When Love Becomes a Cage (Melanie)

"What do you know, kiddo?"

York shot Fenton a venomous look before storming out of the office.

Meanwhile, Fenton grabbed my arm and led me into his office.

"Melanie, you know about the whole debacle with Uncle George wanting big bro to take over Patterson Enterprises a few years back, right?"

I nodded. Clyde had mentioned it, and I had only found out about it later.

Being a Patterson, Fenton was bound to know the ins and outs.

He sighed, "He's causing trouble because he feels slighted. Imagine having a mega corporation like that snatched from your grasp. Wouldn't sit well with you, would it?"

He poured me a glass of water, adopting an almost paternal tone as he tried to console me.

"Big bro's got his strengths, dad used to say he's not too shabby at management, or else Uncle George wouldn't have considered him."

"But then there's Clyde, dad's golden boy, his pride and joy. Once he's back in action, York doesn't have a shot at sticking around in the company." "Family scandal's the last thing we need. Looks bad all around."

Fenton, the whiz kid, had briefed me on several similar cases before.

He wasn't exactly a fan of the whole family business model Patterson Enterprises was running on, but at least the Patterson kids were competent, so it wasn't a total waste.

Eventually, he got to the heart of the matter.

"York's gonna keep stirring the pot because he wants to take over, that's clear as day to everyone, no use pretending otherwise."

I looked at him, surprised by his bluntness.

He waved it off, "Don't look at me like that, Melanie. It's an open secret. The only reason it's not out in the open is that no one wants to rock the boat." "You might have reservations, but I don't. Clyde's got him beat hands down, no contest."

I nodded, seeing his point.

Even after the whole Kayla fiasco, which clearly implicated the Lairds, Merritt turned a blind eye.

Blood is thicker than water, and no one wants to stain their kin with scandal.

Clyde was simply more competent than York; otherwise, York wouldn't have been grinding his teeth these past years.

Us, on the other hand, weren't seeing things as clearly as this fresh college grad.

Then Fenton brought out some company documents.

"I've been busy this morning, went through these documents and spotted an issue," he pointed at Jade's signature.

"When you're not here, Ms. Scott's running the show solo, which is exhausting."

"I'm not doubting her capabilities, but it looks like we're short a senior designer."

"With you taking over some of the CEO duties and looking after Clyde, the Design Department is understaffed."

Flipping through the documents, I realized Jade had been handlinge almost everything in the Design Department to keep York at bay, hence her rapid weight loss.Obit my lip, feeling guilty.

"So, got any suggestions? Should we hire externally or promote from within?"Belongs © to NôvelDrama.Org.

Fenton thought for a moment, and then he said, "How about I introduce someone? My senior from the same major. She had quite the reputation in school, won numerous awards for her designs. I think she was on my flight back here."

"If we're hiring, there's going to be a probation period. If there was someone internally ready for promotion, you would've done so

already, right? We're obviously short

on talent."

"How about we arrange an interview? If I come across a good candidate, I'll let you know?"

I mulled over Fenton's words, finding his reasoning sound.

But before I could agree, my phone rang.

It was Warren, his tone flat as ever. "Your husband's awake."