Seeing Eliezer at a loss, the three girls beamed as their eyes lit up. They gained a bit more appreciation for Darnell.
Eliezer was the head of the department, yet Darnell dared to challenge him and even embarrass him. Such courage was commendable.
“Hey, handsome. I’m Bailee Lennard.”
After Eliezer left with a sullen face, a girl in her early twenties extended her hand to Darnell. She always bore a sweet smile on her delicate face, and her beautiful eyes had an upward tilt. Her eyebrows were like a crescent, and she carried a sweet scent.
“Nice to meet you.”
“Bailee, you’re already making a move? Aren’t you afraid of scaring Mr. Halford off?”
Another sweet-looking girl with light makeup and a tall figure approached. Her hands were fair and tender as she smiled and said,
“Mr. Halford, hello. My name is Casey Essex. Be careful of Bailee. She’s a man-eater!”
Casey’s ample chest caught Darnell’s eye.
Though Bailee still had a touch of youthful innocence, she had seen much in the sales department. Hearing Casey’s words, she didn’t blush but instead gave a playful humph.
“Casey, stop it.”
She pinched Casey’s waist. “Everyone knows you drool over handsome guys every day.”
A pretty girl with cute canines joined in the conversation. “Mr. Halford, don’t be fooled by them. They’re both temptresses.”
She spread her arms and continued, “I’m the most innocent girl here. My name is Shayla Babcock. I want a hug.”
Casey yelled out, “Shayla, you’re one to talk! You’re so forward.”
Shayla pouted, “Mr. Halford, don’t believe them. They even get excited seeing cucumbers at the supermarket.”
Seeing the three girls being so passionate made Darnell excited. He pulled out a carrot from his pocket.
“No cucumbers here, but I have a carrot.”
With a crunching sound, Darnell bit off a piece. “Want some?”
“A carrot?”
“Mr. Halford, why did you bring carrots to work?”
The three girls were first stunned by the carrot in Darnell’s hand before they burst into laughter. Casey even leaned on Darnell’s shoulder, laughing so hard that tears almost came out as she patted him coquettishly. “Mr. Halford, I like you. You’re so funny.”
Bailee couldn’t help but laugh, “Mr. Halford, are you rich? If so, I’ll marry you.”
With another crunching sound, Darnell bit off another piece of carrot and said, “Don’t get me wrong. I genuinely want to offer you a carrot!”
Casey gently pinched Darnell’s waist and shyly spat, “Naughty man.”
Shayla reached out and shouted, “Can I have one?”
The ambiguous actions and suggestive words made Darnell feel elated. The sales department was really a good place. It felt so good to have such cute women around.
If he had known this earlier, he wouldn’t have needed Areli to send him away, and he would have come willingly.
Before long, other team members also came over to chat and exchange some pleasantries.
In the midst of this lively chatter, Eliezer flung open the office door, his face stern, and roared at everyone,
“What are you all doing?”
“No more chatting and get back to your work!”
Eliezer glared at Phoenix Team and reminded them, “There are still fifteen days left this month. The team with the poorest performance will all be fired.”
He stared fiercely at Darnell, clearly holding a grudge from earlier. “Ignorant fool.”
Suddenly, there was a commotion outside as five or six people stormed in with grim faces.
One of them was a fashionable woman in her fifties, who kicked over a chair with one foot, startling everyone as she yelled,
“Where’s Shayla? Get over here!”
Eliezer, eager to watch the drama, pointed at Shayla next to Darnell and said, “There she is.”
Shayla instantly became the center of attention.
As Darnell wondered what was happening, Shayla greeted her with a smile. “Mrs. Dodson, good morning. What brings you here?”
“What brings me here? You tell me what brings me here!”
Penelope Dodson locked her sharp gaze on Shayla and accused sternly, “My husband signed a contract with you last night and didn’t come home all night.”
“This morning the police called me saying he went to Esterwyn last night and was arrested for solicitation. They called me to bail him out.”
“Landin has always been honest and upright. He wouldn’t do such things unless you coaxed him into doing that!”
Her eyes burned with anger. “I need an explanation now, or I’ll take this up with your superiors and get you fired. And your company has to compensate us.”
Eliezer immediately perked up and stepped forward quickly. “Hello, Mrs. Dodson. I’m Eliezer Izzard, Shayla’s manager.”
“Our company has always cared about reputation, and we strictly forbid such sordid dealings. Please tell me everything that happened.”
Eliezer righteously declared, “If it’s true, I’ll fire her without hesitation!”
He wanted to seize this opportunity to cause trouble for Darnell too.
Penelope shouted angrily, “No need. The police had already called me! It’s definitely this bitch who seduced my husband! You’re the manager, right?”
“How could you not notice your employees doing such a despicable thing? What kind of manager are you? This is negligence!”
Eliezer’s mouth hung open in shock. How dare this woman take it out on him? If he’d known, he wouldn’t have gotten involved, but now he had no choice but to deal with her.
While Penelope continued berating Eliezer, Darnell pulled Shayla aside and asked,”What’s going on?”
Shayla’s pretty face showed anxiety as she whispered,
“Penelope’s husband, Landin Dodson, owns a chain of pharmacies. I’ve been working on him for over half a month before finally getting him to sign an order worth $10, 000 yesterday.”
“After the signing, Landin said he wanted go visit Esterwyn. I thought he just wanted to have some fun.”
