Chapter 443: Chapter 443

Curiously, someone asked, “So it was Ms. Garland who prepared that for him?”

“Isn’t that obvious? Did you really have to ask?” The female staff rolled her eyes at her coworker. “Rayna had a history of being flirtatious back in Faymon Group, and I heard she was involved with Mr. Faymon too. Do you think Mr. Faymon will really fall for a woman like her? I bet she’s turning to target his assistant, Mr. Tylinski, after failing to get Mr. Faymon’s attention. Mind you, Mr.

Tylinski is Mr. Faymon’s confidant, and he ranks highly in Faymon Group.”

“She’s such a minx,” someone chimed in. “Say, do you guys think she’s targeting Kelly because Kelly got involved with Mr.

Faymon?”

“Of course!”

“I heard that Ms. Garland wants Kelly to be the new spokesperson of our company’s new product and offered her three million. Is she that naïve to think that she could get a celebrity like Kelly with a measly three million to shoot a three-minute promotional video? Does she think celebrities don’t have bills to pay?”

“I think Ms. Garland’s being too much. If she’s that stingy, why doesn’t she just do it herself?”

“Well, though Ms. Garland’s a scheming woman, I think she’s really quite pretty, and I have to admit that she’s well-endowed.”

They gossiped in the office without restraint and laughed boisterously that they didn’t even notice when Rayna walked in.

She even had to knock on the glass door to attract their attention.

The gossip died down instantly, and they wished the ground could swallow them whole. Rayna’s lips curled into a half-smile when she saw the ashen look on their faces. “I’m sorry for disturbing your fun time.”

Awkward silence hung in the air.

Rayna disregarded the awkward atmosphere and mentioned the names of a few documents that she was looking for. “Who’s holding these documents?”

“M-Ms. Garland, they’re with m-me,” a woman in a checkered dress stammered. She immediately retrieved the documents and passed them over to Rayna with shaky hands.

“Thanks,” uttered Rayna in a gentle tone. She took the documents but did not leave right away. She remained impassive and looked at the woman who was keeping her head low. “I heard you calling me a scheming woman, that I was the one who plotted against the celebrity, Kelly. Oh, there’s also something about me being well-endowed... Is that right?”

“I-I’m sorry, Ms. Garland.” The woman lowered her head even more. “We were just joking.”

“So you think you can crack jokes about your boss?” Rayna’s voice was cold.

The woman didn’t even dare to let out a breath.

Rayna lifted her head and looked around the office. Those who lowered their heads or darted their eyes elsewhere were the ones who were happily gossiping about her behind her back.

“You should be working during working hours. If you’re looking to chill, then gossip in the washroom at your own time,” Rayna chided. “How dare you guys mock your own boss at the office!” She flipped the woman’s lanyard over to take a closer look. Her red lips curled into a sneer. “What a coincidence. You were the one who talked smack about me in the elevator last time. This time, you’re the one again to crack jokes about me in the office. Why? Do you really enjoy gossiping that much?”

“No, Ms. Garland,” the woman said hastily. “I was too naïve and should have known better. I hope you can forgive me.”

Rayna chuckled. “You say you’re naïve, and yet you managed to get into Glory and become the team leader for the planning department. Do you think HR and your team manager are incompetent people who didn’t know any better?”

“I didn’t mean that...” She did not expect Rayna to question her like that and did not know what to say.

Rayna ignored her and glared at the gossipmongers. Then, she called out the names of the staff who badmouthed her in the elevator the other day and said, “Since you cannot refrain yourselves from gossiping, I might as well make good use of your verbal skills and transfer the lot of you to customer service for a year or two.”

“Ms. Garland, we’re sorry. Please, forgive us.” The gossipmongers started to panic.

Not only did they have to work long hours, but they would be paid peanuts at the customer service department. It was not a good department to be in at all.

If they were to transfer to customer service for a year and come back to the planning department after that, they would be left far behind.

Rayna crossed her arms in front of her chest. She wore a calm look on her face, but her demeanor was intimidating. “Either you resign from Glory on your own and receive no compensation, or transfer to customer service for fourteen months. The company is not going to fire you and compensate you for being gossipmongers.” Rayna was unfazed by the aghast looks on their faces.

“So, which is it going to be?”

Upon deliberation, a few of them chose the second option.

If they resigned from Glory without any apparent reason, it would be difficult for them to apply for similar roles in the industry.

Should Rayna choose to spread the news of their misconduct to the other smaller companies, they would be done for.

Rayna grunted in acknowledgment and said, “You can now pack your things and hand over your tasks. I’m going to call your manager to inform him of this. You can proceed to work in customer service in the afternoon.”

Then she turned around and left.

The others in the office heaved a huge sigh of relief. It was as if the devil had just left.

However, before they could relax, Rayna suddenly turned around and gave them a good fright.

She scanned the room and said, “As for the others, don’t think you’ve been spared. If you really cannot refrain from gossiping about your boss, I’d suggest that you take it somewhere where no one can hear you. Oh, and do it in your own time as well.

Everyone in the planning department is not going to get a single cent of the quarterly and year-end bonus this year, including your manager. Feel free to resign if you think it’s unfair. Take your skills elsewhere and land yourself a better job. I won’t stop you.”

She left for good after she was done.

No one spoke a word for a long time even after Rayna left. They exchanged dejected looks with each other, fear apparent in their eyes.

It was indeed foolish of them to trifle with the woman who previously worked for Faymon Group.

After this incident, no one in Glory dared to disrespect and joke about her anymore.

Ella finally came running to her office after she was back in her office. “I’m sorry, Ms. Garland. I went out to deal with something and didn’t manage to tell you in time.”

“It’s all right.” Rayna didn’t mind at all. “Have you talked to the actress from Newfirm Media?”

Ella’s face sank. “I’ve talked to her, but she insists on getting at least ten million, and she’s not open to slashing even ten thousand. She told you to look for another actress if you disagree.”

Rayna didn’t get upset over it. She merely said, “I read the script. It’s exactly what I’m looking for. With the addition of a competent director and producer, the lead actor and actress will surely rise to prominence. Is she afraid that she won’t get paid many times over after that?”

“I think the same as well, Ms. Garland,” Ella replied. “However, the fact is that nowadays actors are only looking to earn big money. Besides, Glory doesn’t have anything to show for these two years, and it’s understandable that many actors are not willing to take the risk.”

Rayna let out a sigh and took over the file of information on other actresses.

Ella waited aside. She eyed Rayna, and an idea popped into her head. “Ms. Garland, I don’t think you need to look further.

You’re quite suited for the role.”

“Are you kidding me?” Rayna lifted her head to look at her in surprise. “I don’t know anything about acting.”

“It’s just a three-minute short video. You just need to do what the director says,” Ella replied, then took a mirror and brought it before Rayna. With a serious look on her face, she continued, “Ms. Garland, I’m serious. You came up with the storyline. It’s best that you become the female lead. Look at your features. They’re perfect for any kind of makeup look.”

Rayna waved her hands to dismiss her. “Nope. I’m not cut out for that.”

“You have to try. I know you’ve been looking at many works of some young directors, and I also know that you don’t fancy those.

You still favor Wilson, right? But you also know Newfirm Media’s stance on the matter. Everything else has been arranged, and we’re just short of a female lead now. If you’re willing to take up the role, not only will we save three million, but we can also head to Summerbank tomorrow. Plus, we won’t have to look for a new director.”