“Bailee has zero performance. Keeping her in the company is useless. I’m planning to fire her,” said Areli.
Darnell’s face changed slightly. “Miss Fanshaw, why are you firing Bailee? She works diligently and seriously. There’s no point in firing her.”
“Besides, there are only a few days left until the end of the month. If she can’t complete her tasks by then, it won’t be too late to fire her.”
Areli lifted her delicate face with a stubborn look. “I don’t care. I’m the general manager, and I want to fire her.”
This woman was incredibly unreasonable!
“Fine, I’ll be your chauffeur. Are you satisfied now?”
Darnell looked aggrieved. “Everyone says that even one night as a couple creates affection. How did it turn into enmity with you?”
“Miss Fanshaw, for you, not only did I get injured all over by you, but I’ve also been fighting with thugs these past few days. David even sent people to retaliate against me today…”
“I barely escaped with my life from them.”
He felt very wronged. “In the end, not only do you not repay my kindness, but you also treat me like this…”
Areli’s eyebrows furrowed in anger. “You really care about Bailee.” Then her expression changed as she was taken aback. “David retaliated against you?”
“Yes.”
Darnell rolled up his shirt to reveal a red mark on his abdomen. “Look, it’s from David’s men.”
Areli’s beautiful eyes widened as soon as she saw the red footprint. She knew Darnell wasn’t someone who would suffer losses easily. Only a skilled opponent could leave such a mark on him.
Her delicate face turned cold with anger. “Is it really David?”
Darnell nodded, complaining, “Last time I helped you, he already hated me to the core. Today at the restaurant, he humiliated me again with his men. When I talked back, he became furious and sent people to follow and ambush me in an alley. If I weren’t quick-witted, I might not have seen you again.”
“The gang who attacked me were all strong men, and their leader was called ‘Garrett’.”
He grabbed a tissue to wipe the marks off his clothes. “Why would I hurt myself just to lie to you?”
“Oh right, I also have injuries on my inner thigh. Do you want to see them? I can take off my pants now.”
Areli automatically ignored Darnell’s teasing.
“This bastard really dared to lay hands on you.”
Areli’s face showed anger as she said, “I’ll call him and demand an explanation. If he doesn’t give one, I’ll call the police.”
Although Areli found Darnell’s frivolous attitude annoying, she wouldn’t let him be bullied by others, especially since she hated those who abused power.
She angrily picked up her phone to make a call, but Darnell stepped forward and pressed down on her hand holding the phone, gently shaking his head.
“It’s useless. He didn’t do it himself.”
“They’re just some thugs, and they ran away. Without evidence, David won’t admit it.”
“That’s true.”
Areli thought for a moment and realized Darnell had a point. David would never admit to hiring thugs and might even think she was making excuses to contact him.
However, ignoring this issue wasn’t an option either. David would surely escalate his actions against Darnell. “I’ll find some friends to warn David and make him back off.”
Although Darnell was annoying, she didn’t want anything bad to happen to him since this matter started because of her.
“Darnell, move your hand!”
As Areli decided to seek help from police friends, she felt her hand being continuously rubbed. Looking down, she saw Darnell not only pressing down on her hand but also taking advantage of her by almost kneading her hand. Her delicate face turned cold as she shouted,
“If you don’t move your hand, I’ll chop it off!”
Seeing Areli reach for a paper cutter, Darnell quickly jumped away. “Miss Fanshaw, I just want to stop you from making the call. Don’t be angry.”
“I’m already angry just looking at you.”
Areli threw the car keys at Darnell with a frosty expression. “David hiring thugs is one thing, and you being my part-time chauffeur is another thing. Don’t think you can get away with it. I’ll handle David, but you must still be my chauffeur. At most, I won’t call you in the middle of the night.”
“If you don’t agree, either guard the warehouse yourself or I’ll fire Bailee.”
Darnell took the keys with a pained expression. “Miss Fanshaw, don’t call me randomly during the day either. What if I’m in the middle of something important with another lady and you call…”
“The second thing.”
Areli ignored Darnell’s protest and said, “You led Phoenix Team impressively, especially Chandler’s five-million-dollar deal that gave our company an opportunity to work with the Whiteville Hospital. As Whiteville’s largest public hospital, securing their business would take our performance to another level.”
“So I hope you’ll maintain a good relationship with Chandler and find a way to secure all of Whiteville Hospital’s business.”
Areli looked at Darnell as she continued, “You and Chandler are like two peas in a pod. He shouldn’t be too hard to deal with.”
Darnell didn’t respond immediately but opened his mouth wide for a long time before blinking his eyes. “Miss Fanshaw, my main job is as an assistant, not a salesperson! Doing sales now is just helping out. You can’t seriously make me a salesperson now. Besides, I used all my effort for that five million dollar deal.”
“You know Chandler better than I do. Securing Whiteville Hospital’s business is out of the question.”
Areli snorted, “It’s precisely because it’s difficult that I need you to do it. It shows that the company values you.”
Darnell looked helpless. “Can I refuse?”
“Of course, you can!”
A sly look flashed in Areli’s eyes. “There’s a medical conference at the end of the month, and I’ve received an invitation where it allows me to bring a male companion along.”
“If you’re not confident about securing Whiteville Hospital’s business, then come with me to this event instead. If you perform well there, I won’t pressure you anymore.”
“I might even consider bringing you back as my assistant.”
Darnell coughed. “Um… Miss Fanshaw, I think I’ll figure out a way to handle Chandler.”
Areli was slightly taken aback. “You’d rather do sales than attend an event?”
Darnell pulled up a chair and sat down. “Although I’m physically strong, I’m not simple-minded either.”
“If this event were just for fun and relaxation, you wouldn’t think of me at all.”
“The fact that you’re thinking of me now and using Whiteville Hospital’s business as leverage means there’s nothing good about this event.”
“So I’d rather choose to deal with Chandler instead.”
Darnell chuckled, “Although Chandler is difficult and shameless, I can still give it a try.”
Areli bit her lip. She hadn’t expected this guy to be so clever. Then she said somewhat resentfully, “Whether you want to go or not doesn’t matter. You have to go anyway!”
Darnell protested immediately, “Miss Fanshaw, you’re pulling rank! I object!”
“Overruled!”
Areli responded firmly and was about to add something when her phone suddenly rang. She picked it up and listened for a moment before looking at Darnell,
“Forget about the event for now. We have an appointment with a client tomorrow that you’ll accompany me to.”
Darnell weakly replied, “Miss Fanshaw, tomorrow is Saturday…”
Areli knocked on the table, “You’re my chauffeur!”
Darnell left the room, feeling dejected.
Just then, the phone on Areli’s desk rang again. Lillian’s voice came through. “Miss Fanshaw, David is downstairs, wanting to see you about something.”
Areli responded decisively, “Tell him to get lost.”
At the door, Darnell’s lips curled into a smile as he lowered his head and his eyes darted around.
Lillian curiously asked, “Darnell, what are you looking for?”
Without lifting his head, Darnell replied, “Looking for a weapon.”