CHAPTER 46: CHAPTER 46: WHO DOES JANE JENNINGS THINK SHE IS?

Anna Thornton and Mary waited for almost another half hour before finally seeing the legendary general manager of Dynasty Entertainment.

They initially thought that to hold such a position in a Sterling Group subsidiary, the person must have gone through a long period of struggle and effort.

Unexpectedly, when Anna saw who walked in, it was a young woman, probably no more than twenty-eight years old. She wore a smart suit, her hair was neatly tied up, and she had a fair and slender appearance, not only young but also quite attractive.

"I apologize, Miss Thornton, Miss Mary!" Jane Jennings said in a formal tone as soon as she walked in, "I didn’t get the message yesterday and had to deal with some things at the last minute. I’m sorry to have kept you waiting."

"It’s alright," Anna replied, "Manager Jennings, you must be busy managing such a large entertainment company. But I’m not sure what others are busy with, as we’ve been here for so long without even getting a cup of coffee."

Jane Jennings seemed unaware of the situation Anna described. She sat down in the office chair and casually tossed a torn face mask wrapper into the trash.

Then she dialed the intercom to call her assistant: "What are you doing there? Brew two cups of coffee and bring them in, and make sure to use the coffee beans I brought back from abroad."

On the phone, the assistant didn’t immediately agree and replied with some difficulty, "Manager Jennings, the coffee beans you treasured have already run out."

"How could that be?"

"Don’t you remember? A few days ago, Miss Ford’s agent came to talk to you, liked the taste of the coffee brewed in the office, and you gave them the rest."

"Really? I totally forgot about it. But I gave her a big pack, she probably hasn’t finished it yet. You should go and ask if she still has some left."

Hearing the exchange between Jane Jennings and her assistant, Mary couldn’t hold back any longer.

But Anna gestured to her to hold back for now.

After hanging up the intercom, Jane Jennings politely apologized to Anna again: "I’m sorry, Miss Thornton, I’ve been so busy lately that my memory isn’t great. I have another project starting this afternoon, so let’s get to business."

"Sure."

"You’ve already signed an artist contract with Dynasty, correct? For how many years?"

"Five years," Mary interjected, taking the contract out of her bag and handing it over to Jane Jennings like a treasure.

Jane Jennings took a brief look at it: "Once you’re officially included in our artist roster, you’ll be assigned a new manager."

"What do you mean by that? Are you trying to kick me out?" Mary couldn’t hold back, "Anna and I have always been together."

"But this contract is only a personal management agreement for Miss Thornton."

"Yes, but I’ve always been managing Anna. Since she’s joined your company, you could also sign a manager contract with me," Mary suggested.

"Our recruitment for new managers ended two months ago, and we don’t lack talent in that area at the moment."

Despite Jane Jennings’s young age, she spoke and acted with seasoned efficiency and without leniency. Mary really wondered if all Sterling Group employees were hired with President Sterling’s temperament in mind.

But President Sterling is a self-made, young and talented CEO with a strong presence, and Mary didn’t dare to make a sound in front of him.

But who does this Jane Jennings think she is?

We’re all just employees, and things change over time. Who do you think you’re looking down on?

Mary was instantly furious, slamming the table as she stood up: "First, you leave us hanging here for over an hour without even a sip of water, then you come in with that sarcastic tone. Are you trying to intimidate us as part of some quota? Are you afraid you won’t meet targets and will have your salary docked? Anna is reporting to work for the first time today, and we didn’t want to cause trouble. But what do you mean by continuously pushing your limits? You’re isolating my artist so she can be bullied at your whim later, is that it?"

"Manager Jennings, I’m laying it out for you today. I’m going to continue as Anna’s manager. No need to argue further—Anna was personally signed by President Sterling and he tacitly agreed for me to join the company with her. If you don’t believe it, make a call and ask him yourself!"

After Mary finished her outburst, Jane Jennings remained calm and composed.

"Alright, I’ll make a call about it."

Jane had just pressed a number on the phone when Mary reminded her, "President Sterling isn’t in the office today; do you have his personal number?"

Jane glanced up at her, changed the number she was dialing.

Anna noticed that Jane had been using the speakerphone with her subordinates earlier, but now she picked up the receiver and held it to her ear, both hands holding it tightly with a steady respect.

When the line connected, Jane asked softly, "President Sterling, Miss Anna Thornton has arrived to report today. But she only has a personal management contract, and her manager is in my office making a fuss."

Mary: "Who’s making a fuss..."

"Alright! I understand, got it!" After finishing the call, Jane took a deep breath, then looked up at Mary, "I’ll have the HR department initiate your manager contract as soon as possible."

"See, I said President Sterling agreed for me to join with Anna, and you wouldn’t believe it."

Mary, feeling triumphant, embraced Anna, thankful that Anna and little Pop easily moved into the Sterling Family yesterday, making her more confident in front of President Sterling.

Just then, the assistant finally came in with the two cups of coffee.

To ease the office conflict that just transpired, Jane shifted the blame onto the assistant: "What are you doing? The guests have been here almost two hours, and you bring coffee just now?"

"I’m sorry, Manager Jennings, today’s Friday, and the company is doing the accounting. After I brought Miss Thornton in, I was called away," the young assistant explained, trembling.

"I don’t want to hear excuses. This is your negligence, making Miss Thornton feel slighted. Apologize to them immediately, and as punishment, I’ll have your salary docked by half a month. This must never happen again," Jane scolded.

Hearing about the salary docking, the young assistant bit her lip with a bit of grievance and reluctantly turned to Anna, bowing slightly: "I’m sorry, Miss Thornton."

"It’s really not that serious," Anna looked at the young assistant and said to Jane, "She didn’t do it on purpose. No need to dock her salary."

"Docking salary is company policy. You’re new here, so you may not understand; Sterling Group’s employee management is very strict."

Jane’s implication was that Anna should let this matter be.

But Anna said, "I see she’s having a tough time. How about this: whatever amount you dock from her, I’ll make up for it."

Saying this, Anna stood up and glanced at the assistant’s coffee: "I won’t be drinking this—it smells like the quality of the beans is just average."

Mary had been about to drink it but quietly set her cup down after hearing Anna’s comment.

"I have some friends overseas who sent me some good coffee beans from Brazil, Colombia, Mexico... I’ll give you some from each origin to keep in your office, so you don’t need to skimp while entertaining guests."

Jane Jennings: "...Thank you."