spotted the issue. "Where is Laura?"
"I don't know," Vivian replied. "I haven't seen her."
"Did you inform her?"
"I notified everyone in the lab. To avoid oversights, I sent messages and made phone calls to each person, but..." Vivian paused. "I couldn't reach her on the phone."
"You couldn't reach her? Call her again. This is a critical moment for the company. How could she be so casual? Even if we have to send someone to her house, she should be here," Liam said angrily.
"Well..."
"Hurry up!" Liam roared.
At that moment, he heard a lazy voice behind him. "I'm early today. You're here early too. Everyone seems early today."
Liam turned slowly and saw Laura walking in from outside. She wore a smile on her face, appearing in good spirits.
Anger simmered within Liam.
"What time is it? You're late to work!" he snapped.
Laura glanced at him and then at her watch. "I'm not late."
"Vivian just informed everyone in the lab to come immediately. Where were you?" Liam gritted his teeth, his expression stern.
"I was sleeping at home," Laura said, unaware of any wrongdoing. "I didn't see the notification. Besides, I don't check work messages outside work hours."
"Don't you think you're in the wrong? Everyone is working hard for the company. What are you doing? Don't think that just because you've been here for a long time, I won't penalize you. Evelyn was too—" Liam suddenly stopped.
In the company, nobody dared mention Evelyn.
"Never mind. Go check the difference in the essential oils in your lab. If you do well, I won't hold your lateness against you."
After much thought, Liam believed that aside from Evelyn, Laura was most likely to have the answers.
Laura had been Evelyn's assistant and was privy to the formulas and procedures. However, her mind seemed to have followed Evelyn's departure. Liam speculated that she might have also gone to work for Neogenito Fragrances.
Unlike Evelyn, though, Laura had signed a contract with Liam. Without his approval, she couldn't resign immediately.
"Essential oils? Mr. Scott, don't you have the essential oil formula? How could there be a problem?" Laura slowly set down her bag, smiling as she walked toward the lab.
Seeing Vivian glance at her, she said, "And Ms. Reed is here. With her around, why would I need to do anything?"
Her sarcasm embarrassed Vivian, who immediately retorted, "Laura, don't mock me. The company is assessing you; Mr. Scott doesn't need you to tell him what to do. Who do you think you are? When Mr. Scott tells you to do something, just do it. No more nonsense!"
"How am I mocking you? Was I wrong in what I said? Ms. Reed, you are very capable, and many of the company's popular products are the result of your research. How can the rest of us compare to you? Do you think I'm talking nonsense? Fine. Fire me!"
Fearless, Laura hoped Liam would lose his patience and dismiss her. That way, she would be free.
"You..." Vivian was furious and about to continue when Liam intervened.
"Laura, you've misunderstood Ms. Reed. The company is assessing you now. If you or anyone else does well, as promised, the company will immediately promote and raise your salary. I will not go back on my word," Liam pledged. "However, you only have half a day. You must reach a conclusion within this time."
Upon hearing Liam mention promotions and raises, everyone perked up, except for Laura.
She maintained her faint smile and slowly rolled up her sleeves. "Mr. Scott, you're very generous. Let's go, everyone!"
With that, she turned and walked into the lab.
Liam sensed the underlying sarcasm in her words but had to endure it for now, hoping to uncover the root cause swiftly.
"Vivian, have we not identified the difference yet?" Liam turned back, lowering his voice to ask Vivian.
Vivian, wearing a stern expression, said, "How would I know? You know that formula... Let's go find Evelyn to clarify."
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