Chapter 315 Acquisition of The Astor Corporation
"Did you do it on purpose?" Hazel thought Katniss had deliberately arranged for someone to hire her at the job market.
Katniss sat down across from her and shook her head, saying, "I don't have that much free time. It's just a coincidence."
She was wearing a women's suit, and her short, slightly curly hair and delicate makeup gave her an air of sophistication.
She didn't seem like she was trying to make things difficult on purpose, and Hazel breathed a sigh of relief.
"But I don't want to work under you."
"The contract is already signed, so you need to work for me at least for six months, or you'll have to pay a penalty for breach of contract." Katniss didn't want to make things difficult for her, but she was in urgent need of staff.
Besides, Hazel, who was clear about her likes and dislikes, seemed to have cut ties with Benjamin. But she believed Hazel wouldn't betray White Corporation or go against Benjamin.
Hazel didn't have any money. She could only accept her bad luck. "Fine, it's just a six-month contract. I'll just finish it and leave."
Katniss couldn't help but laugh. She didn't probe into her matters with Benjamin, took the employment contract, and stood up, saying, "Let's go to work."
She walked ahead, her 2-inch heels making her almost a head taller than Hazel.
Though slender, she exuded confidence and decisiveness in both her walk and her speech.
Hazel followed behind her like a child, listening to her quietly.
When Katniss mentioned they were working at White Corporation, they had already stopped at the entrance of White Corporation.
Hazel looked up at the familiar building, remembering the great humiliation she had suffered here last time, and she gritted her teeth and didn't move.
"Don't worry, you're not an employee of White Corporation. You're my personal assistant. Your contract is only with me. No one at White Corporation, including Benjamin, can control you."
Katniss saw her face didn't look good, guessing she had fallen out with Benjamin and didn't want to see him again.
It was rush hour, and many people greeted Katniss as they passed by.
"Ms. Grey."
"Good morning, Ms. Grey."
Katniss smiled and nodded in acknowledgment, quietly waiting for Hazel to collect herself.
After a little over a minute, Hazel came to her senses and said, "I'll definitely leave after six months."
Because she never wanted to have anything to do with Benjamin again, not even see him!
"Okay. Once the contractually agreed work period is over, give me a handover period, and I'll let you go. Now, let's go in."
Katniss turned and strode into White Corporation, and the gentle demeanor she had shown Hazel vanished in an instant.
Her small face showed a hint of sternness as she told the security guard at the door, "This is my secretary. She doesn't belong to White Corporation. Let her in directly from now on."
"Yes, Ms. Grey," the security guard responded quickly.
Following behind her, Hazel wasn't very enthusiastic. Apart from being somewhat impressed by Katniss's aura, she had no interest in her surroundings or her position.
Hazel's office was outside Katniss's office, just like when she was an executive assistant at Synergy Global Corporation.
"Put your bag down and come in. I have some things to tell you," Katniss said, entering her office first.
Hazel entered five minutes later, her fingers hooked in front of her, standing still in front of the desk. "Ms. Grey, what work do you have for me?"
Katniss signed a document and then said, "You know Benjamin, so do you know his current situation and White Corporation's situation?"
"He's not dead?" Hazel said impatiently. "I don't know anything."
Hearing this, Katniss knew she knew something.
But her focus was more on Benjamin himself.
"Benjamin has been plotting to return to White Corporation for a long time. Although he's back now, White Corporation is not peaceful. He's eager to take back the White family, so he went back to the White family. White Corporation is mainly managed by me and Vice President Samuel. His father, Beau, has also placed people in White Corporation, so there are crises everywhere." As she spoke, she observed Hazel's reaction.
Hazel frowned as she listened.
"The information I have is confidential to White Corporation and cannot be leaked. So I need someone absolutely loyal to be my secretary. Frankly, your workload won't be heavy, but confidentiality is required. Someone will definitely try to bribe you."
Katniss leaned back in her chair, calmly looking at Hazel. "So, I'm giving you another chance. If you don't want to do it and think it's too dangerous, you can leave now, and I'll waive the penalty."
She didn't want Hazel to leave. Her intuition told her Hazel was trustworthy.
But this job had certain risks, so she decided to respect Hazel's opinion.
She thought Hazel, who had wanted to leave just now, would definitely choose to leave without hesitation.
Unexpectedly, Hazel agreed after a long silence. "I have no objections. I can keep secrets. But I'm a novice in the workplace. I hope I don't mess things up."
"Don't disclose anything about the job or my whereabouts to anyone, including those closest to you. Just do that, and it'll be fine," Katniss said concisely.
Hazel nodded heavily. "Okay, I can do that."
Seeing her serious face, Katniss couldn't help but laugh. "No need to be too nervous. Besides monetary bribes, I guarantee your personal safety."
"I'm not afraid," Hazel said stubbornly.
Katniss told her to go familiarize herself with the company first and then continued her work.
