Arrogant Man VS Unyielding Woman novel Chapter 203

Jean was stunned for a moment and looked at Maranda with an expression that could only be described as shock.

Words that came out of Miranda's mouth completely contradicted what Zed had told her earlier.

Zed had told her that the company had been running well. Wasn't it true?

What exactly was going on here?

It was very unlikely for Zed to lie to her, so why did he lie about such a serious matter?

"Don't you know this matter?" Seeing the expression on Jean's face, Miranda realized she knew nothing about the happenings in the company.

"I don't know." To hide her embarrassment, Jean covered it up with a smile which looked forced and fake.

"What did you do in the past two..." Maranda stared at Jean, soaked in confusion.

"I wasn't feeling well, so I had to take leave for the last two days." Jean inwardly hoped Maranda wouldn't start asking more questions.

"Oh, yeah. I see." Fortunately, Maranda gave an understanding smile relieving Jean of her worries. "Actually, we don't know the exact details. All the information came through the grapevine. So we are still not sure how to handpick the truth. Hence you shouldn't be worried, '' Maranda added seeing the worry on Jean's face.

Hearing this, Jean couldn't help nodding before saying, "I know. Since our company hasn't made the final decision, we'd better not come to any conclusion without getting all the facts checked."

To be honest, deep down she still believed what Zed told her couldn't be a lie.

His belief that the company had made it through such a crisis was what she liked to believe.

After this, Maranda and Jean started sharing pleasantries and talking about their own lives. They had to stop mid-way and get back to their seats when they saw John coming out of his office.

John cleared his throat and went on, "Dear colleagues, is everyone present here?" He briefly looked around to ensure he got everyone's attention. His gaze fixed on Jean for a few seconds which nobody else except Jean noticed. He then cleared his throat once again and said, "Due to all the rumours circulating in this office, our boss decided it was best to have a meeting which would put all your minds to rest."

John clapped his hands hard after this announcement. And he continued to add, "So stop what you are doing and set aside work in progress because you need to immediately attend the meeting."

He stood there looking at the audience to see whether anybody had any questions, but left when he realized they had none.

The minute he stepped back to his office, the pin-drop silence broke making it an extremely noisy place. People were talking and looking at each other with various expressions.

"Is our company going to be dissolved?" asked a worker who was afraid of losing his job.

"I have noticed that John looked a little serious. So I guess it might be, " replied another. "It seems that we should all start hunting for new jobs, " came a reply from another worker.

Hearing these comments, people were getting anxious and worried. Their lives were dangling on the edge of a cliff.

"Jean, what do you think of this?" asked Maranda. Maranda's earlier happiness was gone, and she was nervous like everyone else in the room.

"We will know it in a few minutes, right?" said Jean who tried to maintain a calm face even though she was dying inside. "Come on! Let's go to the meeting room together." Jean's face was bereft of any expression. She held Maranda's hand, which had started sweating profusely, on her way to the meeting.

"I... I am afraid of..." Maranda struggled to get the words out of her quivering lips.

"What are you afraid of?" Jean asked patiently. After realizing that Maranda wasn't replying to her question, she turned her face to study Maranda's facial expression only to realize she was as afraid as Jean was. "Maranda, I didn't know you had such strong emotions towards our company. You are reluctant to leave here? Or, you are actually unwilling to part with someone in the company?" she added to taunt Maranda.

After saying this, Jean gave a naughty smile to remind Maranda about something hoping that would change her sullen mood.

Fortunately, it did. Maranda turned crimson red blushing like a school girl. She showed her shyness by turning away and saying, "Jean, you always enjoyed teasing me!"

"All our colleagues are extremely stressed now. I am trying to put you and myself in a better mood by easing off the tension which is palpable. Do you wish to see me weep my heart out instead?" Jean opened her arms to embrace Maranda. She let out a long sigh and comforted Maranda saying, "No matter what happens, we will figure out a way to deal with this."

Maranda, who still couldn't seem to change her expression of worry, walked with Jean into the meeting room. The simple task of stepping inside an office felt like entering Hilter's gas chamber.

On entering, everyone's eyes fell onto Sonny who had already occupied his seat at the head of the table. He was meticulously going through some documents.

Once he realized the presence of his employees, he put down his paper to give them his attention. He started off by removing his reading glasses and then raised his head to inspect the people who had came. After making a few rounds, he finally kept his focus on Jean who started showing signs of discomfort.

