Chapter 156: A Strike Back

"Ah-choo!" Hannah rubbed her nose. She was on her way to work in Jimmy's car. Rose had just called, reminding her of a meeting with the sales department supervisor and higher-ups. Staying home wouldn't help Oscar, and she'd likely face his teasing. It was best to go to the office, especially since Theodore was there to keep Oscar company. Hannah assessed the situation: plenty of work needed doing.

Yesterday, she'd visited the Light Building, realizing she needed to expedite this project; her time was limited. Less than six months remained to prove herself.

They arrived at the Cooper Building. Hannah entered her office, followed by Rose, who announced, "The meeting's already started; they're waiting for you."

"How late am I?" Hannah asked.

"Five minutes."

She grabbed her laptop and hurried to the conference room.

"How long do these meetings usually last?" she asked Rose.

"Conservatively, two hours."

Hannah realized she'd be occupied the entire morning.

"What's the meeting about?"

"Reports on the marketing of key sales department projects this period."

"Report by report?"

"Yes, each supervisor will discuss their projects."

"How often do we have these meetings?"

"Generally, once a week."

Reaching the conference room door, she turned to Rose. "You don't need to come in. There's a special meeting for the Light Building project at 2:00 PM. I'll send you the outline later. You need to organize it; we'll finalize the plan then."

"Yes."

Hannah opened the door and entered. The meeting was in progress. She quietly took her seat. A sales department director was reporting to Roger Cooper, who sat at the head of the table, listening as directors presented their marketing updates. Roger seemed to relish their deference.

After settling in, Hannah began working on her laptop. Roger glared at her with sullen contempt, seemingly perceiving disdain on her face. He publicly asked, "Hannah, where were we?"

Hannah, his superior, was being publicly criticized—a situation she wouldn't normally tolerate. Roger clearly hadn't considered her reputation. Hannah, unfazed, simply looked up. She was outlining the afternoon's meeting for Rose, needing to allow her time to prepare. She already knew the meeting's main points from Rose and felt confident handling both tasks simultaneously, so she hadn't been paying attention.

"Well? You don't know?" Roger sneered.

Hannah recognized his attempt to humiliate her. She didn't want to argue or waste time.

"Besides being late, you're disrespectful of meeting decorum. As chief inspector of the sales department, don't you think you've disgraced the department?" Roger's tone hardened.

"Mr. Cooper, I'm aware of our sales projects' progress; I don't need this meeting to reiterate it. It's a waste of time. I have pressing matters, so forgive my lack of awareness."

"What? A waste of time?"

"Yes," Hannah nodded, unconcerned with his feelings.

"Hannah, you're getting too big for your boots!"

"It's nothing personal. It's inefficient to have executives spend two hours briefing you. A notification suffices. Daily marketing project indicators are classified and presented to company leadership. For those requiring monitoring, there are two weekly progress notifications. If you review them, you'll be fully informed. These lengthy weekly meetings are unnecessary."

"Hannah!" Roger was furious. As a senior Cooper Group president, he was mortified by her public rebuke.

"Don't rely on your father's position!" Roger snapped. "I'm helping you monitor market indicators! And you're ungrateful!"

"Monitor the weaker indicators; there's no need to oversee the strong ones. You're not doing a good job."

"Hannah!"

"The Marketing Department has twelve projects, four of which are underperforming," Hannah stated calmly. "Focus on those four. Those not responsible needn't attend, saving everyone time."

Roger was speechless. Hannah, unwilling to endure further belittlement, held nothing back. She had the right to fight for her staff's time.

She continued, "We've identified the problems, but lack optimal solutions. Since you're so concerned, perhaps you can offer constructive suggestions."

"Mann," she addressed the Sales Group A manager.

"Yes, President."

"Report on your project—the significant losses on the Light Building. We need solutions."

Mann quickly rose and approached the podium, the current presenter stepping aside. In an instant, Hannah had taken charge.