Chapter 30 Deliberate Harassment
Early the next morning, just as dawn was breaking, Caroline woke up.
She lay in bed, eyes open staring at the ceiling, having barely slept all night.
Every time she closed her eyes, she saw the snobbish faces of the Collins family members, making her chest feel tight and suffocated.
She gently lifted the covers and got out of bed, moving quietly to avoid waking James beside her.
Just as she reached the window, a warm hand grasped her wrist.
James was already awake, his eyes carrying the heaviness of just waking up, his voice low and husky.
"Where are you going?"
Caroline turned around, pressed her lips together, and said softly, "I want to go to the company."
"I want to try to handle that mess."
James looked at the stubbornness in her eyes and didn't stop her, his fingertips gently brushing across the back of her hand.
"I'll have Kevin arrange four people to follow you secretly. Anyone who dares hurt you, they'll take them down directly."
Caroline felt warmth in her heart, but still gently shook her head.
"No need to be so dramatic, I can handle it myself."
"I don't want to always hide behind you."
James was silent for a moment, then let go of her hand, his tone firm, "Then at least take two people and have them wait downstairs for you."
He would never allow anyone to hurt his woman.
Caroline looked at his unyielding gaze and nodded gently.
"Okay."
After washing up, they had a quick bite to eat.
James personally drove her to the Collins Group building. Before she got out of the car, he reached out to straighten her collar.
"If the Collins family gives you trouble, don't hold back."
"Call me, and I'll come right over."
Caroline looked up at him, determination in her eyes.
"I know."
"I won't let them bully me for nothing, and I won't cause you trouble either."
James nodded, watching her walk into the building before having the driver pull away.
As soon as Caroline entered the office area, all the employees' eyes turned to her in unison.
Some lowered their heads pretending to be busy, others exchanged furtive glances, their whispered voices kept low but every word drifting into her ears.
"That's her, the one who took Daryl's position."
"She only got it through her fiancé, otherwise what is she?"
"Just wait and see, she'll be kicked out in a few days."
Caroline didn't stop walking, her expression calm as she headed straight for the deputy general manager's office at the back.
She pushed open the door to find complete chaos inside.
Files were scattered all over the floor, all the drawers had been pulled open, the chair was turned upside down on the desk, and there were several obvious scratches on the desktop.
She stood in the doorway, her fingertips clenching slightly, a chill running through her heart.
She didn't need to guess who had done this.
Without a word, she bent down and began picking up the scattered documents one by one.
Her movements were slow but steady, without a trace of panic or grievance.
Before long, the office door was kicked open.
A stocky young man with a menacing face walked in, his eyes sinister, filled with undisguised contempt and rage.
It was Caroline's cousin, Daryl Collins.
Daryl was Gilbert's son, and he had always considered the Collins Group his own property.
Now that Caroline had taken the deputy manager position, he had been seething with hatred.
"Caroline, you actually dare to sit here."
Daryl leaned against the doorframe, arms crossed, his tone cutting.
"Does it feel good sitting in a position you got through a man?"
Caroline stood up, dusted off her hands, looked up at him, her tone flat and calm.
"The shares were legally transferred, the position was a company appointment. I'm sitting here fair and square."
"Fair and square?"
Daryl acted as if he'd heard the biggest joke, sneered, and strode in, kicking away the files at his feet.
"Without James, you couldn't even get through the company door!"
"You really think you're somebody now?"
Caroline ignored him and turned back to continue organizing the items on the desk.
Her silence, in Daryl's eyes, was weakness.
He became even more smug, his tone increasingly arrogant.
"There's a department meeting later, all the department heads will be there."
"I want to see what real skills you have as deputy manager to control the situation."
"If you don't have the ability, you'd better get lost on your own!"
Caroline paused in her movements and slowly looked up.
"I'll attend the meeting."
"Do your own job and stop bothering me."
Daryl's expression darkened. He wanted to say more, but finally just snorted coldly and stormed out.
The door slammed so hard the glass shook.
Caroline took a deep breath, suppressing the emotions churning in her heart, and continued tidying up.
She knew this was just the beginning.
The Collins family wouldn't let her have it easy.
Half an hour later, in the conference room.
All department heads had arrived, and the atmosphere was oppressively tense.
Daryl sat in the most prominent position, looking gleeful, waiting to see Caroline embarrass herself.
Caroline pushed open the door and walked in, taking a seat in an empty chair, her expression calm, showing no sign of intimidation.
Daryl spoke first, his voice loud, deliberately making things difficult.
"Caroline, since you've taken the position, you should at least show everyone what you're capable of."
"The Azure Bay project has been dragging on for almost a month, the client won't renew the contract, and we can't collect the final payment."
"Tell us, how should we solve this?"
As soon as he said this, everyone's eyes fell on Caroline.
Everyone was waiting to see her at a loss for words.
Daryl's lips curved into a mocking smile. Even he couldn't solve this problem, so Caroline, a woman who had never worked before, couldn't possibly have a solution.
"If you can't answer, just admit it directly. Don't waste everyone's time here."
Caroline's gaze slowly swept across the room, her voice clear and steady.
"The Azure Bay project stalled for three reasons."
"First, our quote is three percent higher than competitors, so the client sees no advantage."
"Second, the after-sales terms are too complicated, with many unnecessary clauses."
"Third, our contact person had a careless attitude and repeatedly angered the client's manager."
Daryl immediately scoffed.
"Nonsense! Who doesn't know that?"
"I want solutions, not to hear you list problems!"
Caroline glanced at him calmly, without any panic.
"I've already prepared a new pricing proposal, reducing it by two percent from the original while ensuring company profit and giving the client a discount."
"I've removed three ineffective clauses from the after-sales terms while keeping the core guarantees. I've already had someone reprint them."
"At eight this morning, I spoke with the client's manager on the phone. They agreed to re-sign the contract this afternoon."
Each word was clear and forceful.
The conference room instantly fell silent.
All the managers showed surprise on their faces. No one expected that she had figured out all the problems in one night and prepared complete solutions.
Daryl's smile instantly froze, his expression ugly as he slammed the table.
"Don't get too cocky!"
"You just got lucky and happened to reach the client!"
"At the Collins Group, it's not a woman's place to boss people around!"
Caroline ignored his outburst and placed the proposal in her hand in the center of the table.
"The proposal is here, everyone can review it themselves."
"I'll personally attend the contract signing this afternoon."
With that, she quietly took her seat and said nothing more.
The meeting ended hastily.