Chapter 44: A New Job, A New Strategy

“Our luck really has been terrible,” Ellis muttered, glancing down at the latest message from Sophia. “Honey, I’ll be back in Stonebridge next Tuesday morning. You and Easton need to pick me up at the airport.” After reading it, she rubbed her temples in frustration.

Sophia was wrapping up her vacation and heading back home. She still had no idea about the state of Ellis and Easton’s marriage and had casually assigned them the task of picking her up. It seemed like a normal request, but for Ellis, it was anything but. Sophia, just like her adoptive mother, would never agree to a divorce. Now there was yet another elder she had to deal with.

Annoying. Couldn’t Easton just hurry up and make Victoria official? That way, he could handle his mother and her adoptive mother all at once. For now, Maya urgently needed money. Ellis kept only enough for her next two months of expenses and lent Maya 250,000. It wasn’t enough to cover the full cost, but it was something. It also meant she had only two months to find a job—or she’d be starving. At that moment, Lois’s offer became much more tempting.

Survival came first. She pulled out Lois’s business card and called the number. The moment she mentioned she was honored to receive the opportunity to work at Tate Group, Lois efficiently had an offer sent to her email.

The next morning, Ellis arrived at Tate Group for her first day. This was a completely new environment. Unlike at Hudson Group, she had no privileges, no status as the boss’s wife. Starting today, she was just a regular employee. It was a strange feeling. After completing her onboarding paperwork, HR took her to the executive office and introduced her to the entire team. Then, they guided her around the company to help her get familiar with the layout. By the time everything was done, it was nearly noon. That was when she finally saw Lois.

Lois wasted no time. “Since it’s your first day, there’s nothing much for you to do. Tonight, you’ll go to an auction on my behalf and bid on something for me.”

“Understood,” Ellis replied. She had attended countless auctions before—this was nothing new. “What item are you looking to buy? What’s the maximum bid?”

“Look for yourself,” Lois handed her a file, “No set limit for now.” Ellis understood what she meant. Auction prices were unpredictable. Sometimes, people deliberately drove up bids.

Flipping through the file, Ellis saw that Lois was after an antique vase. She was about to ask for the auction’s time and location when Lois abruptly changed the subject.

“Do you know James?” Ellis paused at the sudden shift. Lois reworded her question precisely. “To be more specific—are you familiar with James?” Ellis didn’t know him personally, but she knew who he was. James was a young scientist working in Hudson Group’s research division, a prodigy in algorithms. His work had significantly benefited Hudson Group’s data-driven projects, and rumors said he was on the verge of a major technological breakthrough.

She glanced at Lois. “Madam Lois, are you trying to—”

Lois was direct. “I want to recruit him.” Major corporations never lacked talent. But top-tier specialists like James were rare. Hudson Group had done everything possible to keep him satisfied, ensuring he had no reason to leave. Was this why Lois had offered Ellis a seven-figure salary? Recruiting James would be incredibly difficult.

Ellis got straight to the point. “Madam Lois, I’m not a headhunter. I don’t think I’m suited for this.”

“You don’t need to recruit him. I just need information,” Lois hadn’t expected her to do the heavy lifting. “And to be clear, James isn’t the only one I want.” Lois’s orders weren’t something Ellis could refuse. Nothing in this world came for free. If she was being paid far above her market value, it meant she had to provide something in return.

“No problem,” Ellis agreed with a smile.

“You don’t mind me poaching people from your soon-to-be ex-husband’s company?”

“Not at all.”

“I like that about you,” Lois said with a smirk, as if recalling something. “Men are just entertainment. If a relationship ends, it ends—there’s no need for unnecessary attachment. If you can squeeze some final value out of them before parting ways, even better.”

Ellis immediately understood why Lois had hired her. Just like Maya had guessed—Lois wanted the resources Ellis had gained from being with Easton. People lived for wealth. She wasn’t that extreme, but her perspective had changed dramatically since the day she walked into that interview. If using past connections could help her build a better life, why should she care about where those resources came from? Easton had dug a huge financial hole for her with that prenup. He didn’t feel a shred of guilt, and he had cheated during the marriage. Her priority now was making as much money as possible.