Estelle thought to herself, ‘Yohan looks more like Cristofer.’ However, she didn’t intend to discuss this in front of the teacher, so she simply thanked her and got straight to the point, saying, “Thank you for taking care of Yohan at school. I’m busy with my work, and sometimes I can’t pay too much attention to him.”
The teacher understood and handed Estelle Yohan’s report card, saying, “This is Yohan’s report card. He received an A in every subject, and he excels in math.”
Hearing this, Yohan beamed with pride and looked at Estelle with a smile. Estelle gently patted him on the shoulder and said softly, “Well done. Keep going.”
The teacher then continued, “The National Mathematics Olympiad will be held in the capital soon. After careful consideration, the school has decided to recommend Yohan to participate in the competition. Do you agree to let him participate?”
“Sure,” Estelle replied with a bright smile. “As long as Yohan wants to take part in the competition, I will support him.”
“That’s great,” the teacher said, feeling relieved. “The competition will last for a few days, so you will need to stay in the capital with Yohan during that time. I was concerned that you might be too busy with work to accompany him, so I wanted to discuss it with you in person.”
At the mention of her work, Estelle suddenly remembered her busy schedule at work. She had a lot of responsibilities and commitments that required her attention. However, when she saw the excitement in Yohan’s eyes, she made up her mind. “As long as it’s beneficial for Yohan’s growth, time and distance won’t be a problem. I’ll take him to participate in the competition.”
The teacher reassured her, “Don’t worry, Mrs. Hans. Our school will send several teachers to accompany the children and take care of them while they’re in the capital. Their safety will be ensured.”
Having made the promise, Estelle couldn’t back down now. After discussing the details with the teacher for a while, she bid them farewell at the teacher’s office.
As she said goodbye to Yohan in front of the office, he voiced his concern, “Mom, if you’re too busy, I can skip the competition. It’s okay.”
Yohan spoke his mind as he waved goodbye to Estelle. Yohan had thought about the situation and was willing to give up the competition if it meant less stress for his mom. Estelle, touched by his maturity, squatted down and gently stroked his head. She reassured him, “Focus on preparing for the competition, Yohan. I’ll be there with you in the capital as planned.”
Yohan felt relieved and spoke confidently, “Mom, I’ll try my best to win first place and be a role model for my sisters.”
Estelle, proud of her son, replied, “That’s great, Yohan.” In her heart, she couldn’t help but think, ‘Yohan is just as smart and capable as Cristofer. If he chooses to pursue a career in business when he grows up, he might become very successful, just like Cristofer’s.
****
After leaving Yohan’s school, Estelle drove to her company quickly. When she got there, she went straight to her office to meet her new secretary, who had been hired by the HR department a few days ago. Surprisingly, before she reached her office, she saw a familiar face with a cheerful smile.
“Good morning, Mrs. Hans. You look beautiful today!” Eva greeted her happily. Her bright smile always lifted people’s spirits.
Seeing Eva, Estelle asked in surprise, “Eva? What brings you here? Did Cristofer send you to convey a message to me?”
Eva waved her hand casually and said, “No, I quit my job and found a new one. Mr. Hans is no longer my boss.”
“What? Really?” Estelle was shocked and asked in disbelief. She highly regarded Eva’s abilities and didn’t think Cristofer would willingly let go of such an excellent assistant. Moreover, Hans International Corporation, being a prominent company in Hadale, was a dream employer for most university graduates. Few employees would leave for other companies since few could match its prospects.
“Hee hee. He allowed it,” Eva said with a smile. “Honestly, I left because I wanted to work for your company. I wanted a better salary, but Mr. Hans was reluctant to give me a raise. When I saw your company’s job posting for a secretary with an attractive salary, I applied.”
Upon hearing Eva’s somewhat far-fetched explanation, Estelle understood the situation and thought, ‘It must have been Cristofer who encouraged Eva to apply. He was probably concerned about my ability to handle the company’s affairs and wanted Eva to assist me.’ She then joked at her, “Oh, so you’re here for the money, huh?”
“No, no, Ms. Hudson, I came here because I genuinely want to work with you. I’m excited about it! You can trust me; I’ll give it my all,” Eva said with determination, tightly holding Estelle’s hand.
Estelle confirmed her earlier suspicion through Eva’s response. Since she had a lot of work to handle, she stopped the playful banter and smiled, saying, “Alright, I trust you. My company is in a startup phase right now. If you don’t mind the demanding workload, stay and assist me. There’s plenty of challenging work waiting for you today, so be prepared for a busy day.”
Eva, who had previously worked at Hans International Corporation, wasn’t afraid of hard work. She rolled up her sleeves confidently and stated, “No problem. I’m ready to dive in.” With her help, Estelle became more productive.
Later in the afternoon, while deeply engrossed in her work and thinking about how to communicate with a client, Eva knocked on Estelle’s office door and reminded her, “Ms. Hudson, it’s time to pick up your kids from school.”
Hearing this, Estelle gazed at Eva for a moment and then glanced at the time on her computer screen. Without hesitation, she quickly stood up, grabbed her purse, and rushed out of the office.
Seeing Estelle’s quick departure, Eva felt like she was watching a sprinter taking off. She immediately followed Estelle and asked, “Ms. Hudson, what should I do with the documents?”
“You’ll handle them!” Estelle replied as she hurried toward the elevator in her high heels. Within seconds, she reached the elevator and turned to Eva, who had caught up with her. “I’ve taken care of most of the documents. The top one on my desk has some issues, and we still need to communicate with the client about it. I’ll leave that to you and make sure to pay you for the overtime.”
Estelle was always generous with her employees. If they did well, she would reward them with things like salary increases, paid vacations, and more.