Chapter 45: Chapter 44: Regional Oscillations
Translator: 549690339
Harrison Clark quietly stepped aside, not daring to let this irritable old guy grab his hand.
“Sorry for keeping you waiting. I didn’t see the sign and wasn’t sure if it was the right place. The guy just now said it’s not open to the public. I thought I had come to the wrong place,” said Harrison.
Adam Martin suddenly exploded, turning his head to the waiter next to him and cursing, “I told you to come out and greet them! Is this how you greet? What’s the matter, is our Jenny’s status not big enough, not qualified to treat guests in your restaurant or what?”
As he scolded, he also waved his hands and stomped his feet.
The waiter apologized profusely.
Harrison was quite impressed with Adam’s “fierce” demeanor.
You are awesome.
There are advantages to being a sissy. Look at this skill in creating a scene, how natural and smooth it is.
Such a unique skill, he, a pure straight man, could never learn it in his whole life.
Jenny Hart and Adam Martin once again sincerely thanked Harrison for his understanding and tolerance at the dinner table. Then, they urged Harrison to record a demo for them.
Harrison repeatedly patted his chest, promising to record it as soon as he got back, finally passing the test.
After a few drinks, Harrison spoke the truth that had been in his heart, “Frankly, I don’t think signing with Chesterton Apartment is a great choice for both of you.”
“Mr. Clark, as a former employee, do you have any inside information?” Jenny Hart asked.
Harrison shook his head, “I used to be a grassroots employee. What kind of inside information could I have? It’s just that current financial products are quite risky.”
Adam Martin sighed, “But there’s no choice. There’s too much money involved. Mr. Heery is really rich and domineering. We couldn’t refuse the offer of six million dollars in two years. The offer is almost five times our regular fee. To be honest, though Jenny has some fame, she lacks a representative work, so her current endorsement fee is really not high. Aren’t we just waiting for your new song, Mr. Clark?”
Harrison: “I understand, but taking risks still seems a bit unwise.”
Jenny Hart smiled, “When it comes to making money, there’s always risk. If the benefits are big enough, it’s natural to take risks. Like this time, we came to Oxfordshire for the commercial performance. Besides the endorsement fees, the other subsidies are quite generous. For the three meals a day, the average subsidy per meal is two thousand. We could never eat that much.”
Adam Martin chuckled, “So, Mr. Clark, you should enjoy your meal tonight. Let’s try to eat enough in one meal; otherwise, we’ll be saving money for others.”
Harrison’s eyes lit up, “Two thousand per meal?”
“Yes.” Jenny Hart nodded, “People say that artists live a lavish lifestyle, but if it was our own money, we wouldn’t be so extravagant. Since it’s someone else’s expense, there’s no need to be frugal.”
Harrison was puzzled, “But according to the proposal I saw when I was working, it was written that each meal was five thousand. At the time, my colleagues were joking about whether the stars’ plates were made of gold or not, as they couldn’t imagine how anyone could eat five thousand per meal. Why is the amount different? Did you not sign a contract?”
“Huh? Five thousand?”
Now it was Adam Martin’s turn to be baffled.
Harrison was very certain and nodded.
Jenny Hart: “These kinds of subsidies are verbally agreed upon. Adam reports the expenses and the other party transfers the money. There’s no need to sign a contract.”
Harrison asked again, “You were dealing with Chesterton Apartment’s High-tech Zone branch, right?”
“Yes.”
Harrison laughed.
He didn’t expect that he would pick up such a good pot even though he was no longer working at the company, and Linden Brown had also fallen on hard times. Harrison was no longer interested in Linden’s affairs, but still accidentally uncovered this petty matter.
No matter how careful Linden was before, he never thought that Harrison would have a chance to have dinner with the artists and talk so deeply about even this trivial matter.
After dinner, Harrison took out his phone and called Heery George.
“Mr. Heery, I found something interesting tonight…”
Harrison simply relayed the situation as it was, without exaggeration or embellishment.
However, he was hinting and implying, both overtly and covertly, that there was more to this iceberg.
Given Linden’s methods, he must be a habitual offender. Similar bribery, nepotism, and petty theft must have occurred frequently in the High-tech Zone Company.
Pulling out the radish reveals the dirt – these matters must involve many more grassroots employees. Those close to Linden and deeply collaborating with him definitely had dirty hands.
Although the High-tech Zone Company was obviously located in the best district in the city, its profits had long been suppressed by Habakkuk District. This was undoubtedly due to the trouble caused by these parasites.
Heery George was immediately angered.
He could tolerate Linden’s small-minded scheming in the company, but he absolutely couldn’t tolerate such rampant bloodsucking by his small group.
Why did he start the rent loan business?
Isn’t it because the benefits couldn’t improve, the company’s cash flow was insufficient, the profit margin was low, and the listing plan was repeatedly shelved, leaving him with no way to explain to the shareholders?