“I didn’t expect him to do something like that.”
“How could I arrange such things? I only get a few thousand commission from the $10, 000 order,.”
Shayla stomped her foot lightly. “But judging by Penelope’s attitude, she was meant to make things difficult for me.”
Darnell nodded understandingly. “I see.”
Casey and Bailee came over.”Mr. Halford, what should we do now? Should we apologize and pay compensation?”
“Otherwise, she might keep making a commotion in the sales department, causing trouble for Miss Fanshaw and the headquarters. Even if Shayla won’t get fired, she’ll have to be punished.”
At that moment, Penelope was still lashing out at Eliezer furiously. It was clear she wasn’t easy to deal with.
“It’s not Shayla’s fault. Why should we apologize and pay compensation?”
Darnell chuckled,”I’m going to ask her for money instead.”
The three girls’ mouths dropped open. “How is that possible?”
Darnell took out his phone and sent a message to Areli. Just a few moments later, Eliezer approached, looking troubled and aggrieved.
“Mr. Halford, Mrs. Dodson is accusing Shayla of coaxing Landin into solicitation and breaking up her family. How are you going to explain that?”
“This is unforgivable, and I’ll fire you and blacklist you from the industry.”
“Spectrum Company has no place for a man like you.”
Everyone was stunned. It had nothing to do with Darnell, after all! Then they realized Eliezer was using this opportunity to get rid of Darnell. Distraught, Shayla quickly waved her hands and explained,
“It has nothing to do with Mr. Halford!”
Eliezer scolded,”He’s your team leader. If you make a mistake, he is mainly to blame!”
He then brought Penelope over.”Mrs. Dodson, this is Darnell, Shayla’s direct supervisor. Yesterday’s incident involved him too.”
Penelope glared at Darnell angrily. “Did you incite Landin solicit?”
“Yes.”
Darnell stopped Shayla from speaking and looked at Penelope, smiling. “I spent a lot of money and used connections, and I planned to get reimbursed by you, Mrs. Dodson.”
Everyone froze, and Eliezer’s mouth agape. What was wrong with him?
Hearing this, Penelope grew even angrier. “How dare you want reimbursement after leading Landin astray? I’ll strangle you!”
“Mrs. Dodson, I’m your benefactor. Why strangle me?”
Unfazed by Penelope’s rage, Darnell kept smiling brightly.
“Do you know how much money it cost and how hard it was to have Landin arrested for solicitation?”
Shayla and others grew anxious, wondering what Darnell was thinking, while Penelope snarled,”What do you mean?”
“Here’s how it went.”
Darnell had someone pour a glass of water for Penelope, then began, “After Landin signed the contract with Shayla yesterday, he was so happy that he insisted on going out for a drink.”
“He couldn’t hold his liquor, getting tipsy after just a few sips. We couldn’t find a designated driver at the time, and we all advised him to get a hotel room and rest there, but he just wouldn’t listen.”
“He said his wife was waiting at home, and he could’t leave her alone at home and make her worry.”
“I heard you’ve been married for so many years, a loving couple.”
As she heard this, Penelope’s stern expression softened a bit, with a hint of shyness creeping in.
Darnell continued, “So, while we were in the restroom, he snuck off and drove home. But as soon as he left the parking lot, he hit someone.”
“The traffic police came and asked him to breathe into a breathalyzer. Sure enough, he got arrested for a DUI.”
Darnell’s expression turned serious. “As you may know, driving under the influence of alcohol in an operating motor vehicle, the public security organ’s traffic management department will detain the person until they sober up.”
“Their driver’s license will be revoked, and they are not allowed to obtain a driver’s license again within ten years.”
“The traffic police were straightforward about Landin’s case. He would face at least six months of detention and license revocation.”
Penelope’s heart skipped a beat. “Is it that serious?”
Shayla and the others were all listening intently.
“Of course, if you don’t believe me, you can look up the penalties for drunk driving online.”
Darnell, with a solemn expression, went on, “Landin is an important client. How could I let him face such a heavy penalty?”
“We used quite a few connections and spent over ten thousand to change Landin’s drunk driving to solicitation.”
“The fine is a bit more, but it cuts the suffering time by half a year.”
Penelope was taken aback, asking, “Really?”
“Of course, it’s true. If you don’t believe me, you can go ask the police.”
“Mrs. Dodson, if you think solicitation is embarrassing, then I can call and have the police change it back to drunk driving. However, Landin will be detained for six months.”
“As for the ten thousand I paid… Forget it.”
Saying that, Darnell took out his phone, pretending to make a call.
“No, what do I do if Landin is detained for six months?”
Penelope grabbed Darnell’s hand and exclaimed, “I’ll go pay the fine right away. Thank you, sir.”
She then took out a thick stack of bills from her purse and, with immense gratitude, stuffed them into Darnell’s hand.
“By the way, the cost of the connections, I can’t let you pay for it. Take five thousand for now, and if it’s not enough, I’ll make up for it another day.”
Darnell, while pocketing the bills, replied with a righteous air, “How can I accept this? You’re so generous, Mrs. Dodson.”
Penelope assertively said, “Take it, or I’ll be angry, and we won’t do business anymore!”
Shayla and the others were all petrified, collectively convinced by Darnell’s audacity.
Seeing this, Eliezer was on the verge of collapse.