Just arrived at the office, Sean was already contacted and asked to come to the main building of Vortex Group immediately. According to the instructions, he had to meet with Damian as soon as possible because there was something his superior wanted to discuss.
Without waiting long, Sean hurriedly left. Upon reaching the main building, he was directed by Andrian to enter the leadership room.
“Thank you very much for your assistance, Mr. Adrian,” Sean said politely after Adrian invited him in.
Sean walked forward without hesitation. Approaching Damian, who had just finished a teleconference with one of his business partners in another country.
“Excuse me, Sir,” Sean greeted when he believed Damian was ready to convey something to him.
“Please have a seat. There’s something important I’d like to discuss.”
Sean nodded. The man immediately took a seat right in front of the leader of Vortex Group.
There was a nervous feeling accompanying him right now. It was unusual for the head of Vortex Group to suddenly request a direct meeting like this. Even if there were important tasks, they were usually delegated by Veronica or the head of the division.
“First, read this,” Damian ordered, handing over a black folder containing important documents that he had prepared.
For a moment, Sean opened it and read the pages inside. His eyes then fixated. There were several important points that made him understand what kind of documents Damian was presenting.
“A joint venture announcement from Foxtail Gold?”
Damian nodded.
“Yes. I heard you used to work for this company, right?”
Sean nodded. Fortunately, he had indeed been a part of that company, even if only for a short time. Afterward, he passed the selection to work in one of the branches of the Vortex Group located outside.
“Yes, I used to work there for a year. Foxtail Gold is a Canadian gold mining company with mining locations in several countries. Because I used to be a part of them, I know that they produce not only gold but also silver, copper, and other mining products.”
Damian smiled hearing Sean’s explanation.
“Yes, you’re correct. And right now, Foxtail is looking for some reputable contractors to enter into a joint venture for the management of a giant gold mine located in China.”
“So, what do you want me to do, Sir?”
Damian smiled, casually leaning against his chair, folding his hands in front of his chest.
“As a specialist staff, your performance is unquestionable. Especially when I saw the overall progress of your work while handling the tender with Leighton. Somehow, I’m confident that this time you can also make Vortex Group one of the qualifying candidates. Not to mention, you used to be a part of them.”
For a split second, Sean was taken aback. He believed that Damian wanted him to do something.
“What do you mean, Sir?”
“Yes,” Damian interrupted with a nod. “I want you to represent Vortex Group in this tender. And I believe you can make Vortex Group qualify and become one of the successful contractors to win this prestigious tender.”
Sean blinked. On one hand, he felt proud and flattered to be chosen directly by Damian to represent the company in this major tender. But, on the other hand, he also felt a tremendous burden that couldn’t be underestimated. It wasn’t an easy task to compete with many other reputable companies for the top position, especially since Foxtail was known to set high standards when selecting partners and vendors.
“What do you think?” Damian asked, chasing after Sean. “Are you capable of being the responsible person and the executor for this major tender? You don’t have to worry. If you manage to qualify and succeed, I will appoint you as the head of Axon Gold and take over all mining-related tenders.”
Like winning the lottery, Sean agreed, of course. Realistically, who in the world wouldn’t want to become the head of a big company? Even though the responsibilities and risks were greater, Sean didn’t want to waste this opportunity that had come his way.
“Alright, I will do my best to secure that position, Sir,” Sean said confidently. He appeared eager to carry out whatever Damian would instruct him to do next.
“Great. In that case, you can form a team first and learn the things you may need or that support your work,” Damian paused for a moment to sip the remaining coffee in his cup. “And you should know that Infinix Group, represented by Darwin, will also participate in this tender.”
Sean was startled. That meant he would have to compete with the husband of his ex-girlfriend?
“E-Darwin? He’s participating? What should I do, Sir?”
Damian nodded again. This time, he also threw in a smile.
“You don’t need to do anything except try your best to win and qualify in the selection. Remember! You have to win because the leadership position is waiting for you.”
While they were still engaged in conversation, suddenly, from the direction of the door, there was a knock followed by someone entering. Turning simultaneously, Damian and Sean noticed Veronica’s arrival, who seemed rushed and eager to talk to her father.
“Dad, we need to talk for a moment.”
“Alright,” Damian nodded. Then, he shifted his gaze to Sean. “You can go back. If there’s anything, we can discuss it later.”
“Okay, Sir. In that case, I’ll take my leave.”
As Sean left, Veronica immediately sat down in front of her father. Impatiently, she started the conversation first.
“Dad asked Darwin to participate in the joint venture tender that Foxtail is holding soon?”
Damian nodded casually. After all, there was no need to keep it a secret.
“Who told you? Darwin?”
This time, Veronica nodded.
“He sent a message to Veronica. He said he’s willing to do anything to prove to Dad that he’s serious and has changed. But, Dad… ” There was a pause in Veronica’s statement. She looked deeply into her father’s eyes and then spoke softly. “Isn’t this a bit too much? Sending Darwin to participate in the Foxtail tender is like a suicide mission. It’s not easy to qualify and become one of the candidates.”
“That’s Darwin’s business, Veronica. He should be grateful that Dad set reasonable conditions that align with his field of expertise. If Dad wanted to, he could have asked him to sacrifice his life to prove whether he’s really serious about you. Or do you want me to send Darwin to Africa instead? To manage our perpetually losing new business there?”
“But there’s absolutely no correlation, Dad,” Veronica objected. “It’s strange to prove his loyalty by participating in a tender selection.”
Damian laughed. He already knew he had a daughter who was so smart and loved to protest against what he did.
“So, what do you suggest, dear? Please tell Dad, what kind of method can prove that Darwin is serious, loyal, and truly committed to you? Besides, Dad is a businessman. Of course, I’ll use a method that makes sense and benefits us. Not resort to old-fashioned and cheap tricks.”
“What do you mean, Dad?”
“Well, cheap tricks like trapping Darwin with his ex-girlfriend? Or sending another woman to seduce him. Isn’t that approach too outdated?”
Veronica was sulking. She knew her father was mocking her right now.
“Okay, it’s up to you, Dad. But what if he fails?”
“That means your marriage is over,” Damian replied firmly. “Anyway, don’t think too much about it. If Darwin is determined, he’ll make it. Just pray that your husband succeeds. Besides, if he really does pass that selection, he’ll gain a lot.”
Veronica was at a loss for words. There were no more answers she could give to counter her father’s argument. Now, all that was left was to pray that Darwin would indeed pass that selection.
***