Why couldn’t the benefits improve?
Of course, it’s because too many worms in the company were involved, covering too wide an area, and the situation had already rotted to the core! “Investigate! I will make sure everything is thoroughly investigated! If Linden’s embezzlement exceeds 100,000,1 will send him to jail!” Heery George swore and hung up the phone.
With his hands in his pockets, Harrison walked along the edge of the road. The cool breeze blew past, and he didn’t feel any particular ups and downs.
He had just done an ordinary little thing.
He was never a generous person.
Revenge is a dish best served cold, and there is no such thing as letting bygones be bygones with a smile.
When Linden Brown knelt down and slapped himself in the face, it might have made Harrison Clark happy for a moment, but that pain was nothing compared to the grievances he had suffered for more than half a year.
After all, his time at Chesterton Apartment had transformed him from a hopeful college graduate to a numb adult.
These six months of work had taught Harrison Clark that this is what the adult world is like – constantly moving forward under heavy burdens.
Sending Linden Brown to jail was Harrison’s final gesture of gratitude to him.
He was grateful to Linden Brown for teaching him an important lesson in life.
Harrison Clark sincerely wished him the best and hoped he could face everything with a smile.
Many things, if shrouded in fog, would cause no harm even if everyone knew the truth.
But once someone pierces through the paper, the fire that has been concealed can no longer be contained; it will burn through everything once ignited.
There are no absolutely perfect good people in this world; everyone has their flaws, and even a tiny bit of power in the workplace can easily breed corruption.
After all, people are selfish and always seek their own interests.
When friends gather for dinner and discuss their incomes, it usually includes a default “grey income”.
This so-called grey income often comes from nibbling away at the company’s assets.
Every boss knows that there are worms in their staff, but whether or not they should be exposed depends on the situation.
Too much scrutiny on employees will leave no one for the company to use.
As long as the worms don’t go overboard, bosses usually turn a blind eye.
Heery George had never thoroughly investigated Linden Brown before, so he was uncertain how many tricks Linden had been up to.
Harrison Clark was also unsure, but he could sense that Linden Brown was definitely not an innocent person and couldn’t stand up to scrutiny.
As expected, three days later, Sophia Camp stayed at the company and called Harrison Clark to give him the explosive news.
The iceberg of interests that Linden Brown had built in the High-tech Zone Company was finally being dragged out of the water bit by bit.
It was truly shocking.
In just three days of investigation, the total amount of benefits he had received had reached one million.
That is to say, the money he had taken caused at least ten million in damages to the company.
There were also some more concealed accounts that he refused to confess to.
The company immediately filed a lawsuit against Linden Brown, and he was now in detention.
According to the company’s lawyers, Linden Brown could only return three hundred thousand, and he would be sentenced to five years for commercial crimes.
As for Linden Brown’s followers, take David Mitchell for example, who was only a low-level manager with less than three years of work experience. He took advantage of his position to gain nearly two hundred thousand in benefits from maintenance funds, resident kickbacks, etc.
In addition to his many criminal acts of bribery for Linden Brown, David Mitchell would be sentenced to about two years.
There were also seven or eight other employees who would be sentenced to about one year each.
During these three days, everyone in the High-tech Zone Company was on high alert, and extensive investigations were carried out on every individual.
In the end, it was initially determined that nearly half of the hundred employees in the company would face dismissal or imprisonment.
There was a significant reshuffling of leadership, and none were spared.
In the face of Heery George’s absolute authority, the fortress that Linden Brown had built crumbled like a poorly constructed project.
Nearly half of the people left behind were those who had been at odds with Linden Brown.
Now there were simply no capable people left in the company. Among those who stayed, Sophia Camp had the best reputation and previously was the second most vocal opponent of Linden Brown.
Now, she was rightfully promoted to acting regional manager, temporarily filling Linden Brown’s position.
“Harrison Clark, you should come back. I haven’t been with the company long enough to be a manager. Come back and take the position, and I’ll talk to Mr. George,” Sophia Camp said earnestly over the phone.
Harrison Clark laughed, “What are you thinking? You’ve only been with the company for half a year, so have I.”
“But you’re different from me. You have authority, and everyone knows about your work ability and character. It would be best if you come back,” she said.
Harrison Clark knew that these words had Heery George’s message behind them.
But he refused clearly and resolutely once again.
Now that he had money and no energy or interest in returning to his position at Chesterton Apartment, he didn’t think about what he would specifically do next, but thought it was time for a turning point in his life.
After all, he felt like he had an extraordinary Golden Finger, but he was living a bit too sluggishly.
Looking at Carrie Thomas, she was so diligent and hard-working.
He couldn’t just wait to get into a dream world to show initiative, but had to make the most of his time in real life as well..
