BXBX NOVEL Chapter 385 - So, You’re Fired
After a peaceful breakfast, Gloria paid for her meal before getting up to leave. When she made her way to the entrance of the restaurant, she turned toward the kitchen, and caught a glimpse of Mag’s profile, upon which a blush appeared on her face. She quickly walked out the door, and ignored the surprise on her coachman’s face as she instructed, “To the Blue Suede Textiles Shop.”
“Y-yes, Young Mistress.” The coachman immediately set the horse-drawn carriage into motion.
...
In the Blue Suede Textiles Shop, the manager looked at the employees before her with a serious expression, and said, “A new owner will be coming today, so let’s all put in a good effort, and not leave her with a bad first impression.”
She then adjusted her clothes, and walked out in front of the store, looking around with a nervous expression.
“What kind of person is our new owner going to be? I heard our textiles shop was almost closed down, but the president insisted on keeping it open; that’s the only reason why we still have jobs,” an employee muttered in a quiet voice.
“I heard it’s the eldest young master’s daughter that’s coming. Apparently, the president made her one of the candidates for the heirloom, which gives her the same status as the second young master’s,” another employee replied.
A thin and short employee’s face lit up with anticipation as she speculated, “Is that true? Then doesn’t that mean that she could become the leader of the Moreton Family someday? If we serve her well, maybe we’ll get promoted!”
“If the president really does intend on grooming her as his heir, then she wouldn’t have been sent to our Blue Suede Textiles Shop.” A chubby employee pursed her lip with a hint of disdain, and said, “She doesn’t have what it takes to compete with the second young master. I also heard that she’s constantly wearing a veil, and doesn’t dare to show anyone her face. If you ask me, I reckon she must be really ugly or have something unsightly on her face. How could someone like her become the heir to the Moreton Family?”
“Really?” All of the employees were stunned to hear that. All of them turned toward the chubby employee with curiosity, wanting to hear more about their future boss.
“Why would I lie? I heard about all this from one of my sisters who works at the Moreton Manor. She says that the young mistress wears her veil even when she’s at home, and no one has ever seen what she looks like. She doesn’t even take it off during meals; how hideous would she have to be to wear a veil even during meals? Is she afraid that others wouldn’t be able to stomach their food if they saw her face?” The chubby employee enjoyed being the center of attention, and she continued to speculate with a smug expression on her face.
“Is this place still not open for business?” Right at that moment, a gentle voice cut into everyone’s conversation.
All of the employees turned, and their eyes immediately lit up. A beauty in a pink dress was standing at the entrance to their shop; her regal disposition coupled with her exquisitely gorgeous features made it impossible for them to look away.
“We’re already open. What kind of textiles are you looking for? You’re so beautiful, like a goddess from the heavens.” The chubby employee immediately approached her with a fawning smile on her face.
“I’m not here to look for textiles.” Gloria’s expression cooled slightly, and she shook her head as she looked at the chubby employee.
“Then, how can I help you?” The chubby employee was a little perplexed.
All of the other employees wore similar expressions of puzzlement on their faces. Business had been very bad for the Blue Suede Textiles Shop in the past few years. They sold only an average of a few meters of fabric a day, and those earnings weren’t even enough to pay their wages. However, the president insisted on keeping the store in operation, so they weren’t scared of losing their jobs.
It was exactly because of this that all of the employees had developed lackadaisical attitudes. Only in the face of customers who were clearly quite wealthy and were potentially going to purchase fabrics in bulk did they make any effort to provide customer service. Only customers from whom they could make sizeable commissions were worthy of being served in their eyes, and this young woman was clearly one of them. However, she was telling them that she wasn’t here to buy fabrics?
“I’m the Moreton Family’s young mistress that you were referring to; the one who’s worried that no one would be able to stomach their food if they were to see my face.” Gloria appraised the chubby employee with a calm expression.
“H-how is that possible?!” The chubby employee’s expression changed drastically as she stumbled back a few steps. Her legs gave out under her, and she sat on the ground. As she did so, her flailing arms knocked over a shelf, and the rolls of fabric on the shelf came crashing down upon her head, causing a large red bump to appear on her forehead.
“B-Boss!” All of the employees also wore panicked expressions. Discussing the boss behind her back, especially when she was a member of the Moreton Family, could easily get them fired.
“Y-Young Mistress, I’m the manager of the Blue Suede Textiles Shop, Jean. I didn’t think you would get here so early.” The store manager immediately rushed in after hearing the commotion, and she also wore a surprised look as she caught sight of Gloria. Just a day ago, she had gathered some information; as such, she was waiting for a woman with a veil on her face to appear, but Gloria wasn’t wearing her veil anymore.
She had also heard the conversation that had taken place between the employees, but she didn’t reprimand them for it. She had always been the manager of the shop, so she was a little disgruntled that a new owner had suddenly been assigned. As such, she was also harboring a hint of animosity toward this young mistress, so she made no effort to stop them.
However, now that Gloria had overheard the conversation, she was in a lot of trouble. The employees were bad-mouthing their new store owner on the first day, while the manager did nothing to stop them. With that in mind, cold sweat was pouring down Jean’s forehead, and she lowered her head as she scrambled for a way to rectify the situation inwardly.
Gloria looked at Jean and the employees with a calm expression, and she didn’t say anything, but her clenched fists suggested that she was not as calm as she appeared.
“Young Mistress, Boss, I was just spouting nonsense! I’m so sorry; I shouldn’t have said those things... Please, please don’t fire me...” The chubby employee slapped herself, and she burst into sobs as she sat on the ground.
“According to the Moreton Family’s rules, no employee can discuss members of the Moreton Family behind their backs. Anyone who is caught doing so will be fired with no exceptions.” Gloria looked at the chubby employee with a cold expression, and said, “So, you’re fired.”
The chubby employee stared up at Gloria with a dumbfounded expression as if she couldn’t believe what she was hearing.
All of the other employees were also feeling quite panicked, and they lowered their heads as they didn’t dare to look at Gloria. Who would have thought that such a beautiful woman would be so cold and decisive? She had only just arrived at the shop, and one of the employees had already been fired. All of them had also joined in on the conversation earlier; were they going to be fired as well?
“Greetings, Young Mistress Gloria.” Right at that moment, a voice sounded outside, and Mars strode in, wearing a long black cloak. He took off his hat, and extended a salute toward Gloria. A hint of surprise appeared on his face upon seeing what was happening in the shop, but he didn’t say anything further.
“Mars? Why are you here?” Gloria was also a little surprised to see Mars. She had heard about the punishments that Cyril and Mars had received. On that day in the main building of the Chamber of Commerce, she knew that Mars had done her a favor by not revealing to Cyril that she had been eavesdropping on their conversation. Furthermore, she recalled that Mars had shared a good relationship with her father back when she was a child.
“The president evicted me from the Chamber of Commerce, but allowed me to choose a subsidiary business of the Moreton Family. I heard that you were coming here, so I applied to come here as well, and my request has been approved,” Mars replied.
Gloria looked at Mars for a moment longer before turning to the store manager, who was sweating profusely, and she said, “You can go as well.”