Promotion and Privileges

President Galvez heaved a long sigh filled with guilt after Fraine left the office. He already anticipates that Fraine would think to turn down the promotion, so he makes it blatantly appoint her, almost giving her no choice but to accept it.

And as expected, Fraine would do her best to make things difficult for him.

Douglas picked up his phone on the coffee table and dialed Chairman Dale's contact.

Meanwhile, Fraine is waiting patiently for the elevator to go up. She has to review the stack of folders in her arms to understand the new partnership G Company and Dale Enterprise have established.

"Miss Michaels, wait up!"

The elevator finally arrived, but the president's assistant stopped her. Fraine turned around to look at the person calling out to her. Now she wondered what it was about.

"Assistant Serge? Did President Galvez forget something to tell me?"

Serge chases some air to breathe after running the distance between the public elevator and the executive one from the opposite corner of that floor.

"I just came from the HR Department to process your new records. Here, this is your new ID. From now on, you don't need to use the shared elevator of the ordinary employees but the executive one."

Fraine lowered her gaze to her new ID Serge was handing to her. This ID is also her access to use the executive elevator.

However, at that moment, Fraine wanted to explode in exasperation. She casually swept her gaze to the secretaries, giving her a malicious stare.

Fraine wanted to cry. Although she earned the promotion because the president believed in her, in the eyes of her colleagues, these are the privileges of a mistress. The president is only adding fire to the gossip.

Wait…

President Galvez has been widowed for a long time, and he never remarried or had no children. So why would she worry if people called her a mistress?

It is not true in the first place, and so what people should label her is Sugar Baby.

Having that thought, an idea came to Fraine. She curled her lips and smiled at Serge.

"Thank you, assistant Serge." Fraine took the ID from the assistant.

Head high, she walked toward the elevator that was only exclusive to the bosses. Fraine wanted to raise her middle finger to these gossipy secretaries, but that would be unprofessional of her.

Besides, she never acted impulsively but always put her temperament in check.

Elegantly, she taps her new ID at the scanner on the elevator and steps inside like a regal woman when the door opens, leaving the secretaries with their jaws dropped on the floor.

However, once she was inside, Fraine let out a frustrating sigh. She could already foresee her days in the company being the dessert every day's gossip.

On the Planning Department floor...

Every head turned to the executive elevator when they heard a sound indicating that a boss was coming out from that door.

However, their eyes wanted to jump out of their sockets when the person they saw was Fraine. Right now, the suspicion lingering in their chest increased as Fraine had the privilege of using the executive elevator.

She was scrutinized from the head down to her high heels, hoping to see some evidence that the reason she was summoned to the President's office was to serve him…

Fraine rolled her eyes after everyone gave her a malicious gaze, except for Mabel and Ian.

As she walked toward her cubicle, they noticed an ID hanging on her arm, swaying in the air as she was striding. They all recognized that this ID was only for the executives.

Fraine put down the folders on her table and headed to the pantry to fetch a cup of hot water to make tea.

Her colleagues' eyes are glued to her new ID hanging around her neck. She sneered in her heart as she knew what was running in their heads. However, she cared less about whatever gossip they would spread about her soon.

"Hey, Fraine! Have you read the company's announcement? There will be a free lunch later!"

Fraine stopped in her tracks and glanced at Ian.

"Really?" she pretended not to know about it when she heard it from the president. "When was the message posted?"

"It's around 8:50 this morning."

"Ah. It must be the time I was stuck in the restroom for twenty minutes because three employees were gossiping and blocked the door of my lavatory."

Her tone is full of sarcasm, accompanied by a mocking smile on her lips. Fraine doesn't need to look at particular cubicles as the three people she aims at with her words shrunk their heads, pretending that they are busy with their work.

"Oh. Staying in the restroom for twenty minutes? How lucky they were, and I didn't catch them? The management implements a healthy environment, and gossiping in the office is prohibited. Instead, we as employees must use our time to be productive. Has anyone forgotten this already?" Mabel chimed in, who stopped her tracks at Fraine's cubicle.

Fraine smiled at Mabel.

She could not really say that she and Mabel were close friends because they were not hanging out outside of work. What is common about them is that they respect each other's privacy, not meddling in their personal affairs but working as a team.

Although Mabel was the assistant general manager in their department, Fraine got into the company first. However, she turned it down when she was offered a promotion twice. In the end, Fraine recommended Mabel.

Mabel accepted the promotion despite the backlash thrown at her. Those envious employees who were eyeing a promotion were angry at her, so they spread a story that she was only promoted because Fraine didn't take the position.

Instead of feeling that she owed it to Fraine. She proves to her bosses that she deserves the promotion because she is skilled and competent.

"I'm here to take the work piled on your table. I received a memorandum that you are no longer dealing with anything from this department, so I am giving this work to others. Could you come to my office and tell me who these employees are that have leisure time gossiping instead?"

Fraine opens her mouth but is hesitant to say anything. She is not afraid to have enemies, but she doesn't have any free time to deal with them.

"Ah, about that… I think they were from other departments. I didn't recognize their voices as I cared less about what they were gossiping about."

Mabel raised an eyebrow, but she no longer forced Fraine to confess. Working together for over two years is enough for her to know that Fraine doesn't want to get involved in anyone's life.

Mabel lowered her gaze to her phone when she received an email from HR. She waved her phone in front of Fraine and said,

"No need to tell me. The HR is done investigating the matter. I have the names of these employees, and the management wants me to take disciplinary action before it becomes a habit for many and they influence the other department."

Fraine sighed inwardly, watching Mabel going back to her office after she gathered the pile of folders into her arms.

Those files are the lists of surveys Fraine has to sort out and then write a report accordingly for each product they are producing and distributing.

Fraine slightly shook her head. She inhaled and then let out, preparing to start working. She placed her mug on the table to make tea.

While waiting, she casually flips through the folders and reads the files inside. Fraine sipped on her mug when her eyes landed on the contract copy.

It stated the names of other companies the G Company would partner with.

All of a sudden, Fraine is bathing in a cold sweat. Dale Enterprise is expanding its business here in Sasha City.

The construction firm that will build the mall is YKG International, but Lopez Steel Corporation provides the materials.

Fraine was in a daze after reading the contract. It means she has to work with the Lopezes!

What's more, the Lopez Steel Corp employees are more familiar with her than from the Lopez Corporation headquarters.

Of course, Lopez Steel Corp is where her entire family worked before—located at South Island, P Country, where she was born.