Our Love Story: Hard to Guard Against the Sudden Love Strike-Chapter 402 - 381: Simon Forrester’s Concern

Each member present harbored their own thoughts as Director-General Linton suddenly asked, "Do you all remember the cases from Forrester Group a couple of years ago that prompted the United States to launch a countervailing duty investigation, which was eventually dismissed?"

Those cases became a model in the industry, not only swift and precise but also set a great precedent for the Ministry of Commerce in initiating consultations with the World Trade Organization on similar products later on. At the time, everyone was curious about where the Forresters found such talent.

Thinking of this, everyone now looked at Sienna Thornton differently.

Director-General Linton smiled and said, "That’s right! Those cases from the Forresters, and later the case initiated by the Ministry involving billions of dollars about the unfair anti-dumping duties imposed by the United States Department of Commerce on domestic steel products, many critical materials were provided by Director Thornton, who was then the General Manager of Legal Affairs at Forrester Group!"

Director-General Linton’s introduction was a solid summary of Sienna Thornton’s past learning and work highlights, and among the members present, some were already showing admiration for Sienna Thornton, while others were skeptical and inquisitive, and some, like the Deputy Director, were clearly dissatisfied.

These reactions, Sienna Thornton and Director-General Linton perceived clearly.

As the end of the workday approached, the two returned to Sienna Thornton’s office, where Director-General Linton patted her shoulder, saying, "You just took office, so it’s inevitable some people won’t be convinced. Don’t take it to heart, immerse yourself in work, and use your achievements to win everyone’s respect!"

Sienna Thornton nodded with a smile, "Director-General Linton, I understand."

"Let’s have lunch together, with a few directors from other departments and your deputy director," Director-General Linton instructed.

"Alright," Sienna checked her watch, "It’s almost time, let’s head down together... I’ll drive."

She initially wanted to suggest riding in Director-General Linton’s car, but as a subordinate, it would be inappropriate to treat him as a chauffeur, so she offered to drive her own car instead. Director-General Linton, wanting to give her face, didn’t refuse and asked Sienna to start the car while he went back to his office to grab a coat.

Sienna immediately grabbed her access card, phone, and car keys, leaving her bag behind, and headed to the parking lot. Sitting in her Maserati Ghibli, valued at 1.5 million dollars, she felt uncomfortable for the first time.

She thought, Cyrus should have the Volvo, used as a company car, brought back for her to drive again.

As expected, her discomfort was justified.

Director-General Linton, along with two other directors, got into the car. As soon as one of the male directors in the backseat got in, he laughed and said, "Director Thornton, this is a nice car! What brand is it?"

Sienna started the car, "Maserati."

Men seem to have a natural interest in cars, and the two directors in the back began chatting about it, guessing the car’s price until midway, when they simply checked their phones.

Upon discovering that Sienna was driving a car worth over a million dollars, they remarked that a girl driving such an expensive car might give off the wrong impression.

Sienna glanced at the male director in the rearview mirror with an ambiguous expression, "This car was a gift from my family when I was running my law firm before."

The people in the back, upon hearing "family" and "law firm," began to imagine all sorts of scenarios.

Sitting in the front passenger seat, Director-General Linton, who knew Sienna’s background, couldn’t listen anymore, turned to the gossiping subordinates, and reprimanded, "Director Thornton is getting married soon, don’t make reckless assumptions!"

Only then did the two stop joking around with a smile.

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The circle of national organizations and the civilian legal circle seem to be two different worlds.

Even though Sienna Thornton’s past incident stirred up quite a storm online, she found that her colleagues in the Treaty and Law Department seemed unaware of her past and background.

This allowed the lunch to end on a relatively harmonious note.

During the meal, she noticed that the Deputy Director’s expression was rather grim.

She had previously heard from Director-General Linton that this Deputy Director has worked in the Treaty and Law Department for over twenty years, and the reason he couldn’t be promoted to Director was that the role required representing the country in negotiations and discussions at the World Trade Organization, but due to his weak English speaking skills, he couldn’t fulfill the responsibilities of a Director.

In the workplace, every leader is actually well aware of their subordinates’ strengths, weaknesses, and performance, and naturally, they make comprehensive, systematic considerations regarding promotions. Who is suitable and who isn’t, the leaders know perfectly well, and it’s impossible to grant a promotion pass solely because someone has deep experience and seniority.

But those involved often blind themselves, believing they have given their all but haven’t received a position matching their seniority and experience, and when an air-dropped superior doesn’t seem much better than them, dissatisfaction arises.

However, such a comparison with an air-dropped superior hasn’t gone through any rigorous, scientific, or comprehensive evaluation, only a superficial comparison based on age and seniority.

Therefore, many people quickly label someone like Sienna Thornton as having a "connection" without seeing her abilities.

Before agreeing to join the Treaty and Law Department, Sienna Thornton had mentally prepared for this, knowing she would encounter people like the Deputy Director and had planned on how to interact with them.

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After lunch, everyone returned to the department office together. While getting out of the car, Director-General Linton instructed Sienna Thornton and the Deputy Director that there would be a meeting at 2:30 PM for the second division.

Sienna returned to her office, saw there was half an hour to rest, and just as she was about to set her alarm for a short nap, she saw a message from Simon Forrester: "How’s everything? Is it going smoothly? Do you want to have lunch together?"

Glancing at the time, she noticed it was sent at eleven. At that time, she was busy meeting her colleagues at the department and then went straight to lunch, networking with leaders older and more experienced than her, leaving no time to check her phone.

She wanted to call Simon Forrester to explain, but realizing it was only 1:30 PM and worried Simon might be resting, she chose to text instead: "Sorry, baby, I was busy at lunch and only saw your message now. Everything’s going smoothly! Great! Don’t worry!"

Simon Forrester replied instantly: "No problem, I know you’re busy. Are you coming home for dinner tonight?"

Sienna couldn’t confirm yet, nor could she ask Director-General Linton if there would be an induction dinner, so she told Simon she’d let him know later.

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At 2:20 PM, Sienna took her business folder and headed to the conference room next door.

Each department in the ministry has its own independent space. In an open-plan office, most members work at workstations in the hall, and there are personal offices for the Director and Deputy Director, as well as shared meeting rooms, document rooms, and a pantry.

Generally, for any new personnel changes, the leadership will hold a meeting to host the upcoming work arrangements.

At 2:30, Director-General Linton arrived with his secretary to briefly outline the upcoming work for the second division.