Take Me Away novel Chapter 45

ZR Company was located in the most prosperous commercial area in M City. Its tall building boasted its extraordinary status. The first floor windows showcased the company's latest jewelry designs, attracting the attention of many passersby.

Fiona held on to her purse belt tightly as she raised her head to take in the full glory of the building in front of her. She took a deep breath before she stepped inside.

"Hello," Fiona greeted as she approached the receptionist. "Can you tell me where the HR department is? Someone asked me to come here."

"It's on the 23rd floor. You'll see it to your left."

"Thank you." Fiona nodded curtly and walked towards the elevator.

A few more people walked into the hall. The man leading them was a tall and handsome man in a suit. He looked a little unwell.

It was Charles.

"Inform the purchasing department to come to my office in five minutes." Charles pursed his lips into a straight line while walking.

"Got it," the person standing behind him responded.

"By the way, look for an appropriate location for the company's third store in M City and report to me as soon as possible."

"Noted."

With a cold face, Charles strode towards the elevator. Fiona was queued up for the elevator. When she saw a powerful-looking man approach, she stepped aside unconsciously.

Ding!

The CEO exclusive elevator and the staff elevator arrived at the same time. Just as Charles was about to walk inside, he caught a glimpse of the girl beside him. "Fiona?" he asked.

Fiona stopped in her tracks. She looked behind her and saw Charles.

To Fiona, the man looked like someone she knew. As if he was a more senior version of Ryan.

"Excuse me. Who are you?" Fiona hesitated.

"It's really you." A bright smile appeared on Charles' face. "I'm this company's CEO," he said. He stretched out his hand as a way of greeting.

Fiona stared at his hand, feeling apprehensive. 'How did he know me?' she thought. No one had greeted her in such a formal manner before. Why would the company CEO be talking to her?

Charles held his hand out and kept smiling. The man behind him looked skeptical. He wondered who the girl might be for her to ignore his boss's greeting.

After a while, Fiona bit her lips and reached out to shake hands with him. "Hello," she greeted back.

"Are you going to report to the HR department?" Charles asked, raising his eyebrow.

"Yes, I am." Fiona nodded. She was starting to feel intimidated by the man in front of her. The doors were slowly closing in on them. She wanted to get inside, so she would no longer face the CEO.

"Come with me. I have something to tell you." Charles walked to the exclusive elevator and held the doors open. Something about the way he looked at her made him look sincere.

"No, thank you, sir." Fiona was a little embarrassed.

Charles kept smiling confidently, as if he knew he was about to get his way anyway. He nodded and introduced himself properly. "My name is Charles Wen. I have a younger brother named Ryan. You must know him."

Surprised, Fiona's jaw dropped slightly. 'Charles?' she thought. 'Is he the Ryan's half-brother that Sophia mentioned?'

"Let's go. I'll take you to the HR department." Charles turned his head slightly, gesturing for Fiona to come with him. The discomfort Fiona had been feeling finally made sense. Hesitantly, she followed him into the elevator.

In the elevator, they stood side by side.

"Can I ask you something?" she asked.

Charles turned to look at Fiona and saw that she was exactly as he expected her to be. She was a gentle and good-looking young girl. It was obvious that she possessed great wisdom. She was exactly Ryan's type.

"Okay, go ahead."

"Is Ryan behind my internship in your company?" Fiona felt a tinge of guilt as she spoke. "Was he also the one who made sure that my design got turned into an actual product?"

"He did buy your work and make it into a finished product, but it was the company who decided to hire you as an intern." Charles tucked his hands in his pockets.

His lips curled into an amused smile.

"Are you saying that you're thinking of turning down this opportunity because of Ryan?" "How do you know that?" Fiona asked.

"Luck guess. I dare say that there is no jewelry company across the country that is anywhere near us in terms of sale or design. It's up to you if you want to turn it down, but our doors won't be open any time," Charles stated.

Ding!

The elevator stopped at the 23rd floor. Charles gestured for Fiona to step out first.

Fiona's heart was trembling as exited the elevator. Charles was a smart man. He knew exactly what Fiona was thinking about, and he knew how to make her change her mind.

The staff of the HR department all welcomed Fiona warmly when they saw her step in with Charles.

"I won't go in," said Charles, who stood behind Fiona. "I'll leave it up to you if you want to stay or not. I'm leaving."

"See you around." Fiona turned around and said goodbye to him. She watched as the doors slowly closed. She heaved a sigh of relief and turned to the HR department.

Since they thought highly of her work, she decided to stay.

Charles went back to his office and took out two documents from his drawer. He flipped through them casually.

The first one was Fiona's information. He set it aside because he had already studied the material carefully. The other one still needed his attention more. "Spencer Cheng..." He squinted and tapped the table with his finger.

Fiona left the HR department and headed back to the design department. She would work as a design intern on weekends and on days that she had no classes. The internship would start on October. She would work with a designer who just came back from abroad.

That sounded good. Fiona's dream was to become a world renowned designer. She knew that THE first step towards the fulfillment of her dream was to become a member of the ZR Company.

The moment she stepped out of ZR Company building, she saw a boy standing a few steps away.

"Ryan!" Fiona muttered in surprise. They hadn't seen each other in a while. Ryan looked worn out. His eyes were dull and tired. He looked less alive than he did before.

"Hi, Fiona," Ryan replied in a hoarse voice, forcing a smile on his face. "May I have a word with you?"

Fiona was stunned. "Okay," she agreed. She also wanted to ask him something.

"Let's go. There's a park ahead," Ryan said.

Fiona nodded along and walked alongside Ryan. The slight gap between them was a manifestation of how awkward they both felt.

A car drove through the busy streets. The man in the passenger seat stared at Ryan and Fiona with piercing eyes.

"Spencer? Spencer?" Johnson called out Spencer's name. He wondered why he suddenly stopped talking. He turned his head to look at him and saw Spencer's furious expression. "What's wrong?"