Chapter 236 Wishful Thinking
"I swear, Madelyn, I’ll ruin you before you even get a chance to grow,” Janessa pledged venomously.
In the evening after practice, Madelyn headed over to Lockhart Group as agreed upon. The thought of learning alongside Sebastian instantly brought a sweet smile to her lips.
A sigh of admiration escaped her. “This is amazing.”
The car came to a stop in front of Lockhart Group. Filled with excitement, Madelyn stepped out of the vehicle and immediately strode toward Sebastian.
The man had been waiting for her for a while now. Not wasting any time, he immediately summoned Malcolm and began delegating tasks upon seeing her.
“Malcolm, Mrs. Lockhart will be directly assigned to you from now on,” his voice was particularly indifferent but still carried a commanding tone. “She’ll be acting as your temporary assistant for the foreseeable future. If there are things she doesn’t understand, you are to guide her truthfully without hiding anything.”
“Very well, Sir. I will devote myself entirely to assisting Mrs. Lockhart,” Malcolm acknowledged, bowing his head in acceptance.
Despite saying that, he was already complaining endlessly deep down. Oh my God, is this some kind of mistake? This young lady actually wants to learn how to manage a company? Could she have possibly lost her mind? She’s hot-tempered, impatient, and careless–not to mention her horrible memory! Does she seriously want to run the company?
Hmph. Malcolm had already given up all hope. In the days to come, as long as the young lady could keep herself out of trouble and not stir up any mischief, it would be a cause for celebration.
Madelyn knew that Sebastian was swamped with work and couldn’t possibly tutor her in everything personally. That was why he delegated her to his most trusted assistant, Malcolm, and Madelyn was content with this arrangement. Thus, for the next few days, she earnestly followed his teachings.
What Malcolm never expected was that over the past few days, this young lady not only refrained from causing trouble, but she was also extremely diligent in everything she did! It was as if she had transformed overnight. Just yesterday, she was a haughty and domineering young lady.
The most crucial thing was that Madelyn had an incredibly agile mind. The speed at which she absorbed new knowledge was simply astonishing. Every task that Malcolm entrusted to her, she always managed to complete with ease and speed. She was also extremely meticulous in her work, and everything turned out perfect.
“Well, Malcolm, are you pleased with my performance as your temporary assistant?”
On this day, after handing in a freshly prepared report, Madelyn gazed at her mentor with great anticipation. Malcolm casually picked up the report to give it a glance and was immediately rendered speechless by what he saw. Generally speaking, it would be impossible for someone who had never prepared a report before to do such a professional and outstanding job, but Madelyn was simply too exceptional, almost excessively so!
“I certainly never expected you to hide your light under a bushel so well, Mrs. Lockhart,” Malcolm struggled to express his astonishment.
“It’s nothing that great,” Madelyn replied with a chuckle while modestly waving her hand. In reality, however, she was quite pleased with his reaction. She was determined to master all the skills needed to manage the company as quickly as possible.
Meanwhile, Sebastian watched them with a faint smile playing at the corner of his lips. Originally somewhat worried, he had thought that this young lady was just acting on a whim, and that after interning for a few days, she would grow impatient and give up. But she had truly changed, it seemed.
Just then, Harriet passed by while carrying a stack of files. A flicker of dissatisfaction flashed in her eyes as she saw the irrepressible smile on Madelyn’s face. Of course, she was aware that this woman had been serving as Malcolm’s temporary assistant in the company for the past few days. I even hear she’s been doing a pretty good job. But does she really think this alone is enough to let her secure her position?
Humph! That’s wishful thinking.
With a disdainful chuckle, Harriet ignored Madelyn, holding her head high as she walked away without uttering a word. Madelyn’s complexion shifted slightly, a hint of displeasure emerging as she let out a cold huff. She was well aware that Harriet held a significant grudge against her. Even so, it worked out perfectly. She couldn’t be bothered to engage in conversation with this woman. She would simply focus on her own matters and stay indifferent to whatever Harriet thought. Whoever she loved was none of her concern.
“Mrs. Lockhart, please take a look at this plan carefully and point out any areas that are lacking,” Malcolm requested politely.
As the young woman was learning how to manage a business, Malcolm focused on nurturing her leadership skills. After grasping some of the basics, he would then involve her in reviewing strategic plans and working on projects or contracts. Madelyn took hold of the project plan and readily set to work.
At that very moment, the sound of high heels striking the ground suddenly echoed from behind her. The person took a few quick steps and was standing right next to her in no time.
“You sure are hardworking, Ms. Thornton, but I can’t help but wonder if it’s all just an act!” Harriet glared at her condescendingly with a clear hint of irony in her voice.
“What’s wrong?”
The moment Madelyn looked up, she saw Harriet’s strikingly cold yet beautiful face and couldn’t help but stand up.
"...understand your eagerness to elevate your own mood, Ms. Thornton, but that’s not an excuse..."
With a scoff, Harriet flung a file onto Madelyn’s desk in a fit of anger, her demeanor full of superiority.
“Why is there a page missing from the document? Do you not understand how serious this is to the company?"
What? A missing page? There’s no way. Madelyn immediately picked up the stack of documents and started sifting through them.
Harriet watched the scene while letting out a huff. In truth, ever since Harriet returned from abroad, Sebastian had directly incorporated her into the finance department of the group and assigned her the position of finance manager. In any company, the finance department always remained the heart of the entire organization. This alone was enough to attest to the significant position Harriet held within the company. Madelyn had just sent over a document a while ago. Unexpectedly, there was a slip-up, causing Harriet to personally come over and claim that a page was missing. At present, Madelyn frantically searched through the documents over and over again, growing restless.
“It can’t be. I’m sure I didn’t miss anything. You can ask Malcolm if you don’t believe me,” she remarked helplessly before turning to Malcolm. “You checked the documents before I sent them off, and there weren’t any issues then, right, Malcolm?”
Malcolm nodded sternly. “Yes, I went through everything. There were indeed no issues.”
“Well, isn’t that strange? Are you suggesting the documents grew some wings and flew away?" Harriet questioned, her lips curling into a deeper, disdainful smirk. “You know what? I think you should just own up to your amateur mistakes instead of making excuses."