Chapter 19: Nice To Meet You Mr. Sandler
Scarlett looked at the solemn building, with crowds constantly entering and leaving. She began to wonder about the wealth contained in that building. How big was the Sandler family fortune?
John took Scarlett to the director, spoke a few words to her, and then left. The director didn’t seem very harsh, and Scarlett wasn’t going to work under her anyway. To the director, Scarlett looked smart, agreeable, and pleasant overall.
“The meeting is starting at 4:10, you can familiarize yourself with the documents in the meantime.” The personnel director handed the documents needed for the meeting to her, including the Russian version. Scarlett needed to memorize a lot of business-related Russian vocabulary within an hour, but it was not a big problem for her. She felt quite confident in her Russian abilities. Her mother had, after all, been a professor of the Russian language at the university. Scarlett herself had begun learning the language when she was only three years old.
Marking some of the documents with her pen, Scarlett went over all the papers two times. The director came in to inform her that she could go upstairs to the conference room.
“Miss Morris, please write down your bank account here, and we will send you the payment directly after the meeting,” said the director. Scarlett quickly wrote down her bank account number on the paper and handed it back to the director. While waiting for the elevator, Scarlett looked around as if she was searching for something. Shouldn’t there be an exclusive elevator that’s meant only for the senior executives, just like in the movies? She thought.
Sure enough, there was an elevator just for the executives. It really was just like the movies. Scarlett noticed that the elevator in the right corner was not for lowly employees to take. She waited patiently, getting ready for the job that awaited her. The retailing giant, T. B. S Empire., truly deserved its reputation. The conference room was amazingly grand and magnificent; there were microphones and earphones placed next to every seat. Scarlett took a seat on the sofa as she waited for the senior executives to come.
When Francis Sandler came in, Scarlett almost grabbed her bag and ran away from the door. The one person she thought she would never see again… and here he was. He had just appeared in front of her again, after just a few days! The memories of her unwelcome “break-in” and that reckless, hangover breakfast at his house were still fresh in her mind.
The director of personnel introduced Scarlett to Francis, “Mr. Sandler, this is Scarlett Morris. She will act as the Russian interpreter for today’s meeting.” Scarlett stood up, and her face felt too stiff for her to even break into a smile. “Nice to meet you, Mr. Sandler. How are you doing today?”
Francis Sandler was also stunned to see Scarlett appear in his conference room. The sense of surprise flashed through his eyes briefly and then disappeared. With his calmness, he hardly let anyone discern his emotional changes at all. He glanced at Scarlett’s short dress and gave her a disapproving look.
The director thought that Mr. Sandler was not satisfied with the person she chose, so she immediately explained, “Miss. Morris is an excellent student at the University of Irving and has a vast amount of interpreting experience. The dean of the Russian Department recommended her to us.” Francis Sandler nodded and said, “Let’s start.”
U. I. was, as we know, famous for its language majors, and Russian was one of its top departments. So, U. I. would always send elite Russian language students to offer interpretation and translation services for meetings in prestigious corporations and international conferences. Scarlett never got stage fright and confidently interpreted the conversation between both sides. The Russian cooperative partners were very satisfied with her perfect pronunciation and professionalism. So when the two sides were signing the contract, the Russian C. E. O. particularly appreciated her efforts and praised her with great enthusiasm.
The entire situation had Scarlett completely stumped. She was the only one that knew Russian in the room, and as a professional interpreter, she was supposed to interpret every word the clients say. She felt a little embarrassed but still tried to be as professional as possible. “Mr. Nikonov said Miss Morris did a perfect job, and… she is a lovely lady.” The senior executives in the room all laughed and applauded her professional performance.
Scarlett was invited to the dinner after the conference, but then she was left alone for reasons she did not know. Suddenly, the director came to her and informed her that she could only take Mr. Sandler’s car. How strange, Scarlett thought to herself.
This was the second time Scarlett had sat in Mr. Sandler’s car. Yet, she was still under great pressure. Although there was a driver and a secretary in the same car, the atmosphere was still cold and unsettling.
Mr. Sandler’s mouth was closed as tightly as a clam, and his eyes were set on some scenery outside. He wouldn’t move his gaze at all. The most terrible thing was that Mr. Sandler’s private secretary had skillfully occupied the front seat, so Scarlett had no choice but to sit in the backseat with Francis. Scarlett was annoyed that she was only a step late to win the front seat; now, because she had not been fast enough, she was here in this terribly awkward situation.
Scarlett didn’t know what to do in front of his poker face, so she took the safest start, “Mr. Sandler, thank you for last time!” She thought that she had to do her best at least to break the silence. But it turned out to be the worst choice. “You thanked me once already. It’s not a big deal.” Mr. Sandler didn’t even look at her.
Scarlett began to wonder if jumping out of the car would be less painful than trying to deal with this cold-hearted old man. Why is he so hard to get along with? What’s wrong with Francis anyway?Content is © by NôvelDrama.Org.