chapter 22 The vice president gives in!

Hearing Violet say she had no authority, Carlos instinctively thought she was deceiving him. But on second thought, given Violet's character and status, it wasn't like her to lie about such a thing. "Why? Even President Violet doesn't have the authority to fire Jackson, how is that possible!" Carlos couldn't accept this fact. Violet seemed a bit embarrassed and hesitated, "There's only one way to get Jackson to leave the company." After a pause, she looked at Carlos, hesitatingly said, "But I can't be the one to do it, so…" "Chairman Apollo?" Carlos immediately thought of this. "Yes," Violet nodded. Although Jackson brought in a 7,500,000 dollars’ performance for the company, the thought of pretending to be boyfriend and girlfriend with Jackson filled Violet with resistance, and she was desperate to get him out of the company. "I'll go to Chairman Apollo right away!" Carlos decided to resolve this matter in one go. As he left the office and headed to the chairman's office, he suddenly realized something was amiss. It was reasonable for Alaia to ask him to see the president, but now, even the president didn't have the authority to fire Jackson, and he had to go to the chairman. This made the situation somewhat suspicious. Adding Jackson's arrogant attitude, Carlos vaguely felt that something was wrong and had an uneasy feeling. But at this point, with the whole company's staff watching this matter. Carlos have already issued a harsh statement, which means backing down would make him a laughing stock and destroy his credibility in the company. Chairman's office. Hesitating outside the door for a long time, Carlos finally knocked and entered. Apollo was sitting on the sofa, drinking tea while reading the newspaper. With the Griffith Group's development to its current state, its operations were very stable, and with a large group of capable executives, Apollo didn't usually handle trivial matters and only appeared in serious situations. "Carlos, you're here. Have a seat." Apollo's gaze shifted from the newspaper and then patted the sofa next to him. Carlos responded softly and then sat down cautiously, only half-sitting on the sofa, leaning slightly forward - a gesture of respect from a subordinate to a leader in the workplace. "You're still being so formal," Apollo shook his head. "It's necessary," Carlos replied with a smile. The person Carlos was most grateful to in the entire company was Apollo. After graduating from university, Carlos joined the Griffith Group. At that time, the Griffith Group wasn't as large as it is now, but it was still a big company for Carlos. Starting from the bottom and working for three years, it was Apollo who noticed his talents and promoted him. Being the vice president of the Griffith Group at 40 was a great achievement for the ordinarily born Carlos. Therefore, he was especially grateful, working hard to repay Apollo's recognition and repeatedly elevating the company's business and market to new heights. Busy with his career and neglecting his love life, Carlos hadn't married yet. Lily was his lover and emotional support, and now that she was hurt, he naturally couldn't swallow this insult. "Carlos, how is the TBC acquisition going in Waterfront City?" Apollo asked while making tea. Taking the hot tea cup, Carlos knew it was time to report his work and immediately sat upright, "Chairman Apollo, everything is as expected, with no major deviations." Carlos then reported many major problems encountered during the business trip until the tea cooled down. "Things are indeed reassuring when you handle them," Apollo praised after listening. Carlos was flattered, "Chairman Apollo, these are my duties." After discussing the matters, Carlos usually would leave, but this time he hesitated, wanting to say something but holding back. "Carlos, it seems you have something else to say." Apollo's sharp eyes noticed immediately. Carlos hesitated for a long time before finally deciding, "Chairman Apollo, next month, I plan to marry Lily." "Oh? Is that so? Then I must prepare a generous gift," Apollo said with a surprised look, meaningfully glancing at him and smiling. "Chairman Apollo, during my business trip, Lily was driven out of the company by a new employee named Jackson. Do you know about this?" Carlos asked cautiously. Apollo nodded, "I know." "I previously thought that Lily was just your current lover. Plus, with Jackson's impressive performance, I didn't rush to deal with this matter. However, now that you plan to marry Lily, this issue needs to be handled more carefully. At least, we can't let you lose face," Apollo mused thoughtfully. Upon hearing this, Carlos showed a grateful expression and also felt a sigh of relief. He hadn't been sure about marrying Lily before. But he knew that to get Apollo to handle this matter, he needed a substantial reason. The wife of a deputy manager, who hasn't made a major mistake, being forced out of the company by a new employee. Even if Jackson had great achievements, his