Chapter 3 Silvervale or Silverwood?

Jennifer spun around, expecting to see Patrick, but instead, it was Shirley rushing over.

"Jennifer, it's been forever!" Shirley exclaimed, throwing herself into Jennifer's arms.

Jennifer grinned, "Shirley, it's been ages since you last visited. You look even more stunning."

"Jennifer, I brought a little something for you and Karen." Shirley handed over a cute bag with two boxes of homemade cookies. She said shyly, "I just started my job and haven't gotten my first paycheck yet. I made these cookies myself this morning. Hope you like them."

Jennifer quickly took the bag and handed it to Karen, who was standing nearby. "Shirley, that's so sweet of you. Karen and I love it. You must have put in a lot of effort. If only Patrick were half as thoughtful as you, I wouldn't worry so much. It's frustrating that he hardly ever comes to see me—just a handful of times each year."

Karen chimed in, "Mom, what are you talking about? Shirley's practically family already. Once she's officially in, you won't be able to get rid of Patrick even if you tried."

Jennifer held Shirley's hand, clearly fond of her.

"I'm glad you like it, Jennifer," Shirley turned her head and exclaimed, "Oh, Emily's here too! Jennifer, you have no idea how amazing Emily is."

Jennifer's expression changed at the mention of Emily. Amazing? In what way? Was it about attracting men or her skills in bed?

"Shirley, some people use sneaky tactics to get what they want. Don't admire such people too much." Jennifer turned away, her words pointed.

Shirley looked up with wide, innocent eyes, clinging to Jennifer's arm. "Jennifer, what are sneaky tactics?"

Jennifer replied, "Sneaky tactics are when someone who is clearly an ugly duckling tries to pass themselves off as a noble swan. You're still young, Shirley, so it's normal you don't understand. But in the future, stay away from such people."

Emily, who had overheard the conversation, knew exactly what Jennifer meant. She had been planning to leave anyway. "Mrs. Rivera, there's an urgent matter at the office that I need to handle. I won't stay any longer."

Before leaving, she glanced in Patrick's direction, only to see him engrossed in conversation with other guests, completely oblivious to the situation.

Emily thought, 'How could I expect him to come to my rescue? Even if he did, he'd probably side with the seemingly innocent Shirley and put me down.'

Without lingering, Emily quickly left.

Back at the office, Emily had just sat down when her assistant, Betty Anderson, rushed over.

Betty said, "Emily, there's a problem."

Emily frowned as she said, "What is it?"

Betty was frantic. "Mr. Rivera's schedule for tomorrow is to go to Silverwood to sign a contract, but the tickets we received are for Silvervale."

"The airline said a Ms. Wright from our company booked the tickets. Besides Shirley, who else here has the last name Wright? The tickets to Silverwood are sold out now. What should we do, Emily?"

Emily fell silent.

After a moment, she said, "Betty, contact a few travel agencies and see if they have any last-minute cancellations."

"At this hour? Who's going to cancel? Shirley is such a troublemaker!" Despite her complaints, Betty immediately called several travel agencies they frequently worked with.

"Emily, it's sorted!" Betty said happily after hanging up, "Luckily, one agency has a VIP tour to Silverwood tomorrow, and they just had two cancellations. They've coordinated with the airline, and we'll have the tickets by this afternoon."

Emily let out a sigh of relief.

"But Shirley needs to be held accountable for this. This was an important task, and she messed it up. If there hadn't been any cancellations, would Mr. Rivera have to take a train?" Betty said angrily.

Given Patrick's favoritism towards Shirley, he wouldn't even let her drive herself, let alone take a train. Emily shook her head helplessly.

"She's new and mistakes are inevitable. Teach her more," Emily said.

Seeing Emily's stance, Betty left the office, albeit reluctantly.

However, Emily didn't expect that by the afternoon, HR would bring Betty's termination papers for her to sign.

"Shirley was on her phone all afternoon. When Betty reminded her, she ran to Mr. Rivera's office to complain," HR said indignantly.

Emily sighed, "Alright, I understand. Leave the papers with me."

Betty had been with the company for six years. She was diligent and competent. Losing her would mean a long time to train a new assistant, especially considering Shirley...

Emily thought for a moment and went to Patrick's office. Before she entered, she heard Shirley's soft voice.

"Patrick, it's my fault. I didn't do my job well and caused you trouble."

"No problem. It's already resolved," Patrick's voice was calm.

Shirley, still crying, tried to snuggle into Patrick's arms.

Emily shook her head, realizing Betty's fate was sealed. After all, to Patrick, an assistant was insignificant.

"What are you doing here?" Patrick's cold voice addressed Emily standing at the door.

Shirley glanced back at Emily and feigned distress. "Emily isn't here to complain about me, is she, Patrick?"

"What could she possibly complain about?" Patrick gestured for Emily to leave.

Emily walked away, feeling helpless. What right did she have to say anything?

Instead of returning to her office, she went to the break room, still unsure how to face Betty.

"What were you going to say?" Patrick asked coldly.

Emily turned back, meeting Patrick's gaze.

"Can you give Betty another chance?" Emily asked, deciding to speak up.

"There's no need," Patrick replied firmly.

"But she's part of my team!" Emily said, biting her lip. She felt guilty about Betty, who had done nothing wrong but was being unfairly treated.

"Do I need to report my decisions to you?" Patrick stared at her and said, "Know your place."

Emily had worked tirelessly for the company and supported Patrick's decisions without complaint. But now, because of Shirley's words, Patrick was firing her assistant without considering her feelings.

Emily grew angrier and turned away from him.

For years, she had been loyal to the company and Patrick. Didn't he care about her at all?

Seeing Emily get upset with him over an assistant made Patrick even more furious.

Patrick said coldly, "Don't challenge me."

The more she wanted to escape, the closer he wanted to get.

He continued, "My decisions are for you to accept, nothing more."