Jake's face was filled with disbelief as he stood there blankly.

The next moment, a "click, click" sound broke the lively atmosphere. When everyone saw who was coming, it was the supervisor's assistant, Dora. They were so scared that they hurried back to their original seats, leaving Jake and Cabel alone. Lily returned to her seat and quietly signaled Cabel to come back, but unfortunately, she was ignored.

"Ahem." Dora didn't pay any attention to Jake and the others. She cleared her throat and said, "There's a new announcement."

The employees below all sat upright, as if the person standing in front of them wasn't Dora but Manager Mina.

Dora looked at Jake and smiled. "I believe everyone should have heard about the position transfer notice for the sales department employees. Here's another copy."

Dora pursed her bright red lips, trying to understand everyone's psychology.

Jake's heart was in his throat. Sister Mina wouldn't lie to him. He had a strong feeling that Dora would give him a surprise.

As expected, Dora calmly opened the new notice and said to everyone, "Originally, the superiors planned to appoint two team leaders to lead the sales department again. In view of this..."

Dora paused.

Cabel had been staring at Dora without blinking, praying silently in his heart.

"In view of Jake's outstanding performance, the sales department has specially opened a third group and appointed Jake as the leader of the new group. The salary and benefits are the same as those of groups one and two."

As soon as these words were spoken, the whole audience was in an uproar.

Those team members who had just mocked and shown off became frowning. Cabel was ecstatic. If Dora hadn't been there, he would have been so proud that he would have slapped everyone in the face.

Dora had followed Mina for many years. Seeing the strange atmosphere, she laughed inwardly. How could she not know about the little fun things the sales department had in private? It seemed that some people would be happy and some would be sad tonight.

After announcing the news, Dora left.

Jake was still immersed in joy and couldn't extricate himself. "Does this mean that the agreement between him and his mother-in-law has been fulfilled?"

Before Jake could be happy for long, Cabel's bloated body surrounded him. Even though they were still working, he hugged Jake to celebrate!

"Jake, my younger brother, I love you so much." After saying that, Cabel put his hands behind his back and swaggered among the team members who had just placed bets. The implication of his words was very obvious.

Soon, Cabel's WhatsApp was filled with the sound of countless red envelopes being received.

Jake was too lazy to complain about Cabel, and the excitement in his heart was reflected on his face.

"Ding." The phone in his pocket vibrated.

Jake took out his cell phone, his fingers trembling slightly and visibly. He had been waiting for this day for a long time, and it seemed a little too easy for him. He knew in his heart that the "mind-reading" function played an important role.

"Jake, did you receive your transfer notice?" It was a text message from Sister Mina.

At this time, Mina was on a business trip. To reassure Jake, she hadn't even brought Dora with her.

Jake was so excited that he didn't know what to say. After a long while, he replied, "Yeah."

"When I come back, I will celebrate with you (expecting emoticon)."

Before, Jake wouldn't have taken it too seriously, but considering their current relationship, this sentence made him a little overwhelmed. It meant that she was using Sister Mina's sexy body to congratulate him.

"(Laughing and crying) Yeah, I'll wait for you." Jake naturally understood Sister Mina's feelings and replied seriously.

After finishing the chat, Jake looked around the sales department. Cabel was still showing off, looking at Jake from time to time, his eyes full of excitement and joy.

Shaking his head in amusement, Jake thought to himself, "Time flies so fast. It's been almost four months."

The excitement in his heart continued until he got home from work. Cabel, who had made a lot of money, unexpectedly did not let Jake treat him to a meal. Instead, he took the "ill-gotten gains" and went out with his girlfriend, Lily, to enjoy a feast.

The Astoria family villa.

"Dad, when are you going to pick up Jake?"

Mia stood aside and happily asked her father, who was sitting at the tea table and drinking tea leisurely.

Mia must be more informed than Jake. She deliberately did not tell him just to give him a surprise after everything was settled. In the matter of marrying into the wife's family, Jake was in a passive position, and only Mia cared about it.

Seeing his daughter's anxious look, Yakov put down his teacup and sighed, "Girls can't be kept when they grow up."

