Chapter 69
Everyone froze for a moment.
Sure, they’d all had their doubts, but nobody else had dared to voice them so bluntly.
Then, as if on cue, the memory surfaced for them all-Effie was the same woman who’d been at the center of that plagiarism controversy during a recent competition, the one who’d trended on social media. The investigation had cleared her name, but that didn’t automatically make her a star in their eyes.
After all, the design department was packed with talent; it wasn’t easy to stand out. For Effie to join straight away as lead designer? Naturally, some people would feel a bit resentful.
The department head’s expression hardened when she heard Nelly’s words had gone too far. She said sternly, “Nelly, we’re all colleagues here. Let’s not say things that create division.”
Nelly forced a sheepish smile. “Sorry, ma’am. I sometimes speak before I think.” She glanced at Effie afterwards, her eyes full of disdain.
Effie felt exasperated, but she understood-this was just how the workplace worked.
“All right, to welcome our new teammate, let’s go out to dinner after work,” the department head announced. Instantly, the whole room broke into cheers.
Fantastic-another free meal.
Effie felt genuinely grateful to her boss. It would help her break the ice and get to know everyone faster.
Since it was her first day, Effie spent most of it familiarizing herself with the office and learning about the company’s design style and products.
Toward the end of the day, Effie sent a quick text to Lyman, letting him know about the department dinner that night.
Lyman was still in a meeting, but as soon as he saw her message, he replied with a simple “Okay.”
He then turned to Luther and told him to arrange for the design team to dine at an upscale restaurant-on the company’s tab.
When the team found out where the dinner would be, everyone was stunned.
None of them had ever been to such a fancy place before.
They all laughed and joked that they were riding on Effie’s coattails tonight.
Nelly, her tone dripping with sarcasm, piped up, “Well, the higher-ups must’ve finally noticed how hard we’ve been working and decided to reward us.”
No one contradicted her, but everyone found it odd this kind of treatment was definitely a first.
And the food! Each dish looked like a work of art and tasted just as good. No wonder The Etheridge Group was the industry leader-they certainly took care of their employees.
Everyone was having a great time.
Coincidentally, Lyman was also entertaining business partners at the same hotel that evening.
Was this just a happy accident, or had he planned it?
Lyman knew Effie loved seafood, so he’d instructed Luther to make sure their private room was treated to the best-lobster, jumbo shrimp, fresh fish, and more.
When Luther walked in with the servers, carrying platters of seafood, jaws dropped all around the table.
“Mr. Etheridge is here for a business dinner tonight,” Luther explained smoothly. “He heard your department was having a welcome dinner for your new teammate, so he asked me to send over some seafood for you all. You’ve been working so hard-you deserve it.”
No one questioned it; they were just thrilled.
After all, it wasn’t every day the CEO himself sent them such a treat. Mr. Etheridge was known for being reserved and understated—a real enigma.
Especially Nelly-her eyes lit up as she pressed her lips together, clearly scheming about something.
All around, her colleagues were buzzing in excitement.
“Oh my God, Mr. Etheridge actually sent us extra food! Look at this lobster-we could never afford this on our own!”
“I know, right? He’s always so distant, but who knew he’d be so generous to the design team? I feel so lucky!”
“Seriously, Effie’s our good luck charm. We’ve never had this kind of treatment before!”
The chatter filled the room.
Effie, meanwhile, felt a pang of anxiety, worried that someone might see through to her real connection here. She’d just started the job and wanted nothing more than to fit in.
So, even with all those sumptuous seafood dishes in front of her, Effie found she barely tasted a thing.