Chapter 71

On an early autumn morning, a gentle breeze brought a hint of coolness. Sunlight filtered through the sparse clouds, and the crisp scent of autumn filled the air. Natalie wore a pink blazer today, and as she walked under the early autumn sun, her gaze was cold, but her relaxed stride carried an undeniable confidence. Luna followed closely behind her. They took the elevator directly to the top-floor office. Natalie’s office was separate from the other designers’.

As soon as she sat down, Luna came in with a cup of latte and said, “Ms. Shawn, rumors of layoffs have been spreading internally, and the staff is in an uproar, saying they plan to resign collectively.”

She thought, “These people truly don’t know how lucky they are. Many have only gotten in through connections, lacking any real skills, yet still expecting to coast by. Ms. Shawn hasn’t managed the company for the past few years, and the lax management has allowed some people to exploit the system. And yet, some still don’t know when to quit.”

“I see!” Natalie gave a cool, captivating smile. “How interesting. Besides this, is there any other reason for the mass resignation?” She knew many factors were at play and saw this as a great opportunity for a reshuffle, keeping the company up to date.

Luna’s voice was cold with anger. “Ms. Shawn, all the designers want to follow Ms. Marshall to the Garcia Group across the street, and it seems that the Garcia Group is willing to take them.”

Natalie was taken aback. “They’ll take them all?” She thought in frustration, “Easton really has no shame!” But she was actually thrilled that the Garcia Group was willing to take the designers, because most of them were unambitious, producing poor-quality work.

A cunning gleam flickered in Natalie’s eyes as she said, “Luna, go and confirm whether the Garcia Group is truly willing to take all the designers and other employees.”

Luna, confused by her delight, replied, “Ms. Shawn, there’s no need to confirm. Just a few minutes before we arrived, Ms. Marshall brought over someone from their HR department to personally recruit our designers.”

Natalie shouted furiously, “Unbelievable! Easton has reached a new low. He’s gone too far, having the audacity to send people to my company to poach my staff.” But on second thought, she found it perfect. She tutted and said, “It’s great to hand over these difficult people to Easton. Let the Garcia Group’s HR department take them all.”

Luna couldn’t believe her ears. She anxiously asked, “Ms. Shawn, are you serious? If everyone leaves, there won’t be a team left to handle our upcoming projects.”

Casually twirling a pen, Natalie raised an eyebrow with a smile and replied, “There’s never a shortage of talent. Why should I keep the dead weight? It’s time to reshuffle and bring in our own people.”

“Go and find out how many people want to stay, aside from those in the design department. Check if the remaining employees are trustworthy. I want a full report.” After Natalie finished speaking, she began working on the collaboration proposal with Maurice.

Meanwhile, in Easton’s office, he was waiting for Natalie to call him. But after an hour had passed, there was still no call from her. He thought, “Why is she so calm? Her entire design department is joining my company. With her as the only designer left, what can she possibly do?”

Just then, Xavier hurried in with his head down. Leaning back elegantly in his swivel chair, Easton asked nonchalantly, “Natalie is here?”

Xavier was stunned. He couldn’t help but think, “What’s going on with him? He’s treated his wife so poorly, and now he expects her to come back? When will he realize she has already moved on?”

He replied, “Mr. Garcia, Ms. Shawn hasn’t come, but the entire design department has arrived. Some aren’t very talented. Several were hired because of connections; they don’t have real skills but are good at gossiping.”

Easton’s expression darkened instantly. “Natalie is the only designer at her company now, but she’s still unresponsive and isn’t coming to see me.”

Xavier was puzzled by his reasoning and summoned the courage to ask, “Mr. Garcia, may I ask why Ms. Shawn would come to see you?”

Easton looked at him as if he were an idiot. “I poached all her designers. Isn’t she angry?”

Xavier didn’t follow his logic. “Mr. Garcia, not only won’t Ms. Shawn come, but she must be grateful to you. The burden from her company is now ours. Do you still think she’ll come to see you?”

Easton, with a cold gaze, said, “She will collaborate with the Chambers family soon, and she’ll need an experienced team for that. I’ve taken her entire team – let’s see how long she lasts before coming back to me.”

Xavier couldn’t believe what he was hearing. He looked at Easton as if he were clueless and said hesitantly, “Mr. Garcia… your logic here doesn’t add up. Ms. Shawn won’t come to you over this. She’ll think you’re trying to sabotage her business. You poached her design director, then her whole design team. Mr. Garcia, Ms. Shawn is only going to hate you for this. Think about it. You’ve gone out of your way to accommodate Ms. Simpson, but with what you did to Ms. Shawn, you’re pushing her to the brink.”

A flicker of thought crossed Easton’s cold, emotionless eyes. Comparing the situations, he realized he might have gone too far. In an instant, his aura became powerful and intimidating. Xavier quickly lowered his head.

“Have someone keep an eye on Fashion Fusion. The moment Maurice arrives to sign the contract, let me know,” Easton ordered in a deep, indifferent voice. Xavier could not help but shake his head as he left the office.

He really couldn’t understand what Easton was thinking. Then he headed to his office on the twelfth floor to tackle the mountain of work waiting for him.

Two hours later, Luna walked into Natalie’s office, looking furious. Natalie looked at her and smiled. “How many people have left?”

Luna was livid. “The entire design department is gone. The sales, HR, and marketing departments are still here, but their attitude isn’t great either.”

Natalie sneered, “Bad attitude?” She slowly stood up and moved to the large floor-to-ceiling window, gazing out at the view beyond, her back captivating. A cunning glint flashed in her eyes as she continued, “The total compensation package is on my desk. Take it to the HR department and have them announce it. Anyone who wants to stay can stay. Those who want to leave can pick up their final paycheck from finance and go. From now on, everyone’s pay will be based on merit. Since they want to band together, I’ll break them apart and have them earn their wages based on their skills. Then they will focus on their work, whether due to the conflicts arising among them or motivation.”

Natalie turned to Luna. “Who’s the top performer in sales this month?”

Luna replied, “Connor Hayden. He’s capable, but he’s been treated unfairly by the manager and has never received the promotion he deserves.”

Natalie smiled and said, “Great! Promote him to manager and give him 3% of the total sales.” People work harder when their interests are tied to the company’s. A slight increase in commission can improve an employee’s mood and boost their overall work performance.

Luna was stunned. “Ms. Shawn, are you seriously giving him three percent?”