"Hmph, that's irrelevant to the question." Mia still dared to vent her anger in front of Yakov. After all, her father doted on her very much.

"Oh, my baby, why are you so anxious? Since Jake has passed your mother's test, it counts. Let her arrange everything." Yakov poured another cup of tea and savored it carefully.

"It's either tea or fishing. Dad, can your hobby be a little more elegant?" Mia complained.

"Okay, okay, you tease your dad like this, huh? Then when you get married, I, your father-in-law, will have to make things difficult for your boyfriend." Yakov curled his lips, pretending to be dissatisfied.

"No, Dad is the best." Mia walked behind Yakov and started massaging with her soft little hands.

"Yeah, that's good enough. Use a little more force on the left side." Yakov gave the command with satisfaction.

"But Dad, can't you be the boss? Why don't you bring Jake back first?" Mia leaned close to Yakov's ear and whispered.

"You don't know what your mother does yet, so she has to speak up about this matter. But I think it's okay to bring it up. Finally, that brat Jake didn't let me down." Yakov didn't dare to make the decision, but he had other plans. It wasn't appropriate to have too much contact with Jake now.

"I told you, Jake is very good." Mia would smile happily whenever she mentioned Jake.

"Okay, when you have time, take care of your brother. On the day of the blind date, even if I have to tie your brother up, I will take him to the agreed restaurant." When he mentioned his son, his solemn tone was inevitably filled with melancholy.

"I hope that after we get married, Serena will be able to take care of him. And with Jake, I think there should be no problem." He is not suitable to manage the company for a long time now. Although he has given way to his wife, his influence and position on the board of directors have not diminished.

Mia pouted her cute lips and said, "Dad, don't worry, I will personally watch over my brother that day."

"Well, I hope so."

-----

Savannah Great Hospital, VIP Ward 001.

A pure, innocent girl sat beside the hospital bed, her upper body leaning into the arms of a middle-aged man. Her fair, oval face looked somewhat haggard, and her large, delicate eyes shimmered with unshed tears.

Brad held his daughter's icy little hand, his heart aching for her, yet unwilling to disturb even a moment of her peace.

After a long silence, a woman's voice tinged with tears broke the quiet of the ward.

"Dad."

"Hmm? What is it?" Brad asked softly.

"Is there really no other way?"

Brad sighed helplessly. "It's all arranged. November 20th, at the Brandon Hotel."

"Why… why are you helping Mom?"

Flesh of his flesh, blood of his blood—Brad didn't want this either. But at this critical juncture, marrying into the Astoria family was the best option.

Even though his daughter was complaining to him now, she had already agreed!

Perhaps Brad had never truly realized just how desperate his daughter was to escape Nadella's control. It had taken her only a few days to make up her mind.

Serena was the only daughter in the family. Brad had doted on her since childhood and never imagined he would one day "sell" his daughter off like this.

"Your mother…" Brad couldn't even finish the sentence. As his daughter grew up, she gradually understood the relationship between him and his wife—a marriage in name only, long since hollowed out, where the company's interests always came first.

It was just a pity for his daughter.

"Dad, if you're unhappy, let's get a divorce. I'll go with you," Serena said suddenly, lifting her head to reveal a face streaked with tears.

Brad didn't answer. His daughter was still too naive. Right now, he and Nadella were practically bound together. Every move they made affected the company's stock price. One misstep, and they would plunge into an abyss.

Moreover, he still had unfinished business—tasks that required him to use the company as a shield against Nadella.

"Serena, it's not as simple as you think. Your mother and I…"

"I understand," Serena softly interrupted, gazing at her father, who seemed to have aged ten years.

Though only middle-aged, Brad's hair was abnormally white. Cancer had nearly taken half his life. Even with careful upkeep, the ordeal had left him looking much older.

Serena was the daughter of a business titan—how could she be ignorant of the situation?

She had run away to become a flight attendant firstly to escape her mother's suffocating control, and secondly to avoid facing the hypocrisy of the Sterling family relatives.

Perhaps, as her father said, an arranged marriage really was the best choice for her.