Ex-wife, Please Come Back

Chapter 331 Work Hard If Not Perfectly

Jacob's mouth was shut. The meeting room was enveloped in silence, and not a single breath dared to give out any disturbance to the vibe.

In this world, many things could happen beyond one's control. If he didn't reduce the staff, he would have to pay the price soon enough when the company would inevitably fall into a difficult situation.

However, today he had to make that choice, and it was rather a hard choice for he knew it would offend a lot of people. He didn't have the luxury to talk with every single person who was concerned, and he passed the difficult responsibility to the hands of the directors.

To top it all off, these directors had no choice but to accept. It felt almost like they were playing a game in Jacob's palm. It didn't matter what he was feeling.

He knew it was a natural thing that was bound to happen, but as of this moment, he couldn't help but feel upset.

He quickly stood up and walked out of the room without a word after staying seated for quite some time. From now on, he vowed to himself that he would act as the captain willing to go down with his ship.

He was married to the company. The only way he could see that would drive it to greater heights, he must be willing to sacrifice even his reputation. This was the main reason that things ended up as complicated as this.

He had to sever the ties with the others as he explained the situation as clear as he could. No matter in what angle he tried to assess everything, he knew someone had to take the blame and act as the villain. Whatever the case, he had no regrets.

He took out the company's name list as soon as he returned to his office. Some names could be seen to have already been crossed out. He looked down with an enigmatic expression as he carefully examined the document.

He whipped out his pen, and began to cross out some more names. He leaned and supported his chin with his left hand, and held his pen tightly with his right. It didn't take long before he started to get lost in his own little world.

As he started reading the names of the people in his list, a surreal, almost eerie feeling came over him as he continued to browse. He was pretty sure he had some impressions on some of them in person. But now, he had already decided. He had to make the right choice and detach himself from sentimentality because it would only hold him back.

Somehow, he managed to keep his emotions at bay, and he didn't even sigh so much as to show his regret. However, he knew in his heart that what he was doing right now would sure change the fate of many people in his company.

He didn't bother discussing this matter with James. He found it not necessary to share the burden with someone else. Therefore, he could not afford to make a reckless mistake as he continued to cross out names. Now, everything was going according to his plan.

"Knock, knock, knock."

"Come in." Jacob continued to be indulged with his work, and he had no idea who it could be.

"Mr. Jacob, something happened." Cindy walked in and nervously stared at him as if asking for his help.

"What's the matter?" He paused from his work and glanced at her with a dull, blank look on his face.

"Someone out there encouraged people to gather in the staff area to make a scene. I have no idea how they got the news about you planning to reduce the staff. Now the employees are demanding for an explanation."

Cindy held the folder in her hand ever so tightly. At first, she ought to work with the documents, but she didn't expect that it would somehow help to lessen the tension.

Jacob nodded in agreement without changing his empty expression. "I see. I'll be there soon after I'm done here. Under no circumstances should you let the other directors know about this. I'll handle it myself before they find out."

She nodded in response as well, and she soon followed him as he walked out of the office, and continued to stride towards the staff area. She stared at his back with empty eyes as she began to drown in her own thoughts.

No matter what happened, it was admirable how he always maintained his confidence and calm demeanor when dealing with things like this. She thought that no one could surpass him with that level of stoicism.

He strode with such haste straight into the staff area. There were some people in there loudly demanding that they would not accept being fired out of the company.

Jacob frowned as he listened to them without uttering a single word himself.

He expected that this type of resistance would eventually happen, but not too soon. It seemed he had no control of every little detail within the company after all.

He scanned the faces of the people in front of him. They continued to voice out their cries and pleas, but he reckoned they could not offer him any particular reason that would compel him to reconsider his decision. He walked over and stood in front of those who led the whole commotion.

Just his presence alone made every noise in the area seem as if it evaporated into thin air. He felt it was quite a hilarious scene, but did not bother expressing it.

"What's the matter? What got you all so worked up in here?" The calmness in his eyes ironically intimidated everyone in the crowd as he glanced at them one by one.

