Chapter 32 Cunning and Crafty
Three weeks later, Leopold had finalized the menu and venue arrangements with the power company, which had sent him a detailed program schedule. To his surprise, it included Caroline as a youth representative speaker.
He opened Caroline's WhatsApp and realized they hadn't been in touch for quite some time.
When you got busy, you really forgot everything.
North: [How's Ms. Tudor doing lately?]
Caroline was reviewing approval documents when Leopold's unexpected WhatsApp message arrived.
Caroline: [Doing well, everything's fine. How's Mr. Wipere these days?]
North: [I'm good too. Just finished preparing for the annual gala. Looking forward to Ms. Tudor's grand appearance.]
Caroline smiled. This man never contacted her unless he needed something.
Caroline: [Just tell me what you want. This beating around the bush isn't your style.]
North: [What is my style then?]
Caroline: [Scheming and cunning.]
North: [Shouldn't it be strategic, reliable, and diplomatic?]
Caroline: [You're really good at flattering yourself. What do you want?]
North: [I was wondering how your speech preparation is coming along. I'll make sure to have a spotlight ready for you, so you'll be the brightest focus of the event.]
Caroline was confused: [What speech? Nobody told me about this.]
North: [That's hilarious!]
Caroline: [Stop joking. Did you get the program schedule?]
North: [Looking forward to Ms. Tudor's performance.]
Caroline: [Don't mess with me. If you're lying, I won't water your plants anymore.]
North: [It's the absolute truth, I swear on everything.]
"Oh no..." Caroline pressed the phone against her forehead, distressed that no one had informed her.
Caroline: [Thanks to you. You're a real friend.]
Leopold only saw the first four words of her message, and his smile deepened.
The person in charge of coordinating the annual event was a relative of Aaron, one of the three candidates. If Caroline bombed her speech at the gala, it would obviously hurt her chances in the competition.
Caroline had always thought this was a fair competition, but now she realized she'd been naive.
Just yesterday, Xander had tipped her off that Brian was also pulling strings behind the scenes, supposedly with some powerful connections.
If the competition really came down to leveraging behind-the-scenes influence, and Caroline refused to play that game, her chances would be slim. She'd essentially be just a token candidate next to the two men.
Caroline continued reviewing documents until early evening, then called her mother, Elysia.
"Mom, do you have food at home?" She asked.
Elysia immediately knew her daughter was craving home cooking. "Yes, what would you like to eat?"
Caroline started listing dishes, "Braised salmon, silver pomfret, and maybe some pasta with okra."
Elysia replied, "In this cold weather, where am I supposed to find salmon and okra? Do I look like an okra to you?"
Caroline giggled, "Let's lower the difficulty level then. How about steak and stir-fried potato strips? Don't tell me we don't even have steak and potatoes at home."
"We do have those. When will you be home?" Elysia asked.
Caroline glanced at the time on her computer. "I'll be there by 5:30."
After hanging up, Caroline quickly tidied her desk, grabbed her coat and bag, and hurried out.
She stopped at the supermarket for fruit and at the tobacco shop to buy her father, Elijah's favorite cigarettes.
She parked downstairs at exactly 5:30.
Caroline went straight to the kitchen, put down the fruit and cigarettes, and hugged Elysia from behind. "Mom, your cooking smells amazing."
"Hey... stop that, I'm reducing the sauce. It'll burn if I'm not careful." Elysia nudged her arms, and Caroline straightened up. "I'll go wash my hands. Where's Dad? Working late again?"
Elysia said, "When is he not working late?"
Caroline took the cigarettes to the study and placed them on Elijah's desk. When she came out, Elysia said, "Your dad was actually running low on cigarettes. He'll be happy knowing you bought them."
"No, don't tell Dad," Caroline said, pulling out a chair and picking up her utensils. "If he finds out, he'll lecture me about wasting money, saying he has his own salary and can buy them himself."
Elysia gave her a knowing look. "You and your father are exactly alike—both stubborn as mules."
"Mom, stop talking about me. I'm really stressed lately," Caroline pouted, her shoulders slumped dejectedly.
"What's wrong? What happened?" Elysia asked while serving soup and picking out fish bones.
Caroline explained, "Our company is holding its annual gala, and apparently, I'm scheduled to give a speech. But with the event just next week, nobody has notified me to prepare anything. Imagine me standing there clueless while everyone else speaks eloquently. How can I compete for the manager position after that?"
Elysia frowned. "Who's in charge of planning? Why haven't you asked them about this?"
"Mom, how can I ask? If I do, the coordinator might say, 'There's still a week left, why are you panicking?' What would I say then?" Caroline replied.
Elysia placed a piece of steak and some fish on Caroline's plate. "It doesn't matter if there's one week or eight weeks left. Once the plan is finalized, everyone involved should be notified. That's their job."
Caroline asked, "What if they say they forgot?"
"Forgot?" Elysia smiled coolly. "Then you've conveniently reminded them. If you're not prepared and things go wrong, your boss will hold both of you accountable."
"Mom, you always know what to do!" Caroline looked at her admiringly. "Living with Dad all these years has really sharpened your skills. You're on a whole different level when it comes to handling management issues."
"Stop teasing me. Did you remember what I told you?" Elysia asked.
"Yes, yes. First thing tomorrow, I'll call Upton Hill."
"Wait, did you say Upton?" Elysia's expression changed. After a pause, she said, "Don't call tomorrow."
Caroline: "I shouldn't ask?"
"You can't ask," Elysia stated firmly. "Upton is Aaron's uncle. He's probably deliberately keeping you in the dark. You two are competitors, and while a gala speech might not seem like a big deal, all the power company's top executives will be there. Making you look incompetent in front of leadership would easily eliminate a competitor. It's underhanded and unfair. If they can pull strings, so can we. Your father could get you that manager position with just one word."
"No, Mom, please don't let Dad approach my bosses behind the scenes," Caroline protested.
As a mother, Elysia couldn't help feeling indignant about the unfair treatment of her child. "This isn't right. I'll talk to your father and have him set things straight."
"Mom, I want justice, but I want fairness more," Caroline said seriously. "Don't let Dad pressure anyone about the competition. All I want is a level playing field. No connections, no tricks—just a contest of abilities."
Elysia understood Caroline's meaning.
She didn't need someone to advocate for her, but she did need a fair and transparent competitive environment.
"Mom, I came home for dinner today because I wanted to talk to you about these frustrations."
Some things could be shared with friends, but others couldn't.
Elysia said, "When my child faces difficulties outside, who else would she talk to if not her parents?"