CHAPTER 18: CHAPTER 18: THE IMPORTANCE OF SABRINA HAYES

Seeing the aggrieved expression on her face, Jordan Hawthorne immediately pulled out a handkerchief from his pocket and handed it over.

Then, he softly reassured her, "Why are you apologizing to her? The system glitch is her issue. You’ve only taken over this position for a few days, how can it be your fault?

You don’t need to blame yourself for the loss of clients! You’ve done well these past few days. Wipe away your tears first, I’ll take you out for a meal.

Afterwards, we’ll return to Veridia. I will make sure Sabrina Hayes takes responsibility for this!"

"Isn’t that a bit inappropriate?"

Brooke Sinclairs, having achieved her aim, was inwardly pleased, but still maintained her understanding persona.

She feigned persuasion, "Jordan, please don’t blame Sabrina. It’s my untimely return. If given more time, she might not have taken it so hard, and things wouldn’t have turned out this way. It’s all my fault..."

"I told you, it’s not your fault, so don’t say things like that again."

Jordan patiently comforted her once more.

After Brooke wiped her tears, he stood up and chivalrously pulled out her chair, "What do you want to eat? I’ll take you!"

Hearing this, Brooke’s mood improved, and she said, "Anything is fine, I’m not picky, as long as I’m eating with you, anything will do."

Jordan smiled, "Then I’ll have Chase Lynch make a reservation and book the plane tickets."

Brooke nodded and walked out of the café alongside him.

While making a phone call, Jordan naturally missed the fleeting shrewdness in her eyes.

What he didn’t know was that the loss of clients had little to do with Sabrina Hayes.

In fact, after Sabrina completed her handover, Brooke discovered that the R&D department wasn’t as incompetent as she had thought.

The team led by Sabrina had developed a medical system not inferior to those of some top international companies.

In some aspects, it was even superior to her.

Therefore, when the system encountered a bug during data submission, Brooke failed to remedy it in time.

Naturally, Brooke wouldn’t admit to this.

She was even somewhat vexed.

Just before Chairman Coleman left, he had remarked, "The Hawthorne Group is doing well, why replace Director Hayes? She has collaborated with us for so long without any faults, so how come as soon as you take over, there’s a bug, causing such a significant delay for us?

President Hawthorne’s hiring decision has resulted in such a considerable mistake!"

It wasn’t the first time Brooke had heard such remarks.

Recently, there had been various issues with other cooperative clients.

Although they were eventually salvaged, some dissatisfaction arose.

The calls from these clients were full of inquiries, "Where is Director Hayes? Why not let her handle this? She could surely resolve it quickly!"

Never in her wildest dreams did Brooke expect that Sabrina, whom she saw as just a placeholder, could hold such an important position at the Hawthorne Group.

Those clients trusted her immensely!

Whenever something on her side was unsatisfactory, they’d bring up comparisons with Sabrina.

Brooke nearly ground her teeth to dust.

She absolutely couldn’t let Jordan know about this.

So, before things escalated, she had to shift the blame onto Sabrina.

She must also ensure Jordan never discovers Sabrina’s significance!

...

That evening, after dinner with Zara, Sabrina and the little one played with a puzzle on the carpet in the living room.

This puzzle set, which she had just bought, contained thousands of pieces.

Sabrina initially worried that such a large number might be too challenging for Zara.

Unexpectedly, as soon as the young girl began, she was completely absorbed in it, working at an astonishing speed, quickly identifying patterns.

Sabrina helped find a few pieces, at a much slower pace than her.

She found herself needing the little girl’s assistance instead.

"Darling Zara, you’re amazing! Mommy took forever on this piece, but you just took one glance and got it. Come here, let Mommy give you a kiss!"

After giving her a gentle peck on her tender cheek, her expression was one of affection and pride.

Her darling, despite having autism, possessed an incredibly high IQ, quickly picking up anything she learned.

Puzzle toys posed virtually no challenge to her!

The little Zara, shy from the kiss, giggled and hugged Mommy back, rubbing her head against her as if in response.

Sabrina felt her heart melting.

She gave her a few more kisses and then encouraged her, "Keep puzzling, and when it’s all done, Mommy will reward you with a trip to the zoo to see the pandas!"

The young girl’s eyes brightened, she nodded obediently, and then continued with her puzzle work in earnest.

Sabrina didn’t disturb her, simply watched quietly by her side.

Just then, the door unlocked.

Sabrina heard it, looked back instinctively, and saw Jordan Hawthorne walking in with long strides.

The man was clad in a perfectly tailored bespoke suit, accentuating his broad shoulders and narrow waist. He casually draped a coat over his arm, with his handsome brows and eyes carrying a touch of fatigue.

It seemed like he had just returned from a business trip.

However, despite the tiredness on his face, it couldn’t mask the innate elegance he exuded!

Upon seeing this, Sabrina didn’t greet him like she used to, asking if he was tired, nor did she go to take the items from his hands.

All she had in mind now was one thing.

That was, to finally proceed with the divorce formalities!

Once the papers were signed, she would take Zara and move out, severing ties with the Hawthorne Family.

She wouldn’t have to be bothered by anything between him and Brooke Sinclairs anymore.

Yet, just as this thought crossed her mind, Jordan was already standing in front of her.

He casually tossed his coat onto the sofa, a cold disdain quickly gathering between his brows, as he opened his mouth to question, "Sabrina Hayes, did you do it on purpose?"

He spoke with some weight.

Even Zara, focused on her puzzle beside them, was startled.

The little girl timidly raised her eyes, with a somewhat puzzled expression.

Sabrina instinctively patted the little one’s back to comfort her, and once Zara returned to her puzzle, she looked at Jordan, her face full of confusion, and asked, "What do you mean by ’on purpose’?"

Jordan, with his eyebrows furrowed, seemed unconcerned about scaring the child.

He looked down at Sabrina and said coldly, "Earlier, I told you to finish the work handover clearly, not to stir up trouble. Yet you dared to play tricks, making the system glitch!

Do you know that your willfulness delayed Chairman Coleman’s project, and now, he’s ready to terminate his partnership with the Hawthorne Group!"

He added, "It’s not just Chairman Coleman... other clients have had issues too, and are now quite dissatisfied with the R&D department!

Is this your goal? To make Brooke look bad, to drive her away so she can’t stay, so you can return to the Hawthorne Group, is that it?"