Their burst of agitation suddenly died like a candle that ran out of flame. At this moment, only his words were floating in the air for quite a long time. Everyone was afraid of him, so no one dared to speak.

"Weren't you all saying something so loudly just moments ago? I'm here now. It's your chance to be heard. Maybe your reasons would persuade me to change my mind." He scanned the area and tried to catch the eyes of everyone present. Needless to say, he already knew what they were thinking at that very moment.

"Mr. Jacob, we have been working for the company for so many years now. We are aware that most of us haven't contributed to the company that much, but we all try to work hard. You can't fire us out of the blue just because we're old and can't create the same value as young people do for the company."

An old employee with gray hair began to open his mouth. His voice was clearly heard amid the deafening silence.

Jacob looked at the old employee, and said, "I know you have made significant contributions to the company. But to be brutally honest with you, how much have you contributed now? Can it be comparable to the value created by a young, more energetic man?"

"Mr. Jacob, you can't say that. People aren't as ungrateful as you perceive them to be. I won't deny the fact that we are useless right now, but we used to be an integral part of this company before we got old. It's pathetic to fire us just because we are old now. You know for yourself that the young people you have today will someday grow old as well. I ask you, will you also fire them by then?"

Another staff member glanced at him in disbelief. The disappointment on the member's face was clearly visible. Despite the sudden confidence to speak up, the old staff member didn't dare to cross the line. Everyone knew that what Jacob had done was going too far as far as the employees are concerned, but he was still careful not to offend him in any way.

After all, the fate of the employees were in his hands. If somehow he managed to piss him off, he would lose the very slim chance that he could still retain his job.

Jacob pondered about it for a while as he rested his hands on his hips. "Since we got to the topic of seniority, I presume you must be one of the founding members of the company. I know that I should consider that too, but many things are at play here, and they're not as simple as they seem. You can think about how much you are worth."

He squinted his long, narrow eyes as he sifted through his memory. He knew better than anyone who had the most valuable achievement in the company.

"Mr. Jacob, that's just not right. At least, we have spent our youth working for the company. We shouldn't have received such treatment, right? We're not some machines you can simply toss aside if its value has diminished over time," a female employee interjected.

It was said that a woman's youth was one of the most important aspects for her to make money. It was only reasonable to demand that the company should support her as she grew old as a loyal employee.

Being fired so easily was no way to treat a loyal employee. She was still counting on the company to support her retirement, and it was impossible for her to leave now.

"As long as we're alive, it's undoubtedly a waste of our youth. As for what to do, I believe it's a personal choice. Even if you grow old, it has nothing to do with how the company decides the best course of action to sustain itself,"

Jacob replied, leaving the rest of the employees gasping.

His attitude signified his lack of regret. So no matter how much they pleaded to retain their jobs, the decision was final.

"Has nothing to do with the company, you say? Aren't you afraid that other employees will be disappointed? We have worked our asses off for most of our lives, but at the end of the day, it turns out like this. Don't you think the decision is too cruel and unfair? Did the company lose that much money that it couldn't afford to pay our wages anymore? Why do you have to fire us?"

One old employee burst out of anger as he covered his chest with his hands. His gray hair grew quite distinguishable as the time passed by. But he didn't have much confidence left in him as he said those words.

His fate was in the hands of others now. The intimidation he felt didn't go away throughout his speech, and his anxiety remained to torture his heart.

"Well, if there is nothing else, just go ahead with your work now. Continuing with this conversation would only prove to be futile. If you still insist on sending your complaints, you can come to me directly into my office. But don't make a scene here."

Jacob stretched out his hand and began to make a gesture in the air. However, this did not mean that he agreed to their demands. From the very beginning, he intended their pleas to fall on deaf ears.

Such a thing was out of the question. The decision was made, and it was a firm, unshakable decision. Material © NôvelDrama.Org.

He looked at the persons in front of him with a pair of determined eyes. It was quite an unusual look— far different from his usual stoic expression.