Our Love Story: Hard to Guard Against the Sudden Love Strike-Chapter 457 - 435: Sienna Thornton’s Strategy

After half an hour, Faye Lucas brought the materials Simon Forrester requested.

Simon Forrester didn’t even look at her and said coldly, "You can leave first, and then ask Gavin Gale to come in."

Faye hesitated, "Do you need me to explain anything that might be unclear right now?"

Even after the boss had spoken, she still didn’t want to leave, and Sienna Thornton couldn’t help but glance at her a few times.

Sienna was sitting in the sofa area at an angle from where she could see Faye’s profile and half of her expression.

However, before Sienna could figure out the meaning behind her complex expression, she was sent away with a single "leave" from Simon Forrester.

After the door closed, Sienna walked over from the sofa to sit in front of Simon and smiled, "Are you always this cold to your female subordinates?"

"Should I be more enthusiastic?"

Sienna smiled with satisfaction, resting her chin on her hand as she gazed at him affectionately, "Your enthusiasm should be reserved for me; you should treat other women coldly."

Simon glanced at her, his eyes crinkling with a smile, "Haven’t I always been like this?"

Just then, Gavin Gale knocked and entered.

Sienna straightened her posture, putting away her smile.

Simon asked her to brief Gavin on the investigation clues, including sending him the recording, to let Gavin take full charge of the case. Once the involved individuals were all identified, they would then consider how to proceed, as well as discuss the organizational restructuring Sienna mentioned.

The three of them ended up having a half-day meeting, and by the time they left The Forresters, it was already dark.

Sienna noticed Simon was in a bad mood, so she made jokes along the way to cheer him up. By the time they reached home, Simon’s mood had improved significantly.

In the elevator, Sienna consoled him, "Running a business is like this; while making money, you sometimes have to share some benefits with others. Clear water has no fish; keep the bigger picture in mind, and overlook some things when possible. The sooner this issue was detected, the better—you’re nipping it in the bud."

Seeing her still worrying about his matters during her time off, Simon tightened his grip on her hand and reassured her, "Don’t worry, I’ve handed this matter to Gavin. He will handle it well. I’m not worrying about it anymore, and you shouldn’t either."

Sienna wrapped her arms around his, gently resting her head on his shoulder, and watched their reflection in the elevator’s mirrored walls, snuggling together. She said tenderly, "Remember, you’re not alone in this fight; you have me."

He raised his hand to caress her hair, then leaned over to kiss her temple, smiling, "Got it, my little housekeeper."

Hearing that, she pouted discontentedly, "What housekeeper, that’s awful!"

"Then what is it?"

"Of course, a supportive partner! A supportive partner!"

"Alright then," he cleared his throat, "Got it, my supportive partner."

She giggled, "Sounds kind of funny..."

.

During the days Gavin Gale went to T-City to investigate the problematic materials, Simon Forrester was without an assistant, so Sienna Thornton accompanied him to and from work every day, assisting him with his tasks.

Previously, during Bianca Fordham’s time, she thoroughly familiarized herself with The Forresters to investigate some things. Later, during Nolan Kramer’s era, she served as The Forresters’ Chief Legal Officer, so she was quite familiar with many situations. Overall, she had a good understanding of The Forresters, past and present.

Moreover, being exceptionally intelligent, she had been involved in economic cases as a lawyer for years. Therefore, serving as Simon Forrester’s temporary assistant seemed to be a good fit for her too.

During those days, as she entered and exited with Simon, the entire corporation learned she was his fiancée. Many female employees who secretly admired Simon envied her, often commenting on her outfits and style behind her back. Fortunately, she always had impeccable taste, and the clothes and accessories she wore were all quite expensive, meaning she didn’t embarrass Simon.

Gavin Gale uncovered the event’s entire course, including interviews with the involved personnel, spending a total of three days.

The individuals involved in this case, from the grassroots buyers to Ryan Chase, the president overseeing production, all participated. But Nolan Kramer avoided responsibility because, by then, he had transferred direct management of the purchasing department to Simon.

