Decoding Mr. Harrington

The lobby began to buzz with activity as staff headed out for lunch. Standing in front of Anastasia, Bella crossed her arms and pouted. "But sis, I already arrived here. You should have told me at least an hour earlier," she complained.

"I know, I'm sorry. How about tomorrow? You'll have another reason to come here," Anastasia said, trying to coax Bella out of her sulk.

Bella's eyes sparkled, but she tried to hide her excitement. She crossed her arms and said, "Still, you wasted my time. I should just ask Mom to eat with me instead."

"Yes, you should. Should I call Mom?" Anastasia said, taking out her phone and getting ready to dial her mother's number.

"No, it's okay. I'll call her myself," Bella replied, shaking her head. "You can go and do your work. Your colleagues are waiting." She glanced at the two people waiting for Anastasia at the entrance of the building.

Nodding, Anastasia gently held Bella's fingers. "You might want to wait for a while. Who knows, your Prince Charming might show up?"

Suddenly looking sad, Bella replied, "I don't know. He only replied to me once—the day he touched down back in the country." A long sigh escaped her small, plump lips.

"Rea–ly?" Anastasia replied, glancing at her colleagues. She felt bad making them wait, but Bella seemed down. "Shall I go over and smack him on the back of the head for making my sister sad?" She cracked a joke to lighten Bella's mood.

A smile immediately appeared on Bella's lips. "No, sis…"

"Why not? I'm pretty good at getting people to see sense," Anastasia continued, teasing.

Bella pulled Anastasia closer and whispered in her ear, "I'm afraid he might fall in love with you. You know, you're too pretty." She ended with a slight pout.

"You are prettier," Anastasia replied and pinched Bella's cheek lightly.

Bella rolled her eyes. "You're just saying that to make me feel better!" Bella said with a playful grin. "But if you really want to help, maybe you could just promise not to steal him from me!" She raised her pinky finger.

"What's his name again?" Anastasia teasingly asked.

"Ethan, Ethan Harrington."

She pinky swore with Bella. "I promise. No Ethan Harrington in my life." She giggled.

"Sh*t," Daniel muttered, turning abruptly when he saw the two sisters. "What is she doing here?" He continued walking until he reached the receptionist's desk, where he half-hid, leaving the staff confused. "Ah… I can feel the headache coming on," he groaned.

"Excuse me, sir?" The staff asked, looking suspicious.

"Oh, sorry." Embarrassed, he pretended to inspect the desk. "I'm just checking it. It might need some changes, and I can suggest them at the next budget meeting."

"But sir, this is new…" The staff gave him a sceptical smile.

Daniel gasped. "Ah…really?" He tilted his head for a few seconds, realising he was being foolish at that moment. "That's why this looks great." Tapping the desk several times, he rushed to the elevator, too embarrassed to stay there any longer.

"Do you know him?" The one beside the staff who had been talking to Daniel earlier asked.

The staff shook her head. "I've never seen him before," she said but a few seconds later, she clapped her hands. "Ah, I remember now! He's the new branch manager."

=====

"Remember, we need to be sincere and show that we genuinely want to make amends," Anastasia reminded them. "Clara feels humiliated, and we have to acknowledge that and offer a proper apology."

Mike nodded. "We'll back you up, Anna. Let's hope her manager is willing to listen."

As they arrived at Clara's company, they were directed to a conference room where Clara's manager, Mr. Stevens, was waiting. His expression was stern, but still kind by gesturing for them to sit.

"Good afternoon, Mr. Stevens," Anastasia began, her voice steady but respectful. "Thank you for taking the time to meet with us. We want to apologise for the incident at the event. It was a mistake on our part, and we deeply regret any distress it caused Clara."

Mr. Stevens leaned back in his chair, his eyes scrutinising them. "Clara was very upset. She felt disrespected and humiliated. This is not something she can easily forget."

Anastasia nodded, fully understanding the gravity of the situation. "We completely understand, and we are here to make things right. We have prepared a formal apology letter and are willing to take any steps necessary to ensure this doesn't happen again."

Sarah handed the letter to Mr. Stevens, who glanced over it briefly. "Clara is a public figure. This incident has affected her reputation. Just because she was on hiatus before, you guys treat her that way. What guarantees can you offer that such an incident will not happen again?"

Anastasia felt a pang of guilt but maintained her composure. "We completely understand, Mr. Stevens, and we deeply regret how Clara was treated. We assure you, her hiatus had nothing to do with the unfortunate oversight. We value Clara and her contributions immensely."

Mike chimed in, "We are implementing stricter protocols for our events, including better staff training and clearer communication channels to prevent such misunderstandings in the future. We are dedicated to making sure that every guest feels respected and valued."

Anastasia added, "We are also prepared to offer a public apology and compensation for any inconvenience caused. We understand the importance of Clara's reputation and want to do everything we can to support her and rebuild the trust we have damaged."

Mr. Stevens remained silent for a moment, considering their words. Finally, he spoke. "I appreciate your willingness to take responsibility and make amends. Clara's reputation is very important, and this incident has been quite a setback for her. I'll convey your message to Clara, and we'll discuss the next steps."

Relief washed over Anastasia. "Thank you, Mr. Stevens. We truly appreciate it."

As they left the building, Anastasia turned towards Sarah. "Let's hope Clara is willing to meet us halfway," she said.

"We did our best," Sarah said, patting her on the back. "Now we just have to wait and see. Anyway…" she paused, looking at both Anastasia and Mike, "I heard this issue became big because Clara has someone 'big' behind her," her voice was half-whispered as she shared the rumours she'd heard.

"Shhhh…" Immediately covering Sarah's mouth, Anastasia turned around and quickly pulled her to the car. "That's only a rumour. Whatever it is, our junior did mistreat her."

"Okay, okay, I know. I'm sorry," Sarah said, sliding into the car. "Ah, I'm starving… Shall we grab something before heading back to the office?"

Anastasia glanced at her watch. They had missed their lunch in their rush to meet Clara's manager. "Hmm… I'm sorry, but can you drop me off at the office first? I need to report the progress to the boss." She looked at Mike, who was driving, feeling a bit guilty.

"Are you sure? We can just get takeout. It won't take long," Mike assured her.

She tapped on her screen and showed them the message she received from Daniel.

'Report to me as soon as possible.'

"Mr. Handsome-Rude Any Day?" Sarah read the contact name out loud, raising an eyebrow. "Who's that?"

"Aaaa…" Anastasia fumbled, realising she hadn't mentioned that. "That's our boss. I might need to change his contact name. Dropping 'handsome' seems like a good idea—his looks don't really make up for his rudeness."

"Well… we can't deny he's handsome though…" Sarah admitted.

"Is this how women usually chat when it involves a man?" Mike chuckled.

"Hmmm… not really…" Anastasia's words trailed off as her phone buzzed with a new message. She glanced at the screen and sighed, "What now…" Annoyance tinged her tone.

'Be in my office in ten minutes. We need to talk.'