Chapter 23 The Robinson Family Empire
The door to the office swung open, and in walked the employee who had led Lauren to Noah earlier. So, her name was Linda. Lauren greeted her with a smile.
"Mr. Martin, do you need something?" Linda glanced at Lauren and gave her a friendly look.
Noting the interaction, Noah said, "You two know each other? That should make things easier. Linda, this is Amelia from Chongxin Sales Company. She'll be learning with us. Please show her the ropes."
"Absolutely, Mr. Martin," Linda agreed.
Lauren exhaled in relief, following Linda out of Noah's office and turning towardstoward the Sales Department Division Four.
Linda showed Lauren to an empty desk, stating, "Ms. Walker, this will be your workstation from now on. Work in the Sales Department can be busy and demanding. If you run into any issues, feel free to come to me for help."
Feeling somewhat embarrassed, Lauren replied, "Okay, I'll probably be in your debt."
"It's no big deal. In a bit, I'll bring over the Robinson Conglomerate's sales reports from the past two years for you to look over. There's quite a lot of material, so don't stress. Just take it one step at a time."
Lauren looked surprised, "Aren't the sales reports supposed to be confidential?"
Linda couldn't help but laugh at Lauren's question, managing to hold back her laughter as she explained, "Our company's sales data has always been public. The information is partially explained on our corporate website; there's no concept of secrecy within it. Besides, the amount a company sells correlates with its profits. Any interested party could estimate our figures from the financial statements, so there'’s no real need for secrecy."”
Lauren'’s face flushed with Linda'’s explanation, impressed by Robinson Conglomerate'’s bold transparency, not the least bit afraid of data theft. Public disclosure also meant there would be no tax evasion, and she genuinely admired Quentin'’s integrity.
"“Ah, you'’re right. I'’ve learned something new,"” Lauren admitted wholeheartedly.
"“Settle in and get acquainted with the place. I'’ll go and gather the materials, and then I'’ll hand them over to you."”
Lauren nodded. After Linda left, she sat down at her desk, powered up the computer, and logged onto the Robinson Conglomerate'’s website.
The version of the Robinson Conglomerate website accessible to in-house staff offered more extensive and detailed information than what outsiders could see, proving incredibly useful for work. Lauren'’s respect for Quentin'’s management style grew; he truly treated every employee as if they were a partner in the business.
While Lauren was browsing the latest updates, Linda approached, carrying a stack of documents. Lauren quickly stood to help, and together they placed the pile on the desk.
Lauren, looking at the thick stack of sales reports, found the daily volumes staggering.
Seeing Lauren'’s amazed expression, Linda commented, "“This is just the data from the first half of this year. I haven'’t brought over the files from the last two years yet."”
Lauren was astounded; it would take ages to go through all that information.
Chuckling, she said, "“Well, the Robinson Conglomerate surely is something else. It looks like I'll have to do some overtime to get through all of this."
Linda wiped the sweat from her forehead, "It's okay, Mr. Martin isn't rushing you. You can take your time. After all, you're here to learn, no need to rush."
Lauren shook her head, disagreeing. She had to finish reviewing the documents quickly. The Robinson Conglomerate was his territory, and she might bump into him inadvertently. While a part of her yearned to see him, the fear of further awkwardness loomed large. Parting ways sooner rather than later seemed the better option.
"I work for PatrickHenry; I can't afford to slack off. Mr. Martin trusts me, and I can't let everyone down," Lauren stated with conviction.
Linda had nothing to say in response but gave a smile and then dashed off to the file room to retrieve the remaining documents. After four or five trips, she finally brought all the required files to Lauren's desk.
Looking at the mountainous piles of files on her desk and the floor, Lauren could anticipate her life for the next few days.
Alas, so much for learning, she thought to herself. Beginning first and foremost with document reviews. With a sigh, Lauren settled into a frenzy of going through sales data.
During the lunch break, Noah made a beeline for Quentin's office.
"Hey, it's lunchtime! Why are you still buried in paperwork?" Noah couldn't help but tease Quentin, who, true to form, was a workaholic, more interested in making money than eating on time.
"What's up? Not rushing to lunch and instead coming to my office, what's the big occasion?" Quentin asked without looking up from his work.
"Man, we've got this innocent beauty in the Sales Department, I'm all fired up!" Noah reverted to his casual, carefree demeanor.
At Noah's words, Quentin looked up, "You're interested in her?" He felt a sudden irritation, even knowing Noah was mostly joking.
Noah was startled by Quentin's gaze, "Why are you looking at me like that, as if you're going to devour mee.? What, you're seriously into that Amelia? Hey, Quentin, man, has your taste changed that quickly? Weren't you all about those sexy goddesses at the bars before? Why the sudden interest in this plain Jane?"
Quentin shrugged off Noah's hand from his shoulder, "Stop guessing, I'm not the least bit interested in that woman."
Watching Quentin's stern demeanor, Noah couldn't resist the urge to tease him further.
"Since you put it that way, I'm relieved. To be honest, Amelia looks kind of familiar, and I do find her quite appealing. How about I spend some time with her, what do you think?"
Quentin shot to his feet, "Do whatever you want, but Amelia is Patrick's Henry's woman. Don't f**k up the company's partnership with Patrick Henry because of your tomfoolery."
Noah rubbed his nose, which had gotten a little dirty, and wondered to himself. Was this so-called partnership really that crucial? Since when did Quentin take these business affairs so seriously?
Noah hurried a few steps to catch up with Quentin, who was striding away. "Hey, wait up, man. Let's grab lunch together."
It was lunchtime, and all the employees headed to the 9th-floor cafeteria — of course, the company's own cafeteria. Wasn't the Robinson Conglomerate one hell of an empire? Their staff eatery felt more like a luxurious hotel restaurant. Was such opulence really necessary?
Lauren followed Linda to the cafeteria to get their food, stunned by the sight before her.
Turns out the entire 9th floor was dedicated to Robinson Conglomerate's employee dining, which wasn't surprising considering the company's sheer size. With a workforce of several thousand, there were multiple sections to choose from — from Chinese cuisine and Japanese dishes to Korean meals. And tThe varieties within the Chinese offerings alone were plentiful.
"Wow... the staff here really... live the good life!" Lauren exclaimed sincerely.
She couldn't recall how many times she had marveled that day, feeling like an awe-struck simpleton thrown into a grand estate, finding wonder in everything she saw.