Hazel had worked here as a cleaner before, so she was already familiar with the company, but she didn't understand the internal chaos of White Corporation.
So she sat down directly and spent half a day investigating White Corporation's affairs on the computer.
Nine months ago, Benjamin, holding the largest shares of White Corporation, successfully replaced Beau as the president.
He quickly secured several projects to stabilize White Corporation's situation, leading the company to become a leader in the business world within a few months.
It was said that Benjamin had powerful advisors behind him.
Then, not long ago, Katniss returned and took the position of General Manager at White Corporation, securing the Runyon Corporation project and briefly gaining the approval of White Corporation's top management.
But in reality, they were not safe, facing numerous scheming individuals in the shadows.
However, Hazel couldn't help but stay.
She figured that if Katniss needed someone trustworthy, it meant Benjamin needed one..
Lost in thought, she suddenly heard someone outside shout, "Mr. White."
She quickly looked up and saw Benjamin, dressed in a suit, stepping out of the elevator, his sharp eyes gleaming behind his glasses.
He scanned the crowd and his gaze met her watery eyes.
He paused for a moment, then resumed his normal pace. As he passed by her, he stopped and asked, "Who is this?"
"Mr. White, this is Ms. Grey's specially recruited secretary, Hazel," someone immediately explained to Benjamin.
Benjamin looked at her with unfamiliarity, as if the person who had once lost control in bed because of her was not him.
Hazel lowered her eyes and pressed her lips together in silence.
Then she heard another voice say, "Hazel, what are you standing there for? Quickly greet Mr. White!"
Upon hearing this, Hazel raised her head and said in a small voice, "Hello, Mr. White."
"Mm," Benjamin responded coldly and went into Katniss's office.
The people who came with Benjamin were stopped outside the door, and only he went in.
As soon as he entered, his stern expression couldn't hold, and he asked in a low voice, "Why did you hire Hazel?"
"Coincidence," Katniss explained, seeing his tense face. "I was worried that the people hired by White Corporation's HR might be tampered with, so I privately sought help to hire a secretary. It turned out to be Hazel. Although she signed the contract, I analyzed the pros and cons with her and gave her a chance to leave."
But Hazel stayed, which was self-explanatory.
Hearing this, Benjamin pressed his lips together.
"Don't worry, she's just a secretary. This position knows a lot but doesn't understand much, so it won't be very dangerous," Katniss reassured.
A secretary was different from her previous role as an executive assistant.
Hazel was only responsible for delivering documents and attending social events.
She wouldn't be involved in any projects, so even if someone bribed Hazel, it would only be to get Katniss's whereabouts or steal some documents.
As for confidential matters, Hazel wouldn't understand them.
Hearing this, Benjamin's furrowed brows relaxed a bit. Perhaps Hazel could be somewhat protected under Katniss's supervision.
He changed the topic, "How is the progress on the Runyon Corporation project?"
"Fairly smooth," Katniss replied.
"Next, negotiate an acquisition deal," Benjamin said, sitting across from her and tapping the table with his fingers. "The Astor Corporation."
Katniss was stunned. "Acquire the Astor Corporation?"
"I got inside information that Michael's power has long been dismantled. Someone invested in The Astor Corporation to target Michael. Now that person plans to withdraw and sell their shares. The Astor Corporation is in a slump now. If we plan to acquire it, we can buy it at a low price and develop it later, only making a profit."
The Astor Corporation had fallen so low?
Katniss felt a bit emotional. She had once been suppressed by Michael, and now she was discussing acquiring The Astor Corporation.
"Michael is still the president of The Astor Corporation. If we want to discuss the acquisition, we have to talk to him personally. After the deal, whether to remove him or not is up to us," Benjamin added. "So, do we negotiate?"
"I'm just the General Manager of White Corporation. You hold the power. You decide," Katniss handed the decision to him.
After hesitating for a moment, Benjamin said, "Then let's do it. Samuel is very familiar with The Astor Corporation. You two estimate its current value and how many billions it will take to acquire it."
Hearing this, Katniss immediately called Samuel over.
Hearing about the acquisition of The Astor Corporation, Samuel was even more surprised than Katniss.
But he quickly got into the state, discussing how to acquire it.
They spent the whole day in the office, and before leaving, Katniss saw a message from Tristan saying he was waiting for her downstairs at White Corporation.
She had no chance to refuse because the message was sent an hour ago, and he was probably already there.
After the meeting, she grabbed her bag and walked out of the office, telling Hazel, "Alright, you can go home now."
"Mm," Hazel replied, packing up to leave. She had only served tea and water a few times throughout the day, with very little work to do.
She took the bus back to her place, and it was already dark. She lived in an ordinary residential area.
At the end of the alley, a low-key black business car stood out, never seen before.
She could see the flickering light of a cigarette inside the car and the overly familiar silhouette of Benjamin.
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