Bigger Role

To say that Sakura was a bit lost on her first days wouldn't cover it enough.

The good thing was that everyone at the London offices seemed to be expecting something like this from how highly she had been recommended.

This team was not only very willing to help, but they were all looking forward to working with her to make success as achievable as possible.

To be honest, everything was a huge responsibility suddenly laid on her, but at the same time, being trusted to fulfill their requests only increased her self-confidence.

Suddenly being trusted to make deals, handle sponsorships, hold meetings, and make decisions towards the best commercial success possible was a lot and during those first weeks, it took a strong toll on her.It was now hard to have time to sleep, eat, or even study for her degree because most of her time was dedicated to the success of her company.

Of course, this was something that she imposed on herself. The CEO had asked multiple times if she could handle it and she always said she could.

The big problem was that Sakura never did anything in half measure, which meant that she was fully dedicated to succeeding in the mission that they gave her.

And then, the late nights and skipped meals hit all of a sudden after a few months when she passed out in the middle of a meeting with her team.

They rushed her to the hospital to make sure she was okay only to have her diagnosed with anemia from not eating or resting properly.

Sakura never expected the CEO to learn about this, but she was wrong. It took merely a few hours for her phone to ring with the familiar number that she knew so well by now.

Being lectured by your boss as if he were your father is never good news, but the man was very patient when he told her that he would be giving her an assistant to take some of the toll off her.

Adapting was hard initially, but it was important that Sakura understood the need to trust her team on this.

Slowly but gradually, the team started to succeed in the task that they were given. Kosé was thriving in the English market and making more than double the profit before she entered the company.

Meanwhile, the girl had officially finished her degree after months of struggle to adjust. Her thesis had a maximum score, not surprisingly given that this was the same research that gave her the job she now had.

The successes that she had would be commendable to anyone with experience and were even more impressive to someone who had barely finished studying.

Let's just say that choosing her to take on the challenge turned out to be an incredible decision for the CEO.

And it didn't surprise anyone when he made the second visit to the London headquarters.

Sakura had been informed about the visit and thought nothing of it until the rumors started.

Rumors of a promotion for her.

Everything was as unreal as his first visit and she almost felt a deja vu when he asked to speak to her in private.

At least this time she had her office to have the meeting on.

The conversation was long, it involved a whole review of the last two years of work, what went well and what didn't (mainly her health). She wasn't sure when to interrupt him or what to say as he complimented her work.

By his speech, it wasn't hard to tell that her peers had been right. He was probably here to offer her a new position.

In Sakura's mind, the biggest possible promotion in her reach was heading the European expanse but Kobayashi-san surprised her when he asked her something she didn't expect.

"How do you feel about going back to Japan?"

She had no idea what to answer or why he was even asking this question, but she answered honestly.

"I love England and the life I built here but I can't deny that Japan will always be my home."

"Do you have anyone tying you here? Boyfriend? Significant other?"

Sakura almost wanted to laugh... As if she had time for relationships.

"No... Just my best friends and housemates."

"So you would be willing to go back."

"If there's an opportunity worth it... I would go, of course."

"Good. You know me well enough by now, Sakura-chan, I see you almost as the daughter I never had. I see a lot of myself in you and maybe that's exactly why I hired you in the first place."

"Kobayashi-san... I..."

"I will be direct with you. I want you to take a bigger role. There are no doubts in me that you can take this responsibility and more."

"If you think I'm the right person for this job, whatever it is, I can only accept your offer."

"Very well, I'm glad to hear that. I want you to head Sekkisei and maybe take some responsibilities in the labs, but only if you settle in properly. Sekkisei is our priority."

"It's one of the biggest brands of Kosé!"

"I know... Exactly why we need someone as good as you."

This was bigger than anything she could anticipate. She wasn't even sure if anyone as young as her had taken such a responsibility before.

"Do you think this is wise? I really don't have much experience."

"Sakura... We have all seen what you did here. The board is impressed with you and accepted the idea with open hands. It's time to play with the big sharks, my dear."

"Well, you know I won't deny it. You always come to me with irrefutable offers."

"Good. Like before, I will arrange everything for you. Your first task will be hard but you're up to the challenge for sure."

"What is it?"

"We need a face for the brand, someone that embodies our ideals and hopefully brings us to new horizons. Your first task is to decide who's the best fit. Best of luck. I trust you."