Supreme Bodyguard

Chapter 19 Ned’s Revenge

“Boo-hoo…thank you…Boo-hoo…He called my mother names…” Daisy went back to her seat cried and told Marlow what happened.

“No thanks. You have to be brave, Daisy. You can’t let him see your soft side. Next time, you take a pencil knife with you when you go to his office. If he dares to touch you, you cut him with the knife. Don’t cry, Daisy, your makeup is tainted. You won’t look pretty if you go on crying.”

“Okay.”

“Newbie, didn’t I tell you that gossiping is not allowed during office hours? Two hundred dollars will be deducted from your salary this month.” Ned roared at Marlow from the door of his office.

“If you dare to deduct my salary, I will make your hooked chin straight with a punch,” Marlow replied.

“Okay, big hero. I will tell Ms. Edison about your behavior here. She will fire you directly. What the hell talented young man you are! She wanted to train you into the asset of the company. Sh*t!”

“Go ahead. I don’t want this job at all. If you can get me fired, I will buy you a meal, man,” replied Marlow, waving his hand to signal him to go to see Yolanda Edison right away.

“Okay, you wait and watch. Daisy, you too, gossip during office hours, two hundred dollars will be deducted from your salary.”

Daisy shuddered at the news that her salary would be deducted. She pressed her lips down and her face twisted into a scrunched paper ball.

“Why would you deduct Daisy’s salary? Who made the rule that nobody could speak during office hours? Who the hell do you think you are?”

“I made the rule. I am the leader of this team, so I can make rules. If you don't agree, go tell the boss about me. Ha! Fight with me when you are the chief of a team yourself.” Ned felt that he had got back his pride and he held his hooked chin up as if he was challenging heaven.

He perked up and started to boss around.

He walked over to a fat guy, the guy who had offered a bet on Marlow earlier in the canteen, and said, “You, Tommy, come to my office.”

“Okay,” Tommy Lee’s big face went slack because of frustration. He gave Ned a one-finger salute when he turned his back to him.

“How’s the account receivable going?” Ned sat in the swivel chair with his legs crossed.

“It’s going well. ABC store has paid the five thousand dollars they owed and the twenty thousand dollars XYZ distributor owed us has been collected too.”

Ned interrupted him impatiently, “Don’t mention the amounts as small as the pinpoint. What is important is the big amount payment. How’s the payment of Hennes Corp?”

When he heard Hennes Corp mentioned, Tommy’s fat face crumpled. “Mr. Snape, I didn’t go to Hennes Corp.”

“Why didn’t you go?” Ned of course knew the reason why he didn’t go, but he wanted to torture him. He put on a scary smile.

“Mr. Snape, Johnny went to collect the payment two months ago, he is still lying in hospital now. I’m the only son of my family. If something bad happens to me, my mother will not be able to live with that. And if my mother dies, my father will definitely…”

An idea suddenly hit Ned and he waved his hand to stop Tommy’s tragic show. “Cut the rubbish, i***t! Okay, you don’t have to collect Hennes Corp’s payment. You are a useless animal. You only waste the food your mother feeds you.”

“Well, thank you very much, Mr. Snape.” Tommy grinned happily.

Ned was disgusting to him too. He felt sick at himself for flattering him every day. He was pleased that his show today worked. It was surprising that this long-standing tough problem was solved so easily this way.

After Tommy went out, Ned knocked on the top of the table rhythmically with his middle finger.

He thought he was smart. He was looking for an excuse to fire Marlow. He couldn’t fire him just because he gossiped during office hours. And he couldn’t push him too much either, because he was afraid he would tell Ms. Edison about his harassing Daisy. If someone else was also willing to testify against him, then he would be in big trouble. He would go through a lot of difficulties even if he could finally get rid of that charge.

So he needed a smart way and sufficient excuses to get this boy fired.

It would be better if he could get Daisy that b*tch fired too. He had scared her this time and the chances for him in the future would be scarce. He might kick her out of the company as well.

“You, and you, come to my office.” Ned walked to the door of his office and pointed at Marlow and Daisy.

With Marlow by her side, Daisy was assured. She followed Marlow into Ned’s office as if she was a tail of him.

Ned reclined in his swivel chair and was twirling a pen in his hand. “Daisy, you have come to this company for almost three months. Your probation period is going to finish. You know before the end of the probation, the company usually will assign you a task. You staying or leaving the company will be decided by your performance of the task.”

Then he turned to Marlow and said, “You just came to work here and you defied your supervisor. But I don’t bear grudge against you. I still want to train you and give you the opportunity to display your talents. For the newcomers, every task is a wonderful chance to get experience. So you cooperate with Daisy in the task. Seize the chance this time.”

After he said that, he turned his chair back to face both of them and said slowly, “The task for you two is to collect the payment of Hennes Corp. If you can collect the payment, Daisy, you will be a permanent employee of the company; and you, newbie, will be able to stay in this company. If you fail to collect the payment, then both of you have to pack your belongings and get your asses out of the company. Okay? Daisy, the details of the task has been emailed to you. Go check it, baby.”

Daisy’s little face changed into a scrunched paper ball again. When she walked out of Ned’s office, she seemed smaller and hunched.

Marlow wasn’t an i***t. He knew he had offended that bastard, so the task assigned to him couldn’t be an easy job.

After they went back to their seats, Marlow asked Daisy, “Daisy, how is that Hennes Corp?”

“Not so good,” said Daisy, her face as dark as the sky in the moonless midnight.

“The boss of that company is said to be a big gangster. He has connections with gangs and criminals. The seat you are sitting on was Johnny’s. He went to Hennes Corp to collect the payment two months ago and was beaten up. He is still in hospital with splints now. Though the company pays for his medical fare, Johnny was so scared that he resigned afterward. Now we have to go there…I’m so scared.”

Marlow was glad to hear that. What he wasn’t afraid of were gangsters.

He asked Daisy playfully in a low voice, “Besides gangsters, what else do they have in that company?”

Daisy too sad to appreciate his humor and she replied sadly, “Isn’t that enough? I’ll definitely lose my job. Watson Group has high remuneration. It’s not easy for me to get this job. My mother…” As she said, tears came out again.

“Why should you be so scared? We have to complete the task anyway; otherwise, that bastard won’t let us stay. We can’t just sit here and complain. We can give it a try. Maybe when the Hennes Corp guys see you being so cute and adorable, they will give us the payment straightly.”

“How can that be so easy? They are people much worse than Mr. Snape. Alas, what shall we do, Marlow?”

“Just try it, Daisy. Listen to me. If you don’t try it, the only result is a failure. If you try it, there is a possibility that you may succeed. Even if the possibility is as small as one out of one hundred, you still have a chance. Daisy, you have me with you. Be brave!”

“Okay, I’ll be brave! I will make money for my mother’s treatment!” Daisy mustered her courage and waved her little fist.