Jean could feel Sonny's gaze. She couldn't help raising to look at him with great curiosity.

On noticing this, he gave Jean a slight smile and then quickly shifted his gaze.

This incident left Jean even more perplexed. She had no idea what that look meant, but she was affirmative it wasn't a good sign. It seemed to carry a meaning which she couldn't decipher.

'What is the hidden meaning behind that smile?' She asked herself.

Jean bit her lips trying to think hard.

"Is everyone here now?" asked Sonny which brought Jean back from her thoughts. Sonny was using a soft tone to address his workers and trying to ensure everyone had taken a seat before going any further.

John, who was sitting right next to Sonny, nodded his head waiting for him to break the news. "Yes. Everyone is here, " he confirmed.

"Ok. I think I have to make an official statement here since the rumours are spreading like a wildfire." Like everyone else, Sonny was showing signs of nervousness. He cleared his throat before he got to the gist of the matter.

Employees, on the other hand, seemed to show signs of both anxiousness and seriousness. The suspense was killing them, and they wished Sonny would break the news to them without further delay.

Maranda, like everyone else, had her face focused on Sonny expectantly. She straight away went for Jean's hand as if sharing the worry would make it any less painful. Jean realized Maranda's hand had gotten completely watery with sweat.

She looked at Maranda and patted on her back to calm her down a bit.

"As you all know, because of the investment from the Lei Group, our company has encountered a severe crisis. But I can promise you we have sorted out the problem and our company is safe hence we will never be dissolved."

When Sonny finished his statement, all the employees were shocked. The expression of shock was quickly replaced with happiness. They started clapping their hands with excitement. From their expressions, it was obvious that this was the best news they had heard in their lives.

On hearing this, Maranda let out a long sigh of relief. She again held Jean's hand but this time it was without worry and sweat, "Jeany, have you heard what our boss just said? Our company will not be dissolved! We can stay here!"

"I know. Now you can let go of your worries." Jean returned her with a smile which is genuine, unlike the one she gave her outside the office.

"Yeah! I am so relieved now." Maranda nodded with glee on her face to show Jean the extent of her happiness.

Seeing Maranda's childish excitement, Jean smiled lovingly. However, her expression stiffened when her thoughts returned to the look which Sonny gave her earlier.

She still couldn't put that expression out of her mind. Some may say she was over-thinking, but she knew her instincts could never be wrong. The glance definitely meant something.

But what did it mean? That was an answer she couldn't seem to find in spite of raking her brain.

The atmosphere in the office changed, and now Sonny was giving everyone a pep talk. Once he saw everyone was satisfied and content, he let them go.

Everyone else was relieved, but Jean still couldn't find the key to her problem.

Internally, she was debating whether to confront Sonny directly or not. She asked herself whether it would be silly to put her doubts before her boss.

Before she could finalize a decision, Sonny left the office. So she had no choice, but to drown herself in her own thoughts.

She was left with no choice, so she tried to comfort herself saying, 'Maybe I should stop worrying. Ethan is alright, so our company is bound to be safe.'

After putting her mind to rest for a while, Jean and Maranda started to leave the office. Before she could leave, John started speaking.

"Jean, wait for a moment."

He moved from his seat and walked near the two ladies.

When Maranda saw John blocking their ways, she looked at Jean and said, "Okay, you two talk. I have to get back to work."

She ran away without giving Jean a chance to utter a word.

Jean's eyes followed Maranda's back until she disappeared out of her view. With no choice left, she maintained a calm posture and turned to John with a simple greeting, "What's up?"

"Jean, I just wanted to thank you because if it weren't for you then our company couldn't have made it through this hard time." John stared at her with genuine pride.

"What are you talking about?" Jean asked him with a puzzled expression. Jean wasn't faking it because she really had no idea what he was talking about.

Now it was John's turn to be puzzled. He wasn't aware Jean had no idea about this. John started to give an explanation, and went on, "Don't you know..."

But before he could finish, he stopped and thought it wasn't a good idea.

"What should I know?" she pushed him to continue. Jean was frowning and now her face was a big question mark.

"Now that you don't know, stop asking, " he added changing his previous tone and sounding more professional this time. Before leaving, he gazed at Jean with his dark and deep eyes.

Stunned and shocked, Jean started glaring at his back. She was frustrated with his behaviour. She had never met someone who would stop the conversation without finishing it! She bit her lip to stop herself from screaming.