Chapter 105
Marina reached out and took the resume he handed her, scanning the information on it.
His name was Xavier Padilla, sharing the same last name as Robert.
Since he was recommended by Daron, his resume was impressive.
Marina’s eyes landed on the bottom of the resume. Xavier had once represented the national team in sumo competitions. No wonder he looked so imposing.
She accepted his resume with a smile.
“From now on, I’ll call you Xavier. Is that cool?” Marina asked.
Since he and Robert were both assistants, she needed to tell them apart somehow.
Xavier nodded.
“Do you know what your main job is going to be here with me?” Marina asked.
Xavier answered without missing a beat.
“Beating up jerks and keeping you safe,” he said.
Marina gave him a thumbs–up.
With someone his size around, Lavern would have a hard time even getting close to her now.
‘Let’s see him try to haul me off now, Marina thought to herself.
“Ms. Finley, I’ll head out to work then,” Xavier said.
With that, he walked out of Marina’s office, closed the door behind him, and stationed himself right outside.
Marina slipped Xavier’s resume into her drawer and started digging into what had been going on at Ross Group since she left.
She’d been away from Ross Group for more than six months now.
Back then, she’d pretty much stayed out of company affairs, wanting to give Lavern plenty of respect and space.
Now picking things up again was a real time sink and energy drain.
That’s exactly why she’d decided to bring Robert back, letting bygones be bygones. He’d spent half a year working under Lavern, so he knew Ross Group inside and out. With him around, it’d be way easier for her to spot any traps Lavern might’ve left behind.
It was lunchtime.
Robert came back from the cafeteria and saw Xavier still posted up outside Marina’s office.
He’d already met Xavier earlier and knew he was the new muscle Marina had hired to watch her back.
Seeing Xavier still on duty, Robert asked, “Has Ms. Finley gone to eat yet?”
Xavier nodded. “Yeah, Ms. Finley’s still busy.”
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Chapter 105
Robert glanced at his watch and said, “Why don’t you go grab some lunch first?”
Xavier just shook his head, refusing.
Robert didn’t really know Xavier that well, and seeing how dedicated he was, he didn’t want to push it he just knocked and headed into Marina’s office.
He saw her completely absorbed, poring over project plans and proposals from the past six months, so he gently reminded her, “Ms. Finley, it’s lunchtime.”
Marina finally looked up from the mountain of paperwork and glanced at the time on her computer.
“Alright, I’ll head to the cafeteria in a bit,” she replied.
With that, she dove right back into the pile of documents, still searching for what she needed.
Seeing Marina so absorbed, Robert stepped up to help sort through the stack of papers. Then he asked, “Ms. Finley, what are you looking for?”
Marina picked up a contract and handed it to Robert.
Robert took the contract from Marina and looked it over, his brow furrowing a little.
He didn’t remember this project at all.
It probably hadn’t passed through his hands.
“Let me take a look,” he said.
He’d already moved all the investment and project files from Ross Group for the past six months over here, so it really ought to be here somewhere.
The archives were managed by a super careful and detail–oriented young woman./
All these years, she’d never made a single mistake with the files she organized.
Marina logged into Ross Group’s management account, pulled up the backend system, and located the digital version of the
contract.
The contract had already gone through all the steps, and the investment funds had been transferred to the other party’s
account.
Marina checked the notes–the section for project files was totally empty. Not a single project file was attached.
If any documents were missing, a manager had to sign off before anything could be filed away. Otherwise, you had to provide all the missing paperwork before it could go into the system.
Marina found the manager’s signature line, and clear as day, Lavern had signed off on it.
Robert leaned in to take a look, and when he saw Lavern’s signature, he quietly asked, “Should I go check with Mr. Anderson about this?”
Bruno Anderson was the one who drafted this contract.
Marina shook her head, her face turning serious.
“No need,” she replied.
“This contract’s already been costed out. The investment tanked, it’s officially terminated, and we only managed to claw back
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Chapter 105
150,000 dollars,” Marina said.
They’d poured in 1.5 million, and in less than half a year, lost over 1.2 million.
Lavern actually bailed halfway through.
There was something really shady about this whole deal.
Lavern must’ve started moving company money around right after she left, planning this for months.
Robert looked a little taken aback, then asked carefully, “Ms. Finley, what are you going to do next?”
Marina gave a subtle, cool smile and said, “Let’s just wait and see. No need to tip him off.”
‘Six months isn’t nearly enough time for Lavern to pull off something big, Marina thought to herself.
He had to siphon off funds on the sly, then use other company investments to patch up the missing cash, making Ross Group’s accounts look solid so no one would suspect a thing.
‘Lavern sure knew how to play the game, Marina thought. ‘He knew she’d be watching the company’s accounts, so he kept things so under wraps.
“Put all the files back in the archives and act like you don’t know anything,” Mariņa said.
Robert nodded, gathered up the files, and returned them to the archives.
Marina got up and walked out of her office. Seeing Xavier still standing guard at the door, she asked, “Have you been standing here the whole time?”
Xavier nodded.
Marina glanced at how serious and uptight he looked, rubbed her temples, and said softly, “You know, when no one’s coming near me, you can just go sit and relax in the office area.”
“When no one’s around, feel free to take a seat and chill for a bit,” she added.
“Did you eat yet?” Marina asked.
Xavier shook his head. “Not yet, Ms. Finley.”
Marina glanced at the time. “Come on, let’s go grab lunch together.”
When Marina walked into the cafeteria with Xavier, all eyes turned their way.
Lavern and the finance manager were sitting by the window, having lunch.
As soon as the finance manager spotted Marina, he instantly clammed up and shot Lavern a look.
Lavern turned around, saw Marina, set down his fork, and walked over.
“Come join us over here, Marina,” Lavern called out.
Xavier stepped in front of Lavern, blocking his path to Marina without making a fuss.
Lavern frowned and gave Xavier a once–over, clearly unimpressed.
“Marina, who’s this guy?” Lavern asked.
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Chapter 105
Marina shot a glance at the finance manager, who was doing his best to avoid her eyes, and gave a chilly hide taugh
Just look at that guilty face. He’s clearly got something sneaky going on, Marina thought to herself.
“This is my new assistant, Xavier. Go ahead and say hi to Mr. Ross,” Marina said.
“Hello, Mr. Ross, Xavier greeted, but he stood his ground, making sure Lavern couldn’t get anywhere near Marina.
Lavern reached out to grab Marina’s hand, but Xavier stepped in and blocked him with a quick move.
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Lavern’s face instantly darkened.
“It’s my job.” Xavier said flatly, not backing down.
Lavern frowned, his gaze heavy on Marina, barely hiding his irritation.
“So you really brought someone in just to block me?” Lavern shot back.
Marina, satisfied with Xavier’s professionalism, ignored Lavern and walked off toward the food counter.
“Come on, Xavier, let’s go eat,” Marina called out.
‘Isn’t it obvious I’m keeping him at bay? Does he really need to ask?‘ Marina thought to herself.
“Yes, Ms. Finley,” Xavier replied, following right behind her.
Marina grabbed a tray for Xavier and handed it to him, giving him a genuine compliment.
“Nice job,” she said.
“Mr. Zamora’s order,” Xavier replied.
Marina raised an eyebrow. ‘No wonder he’s so spot–on,‘ she thought.
AD
Sara Lili is a daring romance writer who turns icy landscapes into scenes of fiery passion. She loves crafting hot love stories while embracing the chill of Iceland’s breathtaking cold.