However, they all knew that the biggest instigator was still Nolan. The supplier was found by Nolan, and when the materials had issues, Ryan Chase would definitely inform him, and he must have appeased Ryan, maybe even offered him benefits, which kept Ryan silent. Otherwise, such a severe issue should have been reported to the board long ago.

Simon wanted to use this opportunity to solve the problem of Nolan, but somehow the news got out, and both Zane Forrester and Old Master Forrester became aware of it.

Old Master Forrester asked Simon to return to the old house to discuss matters, but Simon knew he would want to speak in favor of those executives and was unwilling to go back. As a result, Old Master Forrester brought Bianca Fordham to the company himself. 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝚠𝕖𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝕖𝚕.𝚌𝗼𝗺

Simon Forrester’s initial fervor as a new appointee was still burning strong, coupled with his resolve to kick Nolan out, so he was naturally unwilling to let this opportunity go, nor would he listen to Old Master’s words.

Old Master Forrester passionately persuaded him for a long time, seeing that his grandson was stubborn and unyielding, he had no choice but to meet with Sienna, explaining the big picture to her. Sienna, after all, being an outsider, was a bit more rational than Simon and agreed to persuade him for the elder’s sake.

When Simon came home that evening, she didn’t mention it at first. As usual, she prepared a table full of his favorite dishes. After dinner, they both took a bath. Once they were comfortably sitting on the sofa watching TV, she began to persuade him.

The general idea was that withdrawing so many executives at once would definitely impact the group’s production and operations. Not to mention others, just if Ryan Chase, overseeing production and technology, were to leave, it would cause significant troubles in the production technology area.

Sienna suggested keeping these people temporarily, observing them closely, quickly cultivating replacements, and once the time was ripe, promptly replacing them.

Personnel who are not decision-makers and highly replaceable, like buyers and inspectors, should be immediately persuaded to leave, while retaining the executives for now.

"Legal Affairs should stay with Cognitas; this should remain untouched. Aurora and Rochelle have no conflict of interest with The Forresters’ personnel, making them the most neutral third parties," Sienna said. "Currently, with Faye Lucas handling finance alone, it’s genuinely risky. Although she didn’t involve herself subjectively in this problem material incident, her inadequate management of prepayments and insensitivity to abnormal income from waste scraps reveal her limited capability and average talent. I suggest you replace her."

Simon folded his arms, quietly listening to Sienna’s analysis, nodding occasionally.

Sienna continued, "Separate the Audit Department from the Finance Department, promote the Audit Manager to Audit General Manager, giving them equal authority with the Finance General Manager, to establish a system of mutual checks and balances."

Simon nodded in agreement.

"Establish The Executive Office, exclude these involved executives when selecting personnel, choose from their rival executives. The main task is executing your direct orders and supervising group operations. It’s the same rationale—curb Nolan’s team."

"Finally, hire a new assistant, preferably through campus recruitment. Fresh graduates, just out of school, have the greatest potential for molding and loyalty. You just need to allocate some resources to them appropriately, and they’ll remain loyal to you for life. But for this matter, remember to hire, train, and delegate them personally to achieve the desired effect."

Simon took her advice to heart. He initially considered that Gavin was quite reliable, but after a moment of thought, he understood Sienna’s point.

Previously, Simon always adhered to a technical path, and the management work of the design institute wasn’t so complicated. The three major areas—projects, division of labor, and bonuses—had clear regulations and guidelines. Other administrative matters were handled by Logan Lockwood and Harrison Rowe, while Simon focused on projects. Only when Logan and Harrison stirred up a hornet’s nest needing his intervention, would he step in to resolve it. But such occurrences were rare, as both were quite capable in their tasks.

However, entering The Forresters was a different matter. The Forresters was a vast organization; although he occupied the center, his energy was limited, and it wasn’t easy to promptly identify a piece being pulled apart from any given edge.

Ever since the problem materials case, he had been quite troubled and even planned to invite a consulting firm to take a look. But after hearing Sienna’s insights tonight, he felt enlightened, sensing that this issue might have a turning point.