Chapter 51 Teasing Her! Provoking Her!
Vivian suddenly stood up, pacing back and forth as if she couldn't contain her anger if she stopped.
Laura didn't pay attention to her. She stretched lazily, turned around, and continued to focus on her experiments. Her movements were slow, and it seemed like she wasn't in a working state.
After a while, Vivian finally adjusted her mentality and looked at her again. "Alright, what do you want? You can propose conditions, and I will try my best to fulfill them."
In this critical situation, she had to endure it for the time being. Instead of asking Evelyn for help, she would rather negotiate conditions with Laura there. After all, Laura was within her control.
With a sidelong glance, Laura chuckled lightly. "Oh... Ms. Reed, do you have so much power now? Can I propose any conditions I want? That sounds really tempting. Can I really propose any conditions?"
Seeing her enthusiastic appearance, Vivian felt extremely contemptuous inside. In fact, everything was just a trade-off, and no emotions could compare to interests!
Laura's question indicated that she indeed held something important. Vivian responded seriously, "I can't say that I have a lot of power myself, but we have worked together for so long, and even though I am just a director, you should know the relationship between Mr. Scott and me.
"If you handle today's matter well, maybe I won't be able to do other things. But if I speak highly of you to Mr. Scott, it will surely count for more than ten years of work in the lab. What do you think?"
Laura remained silent for a moment, seemingly thinking carefully. She nodded as if she was considering it seriously. "What you said seems reasonable. But, can I really propose any conditions?"
She widened her eyes, with an expectant look. Vivian found it slightly amusing, sneering in her mind, but she had to show a sincere appearance. "Everything is possible. What do you want? A promotion? A raise?"
"I want both a promotion and a raise. What should I do? I'm so greedy!" Laura furrowed her eyebrows, seeming conflicted. And she immediately admitted that she was greedy, which made Vivian unsure of how to respond.
Vivian smiled. "It's normal to be greedy; there is no one in the world who isn't greedy. This is no problem. So, can you tell me what went wrong with the essential oil formula?"
"Hey, we haven't settled on the conditions yet, Ms. Reed. Why are you so eager?" Laura shook her head, dismissively.
"I have already agreed to your conditions. After this matter is resolved, your salary will double, and you will also receive the position of Deputy Manager of the R&D department. How about that?" Vivian clenched her teeth; she thought this condition was already quite generous.
Laura's qualifications and accomplishments rendered her unsuitable for the Deputy Manager role in the R&D department. However, Vivian prioritized resolving the present issue. Afterwards, she could devise a reason to demote Laura and reduce her salary. With just a few words, everything could be achieved.
"I didn't say I wanted that." Laura remained indifferent. The more she appeared indifferent, the more it provoked Vivian.
This made Vivian feel like she had always been in a passive position.
"What do you want then?" she continued to inquire.
Laura's actions paused, she clapped her hands and stood up, facing her.
Laura looked at her with a smile that was not quite a smile, "Ms. Reed, I want a raise, but I don't want a double salary. I want ten times the salary."
With a beaming smile, she gestured the number ten with her hand.
"Ten..." Vivian gasped. She thought Laura was really greedy.
But before she could say anything, she heard Laura say again, "As for the promotion… you underestimate my greed. How can the position of Deputy Manager of the R&D department satisfy me? I want… your position!"
Laura pointed at her, her gaze clearly indicating that she was not joking.
Vivian's expression soured instantly. While she could provide those things temporarily, she could just as easily retract them. Yet, Laura's ambition for her position was bold and rash. She wondered what impression her agreement to Laura's proposal might leave on the other employees.
Laura seemed to anticipate Vivian's hesitation and didn't rush her. She sat back down with a smile, resting one hand on the back of the chair and her chin on her hand.
"Oh, and by the way," she began, "In addition, you need to publicly apologize to Evelyn and admit that it was you who stole someone else's hard work. If you do that, then maybe I can reluctantly help you come up with a solution."
If Vivian could endure it initially, she couldn't suppress her anger anymore.
"Laura Baker!" Vivian gritted her teeth and called out her name, her eyes emitting angry flames. "You are going too far!"
Facing her anger, Laura didn't mind at all. She smiled and said, "Ms. Reed, how am I going too far? Didn't you say I could propose any conditions I wanted? Well, I did, and you're not happy about it. So, if you can't handle it, then don't make big promises that lead to this awkward situation, right?"
"You..."
"Alright, I know you were just joking with me, and I was joking with you too. Jokes aside, it's time to get back to work. I need to get these data for Mr. Scott.
"By the way, Ms. Reed, I've always wondered, don't you have any work to do? After all, you are a senior perfumer, so your skills must be far superior to ours. The company is in a crisis right now, shouldn't you, as our role model, help save the company?"
After teasing her, Laura happily picked up a test tube and started working on the blend. She had no intention of negotiating with Vivian. Her only goal was to toy with her! To provoke her!
Vivian stepped forward and snatched the test tube from her hand.
"Ms. Reed, if you continue like this, I won't be able to work," Laura remarked.
"Don't bother pretending here. Since you're unwilling to negotiate with me, then I'll be direct. What did Evelyn give you in return? She's already left and gone somewhere else. Did she care about how you're doing here? Yes, I know you had a good relationship with her and spent a lot of time together.
"You were friends. But can friendship make money? She got a higher salary by leaving, but what about you? What will you do here? You stand up for her and speak on her behalf, but will she be grateful? You better think carefully about what's more important: your future career or your temporary friendship?"
"Ms. Reed..." Laura shook her head helplessly and sighed. "You won't understand. Not everyone is like you, and not everyone is heartless."
"Laura!" Vivian wanted to say something, but her phone suddenly rang.
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