Chapter 7: A Million-Dollar Case

Words : 1651 Updated : Jan 22nd, 2026

Eve Balam spotted the bald man and her face tightened. "Leonard, Ander Yale was assigned by me under the CEO's direct instruction." "It's not right for you to butt in, is it?" Leonard Zimmerman snorted through his nose. "What's not right? I'm the HR manager of Juggins Group. Assigning a new hire is exactly my job." "And keep it professional, Secretary Eve. The CEO you answer to is about to change-Miss Lydia Juggins is taking over." "If she hears you talking like that, tsk, tsk… I'd worry for your jaw." Eve's small face blanched. She didn't dare make another sound. Leonard's greasy grin slid toward Ander. "Kid, I run HR at Juggins Group. Nothing disgusts me more than people who slip in through the back door." "I know you're Ms. Juggins's son-in-law-first-rate at freeloading. But in my domain, if you're not competent, I'll make sure you choke on the consequences." Ander kept his voice even. "Leonard, is it? Why do I feel you're targeting me?" He swore under his breath. If I weren't targeting you, would I have come all the way here for tea? You offended Lydia, punk. Get ready to eat dirt in the Group. "Target you? For a brand-new hire? I don't stoop that low," he said, wearing a strictly business face. "Come with me. You're going to the External Affairs Department." Eve hurried after him. "Leonard, he just joined. How can you send him to a high-intensity unit like External Affairs?" Leonard's reply turned ice-cold. "That's not your concern." Watching Ander get led away, Eve clasped her hands until her knuckles whitened. It was over. The CEO's son-in-law, in Leonard's hands-he wouldn't die, but he'd shed a layer of skin. Everyone in Juggins Group knew Leonard Zimmerman was Lydia Juggins's rabid dog. He bit wherever she pointed. The External Affairs Department, as the name implied, handled all of Juggins Group's outside business. Leonard jabbed a finger at a workstation piled with junk in the far corner. "From now on, you work here." Ander frowned. "I'm part of the Group too. At least have someone clean the place, right?" Leonard snorted. "You just got here with zero results and you already want a nice desk?" "Kid, work isn't about freeloading. Drop your old act." Ander swept a look around: more than a dozen clean desks sat empty. The baldy insisted he bury himself in a dusty corner. Leonard slapped a file down with a sharp smack. "What's wrong? Hurt your pride?" "If you've got what it takes, finish this case." "As long as you can do it, pick any desk you want in External Affairs." Ander opened the file, his expression unchanged. "It's a million dollars' worth of goods being held. Leonard, as far as I know, a case this size should be handled by at least a department head." "I just came on board. You want me to go? Doesn't that break protocol?" Leonard scoffed. "Spare me the rules. Just answer me-do you dare, and can you do it?" "If you pull it off, like I said, pick any seat. Sit wherever you want." "But if you don't have the chops, you're a pushover. The trash in the corner suits you." A cold light flashed in Ander's eyes. "Fine. I'll take the case." A wave of schadenfreude rippled through External Affairs. The staff traded gloating looks. The kid had let Leonard get a grip on him. He wouldn't even know how he died. This wasn't a case just anyone could handle. Otherwise it wouldn't have sat in External Affairs like a hot potato. Leonard laughed. "Good. Young men should be ambitious and full of drive. I like that." "Go handle it. I'll be at the Group waiting for your triumphant return." Ander snorted. "I'll get right to it." "But before that, I haven't finished." "This case is marked Grade A Difficulty-senior level." "Per the reward system, anyone who cracks a case at this level gets a $100,000 bonus and a direct promotion to deputy department head." "I don't care for the promotion. Skip it." "But the hundred grand-I expect you to have it ready, Leonard." Leonard barked a laugh. "Kid, you missing a screw?" "You haven't even started and you're already thinking about a $100,000 bonus? I think-" Ander cut him off, voice going flat. "Whether I can close it is my business." "Listen up. I'm not done." "Besides that hundred grand, if I bring this case back clean, you're going to kneel and bark three times like a dog. Got that?" Leonard's temper exploded. "What the hell did you say? Say it again!" Ander enunciated each word. "If I finish the case, you kneel and bark three times. That's the price for your dog eyes looking down on me." "Or what-are you, the mighty Leonard, too scared to play big? If you're scared, roll far away and stop putting on a show." Leonard's face turned the color of blood. "Fine. I'll play this to the end." "If you really recover that million-dollar shipment, I'll kneel and bark like a dog." "But if you fail, I'll make sure your days in Juggins Group are worse than a dog's." Ander snatched the file bag, didn't spare him a glance, and walked straight out. The whole External Affairs Department went so quiet you could hear a pin drop. Leonard Zimmerman wielded real power in Juggins Group. Alexis Juggins's useless son-in-law had just arrived and dared poke the baldy. Who on earth gave him that kind of nerve? "What are you staring at? Enjoying the show?" Leonard snapped at the gawkers. "Get to work. If you don't hit this month's numbers, I'll have every last one of you thrown out." He stormed back to his office and slammed the door. He pulled out his phone and dialed. "Jack Juggins, that idiot took the bait. I've sent him to reclaim that shipment." "Even if he doesn't die, he'll come back crippled." A mocking chuckle came from the other end. "Lydia told me to give our Juggins family's son-in-law a proper 'welcome.' Heh. You did well, Leonard." Leonard simpered. "Just doing what I should. You flatter me, Jack."

Chapter 7: A Million-Dollar Case

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