Chapter 040 Two Chief Strategists

Arriving at the 88th floor, Adelina, clutching her laptop, headed straight for the CEO's office.

As she passed the secretary’s desk, Gail called out to her.

“What’s Mr. CEO Moore? Isn’t she just an intern?”

“It seems like she’s only been at the company for a month, and hasn’t even graduated from college, right?”

“What exactly is her relationship with Mr. Moore?”

“This favoritism seems a bit too obvious…”

At this moment, even the most graceful senior executive couldn't help but murmur and whisper among themselves.

Adelina felt the weight of the task was too much for her. “Mr. Moore, I…”

But Langston suddenly raised his hand to stop her, his gaze still forward, “I’m open to any concerns or opinions. Anyone can even nominate themselves. I’m allowing two Chief Strategists on this project.”

“Mr. Moore.” a senior executive promptly raised his hand. “Making an informal employee a Chief Strategist doesn’t seem quite right!”

Langston frowned. “What do you mean by ‘informal employee’? She has a signed employment agreement with our company, establishing a formal employment relationship. Even as an intern, legally, she is already an employee of this company.”

Another senior executive raised his hand. “But with her limited experience, is it really appropriate for her to be Chief Strategist?”

Langston’s lips curled with disdain. “Whoever plans, I make the final decisions. If any of you think it’s inappropriate, then you’re questioning my judgment.”

With his words reaching this point, anyone who objected now would be openly opposing Langston.

The crowd fell silent for a few seconds, before an elder senior executive with a goatee, looking close to fifty, raised his hand. “CEO Moore, I’d like to request to be the Chief Strategist for this project as well. I’m willing to share all the risks of the project with Miss Howard.”

As he finished speaking, everyone looked at him with surprise.

Adelina glanced over at the senior executive. She thought she might be seeing things, but she felt he bore a slight resemblance to Langston.

Langston considered the man thoughtfully for a moment before responding, “All right.”

Adelina breathed a sigh of relief.

At that point, she believed that having a more experienced elder step forward to share the role of Chief Strategist with her was much better than facing the challenge alone.

The meeting then moved into its main phase. Langston decided to conduct a further in-depth inspection of the Scenic Area property, and this time, he would also bring along a geological expert.

To prevent a repeat of the previous incident, they decided to split into two groups.

One group would take a helicopter straight to the heart of the Scenic Area, while the other would stick with an SUV from the base of the mountain. However, instead of taking the original path, they'd cut across from a different mountaintop.

When it came time to assign groups, Vanessa, as Langston's most capable assistant, was responsible for leading the geologists into the area via SUV.

Adelina naturally joined Langston, along with the self-nominated Senior Executive. The three of them would take the helicopter together.

After the meeting, the Senior Executive approached Adelina and extended his hand, "Hello, Miss Howard, my name is Alan. I'm Langston's uncle. I look forward to working with you."

Adelina was taken aback for a moment. No wonder he bore some resemblance to Langston—they were actual relatives.

"Hello, Mr. Moore. I'm the junior here; I'll be the one needing guidance from you," she replied, shaking his hand politely.

However, Langston remained expressionless beside them. "Uncle, since you've decided to come with us this time, you should head back early to prepare. I suggest you bring extra wilderness survival gear, just in case. Should anything unexpected occur, you'll be on your own."

Alan's look toward Langston was somewhat inscrutable. "Anyway, since the three of us will be together, I trust you'll have sufficient safety measures in place to ensure our well-being."

With that, Alan got up to leave, but after a few steps, he turned around to add, "Oh, by the way, your mom has started playing matchmaker for you again. I gave her a recommendation. I'm sure you'll meet them soon."

He cast a meaningful glance at Adelina, almost snickering, before heading out the door.

Adelina could read the implication in his gaze—it was the same kind of scrutiny she'd felt when leaving the 13th floor. Everyone here had pretty much pegged her and Langston as having a certain kind of relationship.

Once the rest of the Senior Executives had left, only Langston, Vanessa, and Adelina remained in the conference room.

Langston told Vanessa, "Arrange an extra vehicle to follow you. The helicopter can't fit everyone, and for now, we won't need bodyguards."

"Could that be a safety risk? I could arrange for two helicopters," Vanessa expressed her concern.

"No need for that," Langston responded firmly. "Sometimes you have to leave a vulnerability to draw out the snakes."

Adelina pondered; his so-called 'drawing out the snakes' – could he be looking to use this opportunity to lure out those previously behind the threats to him?

If that was the case, she needed to be even more vigilant.

Three people walked out of the conference room one after the other, with Gail waiting outside. Upon seeing them, she approached Langston first to say hello.

Then, she turned to face Adelina. "Miss Howard, your new desk is all set up. Come and take a look!"

Following Gail's direction, Adelina saw an immaculately clean desk with a double-tiered corner bookshelf had been added to the secretarial area.

Gail smiled and said, "If you need anything else, just let me know."

Adelina hadn't expected that her new desk would be placed in such a prime spot in the secretarial area. Not only did it have a great view, but it was also spacious.

The desk was fully equipped with a printer and a scanner, and she couldn't think of anything else she needed.

"Thank you, this is perfect," she replied, pleasantly surprised.

Langston glanced at the setup and said indifferently, "Since there's no problem, set your things up and come with me. I need you to help me purchase some gear for the trip."

Other secretaries and assistants in the secretarial area overheard Adelina following Langston and someone curiously asked, "Is that Mr. Moore's new secretary?"

Gail shook her head. "No, she's just an intern."

The person was shocked. "An intern seated in our secretarial area? And we weren't informed about this beforehand. Even the desk was brought over last minute from the reception room..."

Gail gave her a pointed look and spoke emphatically, "Don't ask about the boss's business, and don't meddle! Do what he asks you to do! That goes for everyone!"

The last sentence was directed at the entire secretarial area, and everyone fell silent after hearing it.

At the outdoor gear store, Langston, learning from a past risky encounter, decided this time to prepare a pack for himself.

When he started to put a diving mask into the bag, Adelina quickly intervened, "Mr. Moore, not everything is necessary. We're going to the mountains, not the sea."

However, Langston persisted, also grabbing a snorkel, "Trust me, these things can save your life when it counts. Do you know how to swim?"

Adelina shook her head. "I wouldn't say I know how, but I have some self-rescue skills."

Langston then picked up a set for her as well. "Then, this is even more necessary."

After purchasing their gear, it happened to be lunchtime.

As they stepped out of the store, Langston was about to suggest they grab lunch together when suddenly a flashy Maserati pulled up. The window rolled down, revealing the face of a beautiful woman.

First, she looked at Adelina and then turned her gaze to Langston before asking, "Chuan, who is this?"