After Being Bullied, The CEO Stood Up For Me

Without thinking, I immediately declined the call.

Almost in an instant, a new message popped up on WhatsApp. "Tessa, why is the apartment empty? Where are you? Call me back!"

I paused for a moment, then typed "Goodbye" and hit send before quickly deleting Mark from my contacts list.

Perhaps, because he had achieved the outcome he wanted, Mr. Hanson was no longer interested in making things difficult for someone as insignificant as me. In fact, he even gave me a few decent job opportunities my way, like a small gesture of compensation.

I had no reason to turn them down. After all, the positions were right with my line of expertise and having a recommendation would not hurt.

I met with several HR department managers in a row and their offer was all similar.

Today, I went to my last interview at the Simmons Corporation, where I met Zeke Jeremy.

I did not expect to see him there. However, the HR manager was more surprised than I was when he realized the person who was blocking the door. "President Jeremy, what brings you here?"

Zeke nodded toward me and smiled at the HR manager. "I'm sorry. I'm here to poach a talented individual from under Mr. Simmons's nose."

Just like Mark, Zeke was born with a silver spoon in his mouth. The difference was, he actually had some real ability.

Back then, when Mark and I were still working at the Hanson Corporation, we often competed with Zeke for projects.

So, why would he go out of his way to show up here?

When he saw the confusion on my face, Zeke tilted his head and his dimple appeared as he grinned. "If you are really leaving the Hanson Corporation, why don't you work with me? After all, we are old rivals."

I never expected his offer.

After greeting the HR manager, I walked past Zeke and headed to the door.

He quickly chased after me with his long legs. "Didn't hear my offer?"

"No, thanks."

It was true that the Jeremy Family was a very wealthy family, but Zeke's company was just a startup business. Although it had gained momentum in recent years and could compete with some big players in certain areas, it wasn’t as mature as the industry giants, so the benefits it gave would likely not be as competitive as the other.

My goal was to make money. I did not want to waste my time testing the waters.

"Four hundred and fifty thousand dollars as a basic annual salary. This salary doesn't include bonuses, you will get on projects."

I stopped in my tracks. Money was, after all, my magic word and his offer was very tempting.

I turned to look at him. "Why?"

"You've managed to win a project from me before. That skill is worth it to get that amount of money." When he saw me still hesitating, he smirked and his words had a subtle edge in it. "Or, maybe, you just can't get over that jerk, Mark?"

His obvious irritation made me realize that he had always been at odds with Mark. An, offering me a high salary might be his way of getting back at him.

What a childish business tactic.

However, if that was what he thought, he was going to be disappointed. Mark never cared much about me.

Even the request that he sent me this morning had been phrased rather rudely. "Tessa, haven't you had enough of making a problem? My patience is running thin. Get back here yourself. Don’t expect me to come looking for you."

After a moment of silence, I smiled and extended my hand to Zeke. "Thank you for the offer, President Jeremy. When do we sign the contract?"

He took my hand and smiled, "We can do it right now."