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
"You're my wife in name only, on paper only. My heart and love will never be yours."
Edward made it clear to Daisy that she was nothing to him. They were both victims of family greed -- the marriage was arranged for them.
Six years passed. She remained quiet, gaining a reputation in the army as a tough-as-nails colonel. When she walked into his life again, Edward fell in love with this woman...
nd 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.