Chapter 116: Manipulative Opportunist

That actually sounded like a good idea.

Chase looked at Wendy. She was definitely going back to the Quinn Group, and since Chase no longer had any family, he’d naturally go with her.

Seeing the look in Chase’s eyes, Wendy suddenly remembered something amusing. “With the holidays coming up and Franklin’s filming wrapping soon, Henry came to visit me on set the other day. He asked if I wanted to spend Christmas with him. Can you believe that?”

That did sound a little ridiculous. What exactly was Wendy supposed to be to Henry, and why would she spend Christmas with him?

“From what Henry said, he’s not going back to the Harrison mansion. He’s spending Christmas with Joy at my place. He made it sound so pitiful, like I’m the reason he can’t go home.”

Lemon took a sip of her lemonade. “So what did you say?”

Wendy had recently run out of patience for Henry. “I told him, ‘Don’t I have a mom of my own? Why should I spend the holiday with someone else?’ After that, Henry looked all hurt, but he seemed to get the point. He said he’d been out of line and that he’d visit my mom after Christmas.”

When Chase heard that, he sneered to himself. There was no way Mandy wanted to see Henry. If Wendy weren’t investigating him right now, she’d be doing everything she could to keep Quinn Group completely cut off from Harrison Group. Mandy had always had just one opinion about Henry: he was a manipulative opportunist.

Even back in the day, Wendy probably saw through Henry’s motives. They were both school celebrities, and Henry being paired with Wendy was no coincidence. Wendy, being rebellious at the time, had chosen to be with him. That didn’t mean she’d stay rebellious forever. Her father’s death had been laid bare before her. Wendy was a rational woman. She was bound to go down the road of uncovering the truth.

Which meant she and Henry were headed in opposite directions, no matter how things used to be.

On the last workday before the holidays, everyone received their year-end bonuses. No one was really working anymore—people’s minds were already in vacation mode. Wendy came out of her office once and saw the relaxed atmosphere, but didn’t say anything. She just told the cafeteria to serve an upgraded lunch that day.

Quinn Group had long since canceled its annual party. There was really no point in having an event where the employees worked themselves to death just to entertain the higher-ups. It drained manpower, money, and effort, and the staff didn’t genuinely enjoy it anyway. Getting rid of something so inhumane was the right call. Wendy preferred to be practical—give people real benefits, and they’d be more willing to work hard.

Besides the bonuses, it was about how they were treated.

Hospitals always needed people on duty, and Melody had already prepared the on-call schedule for the doctors. Chase looked it over and confirmed it was fine, though he was curious why his name wasn’t on the list.

Melody had noticed something—Chase still thought of himself as just a regular doctor, not realizing what being chairman meant. Standing at his desk, Melody explained, “According to board policy, the chairman is entitled to time off. During the Christmas holiday, you don’t need to be on call—unless there’s an emergency surgery that only you can perform.”

Chase froze for a few seconds before realizing that this position actually came with vacation days.

Melody continued, “And one more thing—since the company is going public next year, and commercial reforms are coming, there will be plenty of people dropping by during the holidays. As chairman and investor, you and Ms. Quinn will both need to host guests at home.”

“We have to deal with all those people?” Chase groaned.

Melody nodded. “Don’t worry, Ms. Quinn already arranged for Sammy and me to handle the receptions. You just have to sit there and look presentable. No need to talk.”

Fair enough. It wasn’t like he had a choice. He was basically a hostage anyway.

The hospital couldn’t do much in terms of decorations, so they just put a few red signs at the entrance. But at home, Chase had gone all out shopping. He’d been married to Wendy for five years, and never once looked forward to Christmas like this. This was their first Christmas together after they’d finally gotten on the same page. It meant something different now. Even if they had to go to the Harrison mansion on Christmas Eve, the house still needed to feel festive.

There really was a big difference between a boss and an employee, especially when it came to the holidays. When employees clocked out, they practically vanished off the face of the Earth. But the boss had to keep the money flowing, just to make sure everyone got paid.

While Chase was busy decorating the house, Wendy sat in front of the computer, making money for her team. On the first day of the holiday, she spent the whole morning in a Lemuria meeting. Sammy and Zynn were there, and Lemon joined in later. They discussed Quinn Group launching an entertainment division and partnering with Fenon International. They now needed international certification.

In the afternoon, the meeting shifted focus back to domestic business. Senior executives from Quinn Group and Fenon International had a joint call to finalize collaboration details and the first batch of signed artists.

Chase, meanwhile, was in the middle of sticking window decals in the study.

“Sir, it’s crooked.”

Hearing that, Chase pulled his hand back. Wendy turned around too. “I told you I’d help after my meeting,” she said as she got up and helped Chase straighten it.