status couldn't surpass that of a deputy manager. If this matter wasn't dealt with seriously, it would be easy to lose the trust of the company's senior executives. "Let's do this, Lily comes back to work. As for Jackson, I'll have him publicly apologize to Lily and dock his pay for six months," Apollo proposed a solution. "Just an apology and a pay cut?" Carlos frowned upon hearing this. He had gone to great lengths, and the punishment for Jackson was so trivial. Carlos felt somewhat unbalanced. "There's a time when everyone is young and impulsive, Carlos. You should learn to give young people more opportunities," Apollo said. Carlos felt somewhat disappointed, but since Apollo had spoken to this extent, insisting on firing Jackson would definitely not work out, and it might even backfire. He was shocked, what exactly was Jackson's identity? Apollo was willing to risk offending the company's senior executives to protect Jackson. From this, Carlos knew his own position in Apollo's heart was far inferior to this new employee. "Right, since you and Lily are getting married next month, let's double the happiness. Coincidentally, Jackson and Violet's engagement ceremony will also be held next month." Carlos was about to stand up when Apollo suddenly said this casually. "What!?" Carlos was so scared that he plopped down on the sofa, no longer just sitting on the edge. He was completely stunned. "Jackson's relationship with President Violet…" Carlos stammered. "Huh, Violet didn't tell you?" Apollo was a bit surprised, then smiled understandingly, "Violet, that girl, is so focused on her work and seldom talks about relationships. Even I, as her father, only found out six months ago." At this moment, Carlos was dumbfounded, as if a myriad of thoughts were racing through his mind. No wonder the security obeyed Jackson's orders! No wonder Jackson was so confident and fearless! No wonder Violet said she had no power to fire Jackson! No wonder Apollo was willing to offend company executives to protect Jackson! Carlos had many doubts before, but now they were all cleared up! The reason was simple, because Jackson was Violet's boyfriend, the son-in-law of the Griffith Group! At this moment, Carlos really wanted to slap himself! "Chairman Apollo, this is all a misunderstanding. It's enough for Lily to return to the company. But there's no need for Mr. Jackson to apologize," Carlos said with a smile uglier than crying. Apollo had already told him that Jackson was his daughter's boyfriend. If Carlos still insisted on antagonizing Jackson, it would be like seeking death. "Do you really not need Jackson to apologize?" Apollo asked doubtfully. "Everyone has a time when they are young and impulsive, they should be given more opportunities," Carlos forced a smile, "Besides, Mr. Jackson's capabilities are so outstanding, he is a meritorious figure in the company, deserving of praise. How can we make him apologize?" Watching Carlos leave the office, a hint of coldness flashed in Apollo's eyes. Carlos was someone he had personally cultivated and promoted, but in the past six months, Carlos's performance had become increasingly ungrateful. In the conversation just now, Carlos even began to use his position as a senior executive to pressure Apollo. If it hadn't been for being pushed too hard, Apollo wouldn't have revealed Jackson's identity. "It looks like the plan needs to be moved forward." Apollo fell into deep thought. …… Business Department. It was almost time to get off work. "Mr. Jackson, you've offended Deputy Manager Carlos this time. Your days ahead won't be easy," Wade sat next to Jackson, somewhat worried. "The one who's going to have a hard time is him," Jackson replied dismissively. Speak of the devil, and he shall appear. Carlos showed up in the business department, heading straight for Jackson. But this time, he wasn't alone, he was followed by Lily, who was carrying a bunch of expensive gifts. "What's Deputy Manager Carlos up to now?" The employees of the business department looked at each other in confusion. "Mr. Jackson!" Carlos almost ran to Jackson, then extended his hand with a flattering smile. Almost all the employees were shocked, their jaws dropping! What the heck, Carlos, who was so arrogantly issuing threats before, changed his tune completely after just a round trip? Wade was even more speechless, having just said Jackson would have a hard time, and in less than a minute, Carlos turned into a submissive figure. The contrast was too great. "What's the matter?" Jackson pressed his phone screen, too lazy to even lift his eyelids. "Mr. Jackson, I came to apologize for my reckless actions earlier. I hope you can be magnanimous and not hold it against me," Carlos said, his hand hanging in mid-air, a bit awkward, but he dared not show any temper. "I thought you were here to notify me of my dismissal," Jackson said teasingly. "Misunderstanding, it's all a misunderstanding," Carlos wiped his sweat, not daring to confront Jackson anymore, even if he had ten guts.