Chapter 257: Predator, Trap, Fury

Bennett watched as George theatrically removed his gloves and sat down. He then took a seat opposite him, separated by a large desk.

Though everyone, including themselves, knew of the irreconcilable tension between them, no one showed it; they even pretended it didn’t exist.

“You could go to the golf course. You’d have a better experience hitting the ball there,” Bennett sneered. “You know, the feeling of swinging hard versus carefully controlling so the ball doesn’t fly off is completely different. Plus, you get other pleasures there.”

He referred to the complex terrain that makes golf engaging, a source of joy.

Hitting the ball into the hole on flat ground is nothing compared to doing it through sand traps and shallow water. The sense of achievement is far greater than anything gained in the office.

Behind these words was another meaning — something like, Since you’ve given up, why not give up completely?

To Bennett, George’s retreat meant he had quit the game. Before the outcome was revealed, they both already knew the result.

If that was the choice, then be decisive—dragging it out only makes no one happy.

George smiled indifferently. “Until the new orders come, I must follow my work principles. I have to be reachable at all times during office hours.”

He paused, avoiding the topic. “So, what brings you here today?”

Bennett returned to business, not dwelling on their veiled clashes. He pushed a document across the desk. “The manager wants you to sign this.”

George nodded and picked it up but didn’t sign immediately as he had recently. Instead, he carefully reviewed it, which unsettled Bennett. He thought George should just sign his name—no need to examine it so closely.

But Bennett knew better than to rush him. He had to preserve George’s last shred of dignity.

This thought lifted his mood, and he silently hummed a line from the opera he heard last night.

About ten minutes later, George set the document down without signing and looked calmly at Bennett. “I can’t sign this.”

For a moment, Bennett’s mind blanked.

“Can’t sign?”

“Why not?”

Bennett stood, grabbing the document and scanning it while questioning, “Is there something wrong with it?”

George’s sudden change shocked Bennett deeply. It was like a person who always said Yes, sir, suddenly saying, No, sir.

Such a stark contrast left many stunned, speechless; their minds momentarily froze. This was the shock caused by a break in habit and normalcy.

George sat upright, fingers pressed together on the armrests. “There are many problems. But before that, we need to deal with something else.”

He pressed the blue button on the phone, connecting to the secretary’s office. “This is George. Who scheduled the office work today? Send them to my office.”

Releasing the button, George smiled at Bennett, who slowly recovered. His face darkened but he did nothing, unsure of George’s plan.

Soon, a young male employee entered.

In a bank dealing with daily chaos, office rules are strict.

Each day, the responsible person sorts through the chaos, distributing categorized files to desks for processing. The secretary’s office handles this, shielding middle and upper management from unnecessary trouble.

George eyed the young man, who had worked there seven or eight years, and said tightly, “Go to finance and settle your salary. You’re fired.”

This stunned Bennett and the only secretary standing in the room. Before Bennett could speak, the secretary shouted, “Mr. George, you don’t have the authority to do this!”

He argued for his rights. “This violates bank rules. You’re not HR management nor the bank manager. I’ve done nothing wrong. You have no right. I will complain to the manager, the branch, and headquarters!”

George showed no shame. He dialed a number, put the call on speaker. The three in the room immediately recognized the voice as the bank manager’s.

“I’m firing a secretary for clear mistakes. Does this need a board meeting?” George’s tone was calm but his gaze was fierce.

Unexpectedly, the manager supported him. “Handle it yourself. No need for a meeting over a minor issue.”

The young man opened his mouth, but George hung up. The employee flushed red with anger. “Can you tell me what mistake I made?”

George pointed to the document on the desk between Bennett and himself. “For such an important document, you should have brought it to me first. I’m the department’s highest administrator, not Mr. Bennett. You can’t even handle something so simple. Do you think the bank needs someone like you to keep making mistakes?”

The employee tried to defend himself. “You said you’d generally approve anything Mr. Bennett signed, and—”

“No buts,” George interrupted. “Either pack your things and leave, or I’ll call security.” He pressed the red button to contact security.

The employee begged Bennett with his eyes, unwilling to lose the job.

Despite how hard it is to find work now, he’d spent nearly ten years to reach this point. The next step was management, which explained his flattery of Bennett.

If Bennett replaced George, he had a chance to move up. But clearly, everyone underestimated George.

Bennett’s face darkened. He barely uttered a sound before George cut him off forcefully, “Want me to call headquarters and explain the situation here?”

Bennett shut up, ignoring the employee’s pleas.

No matter headquarters, branch, or local bank, such blatant favoritism is forbidden. Even a board member can’t interfere.

After confirming his order would be carried out, George pointed to the door. “Close it when you leave.”

Watching the soul-dead employee shuffle out, George finally turned to Bennett.

“Why won’t I sign? First, you’re from the branch and should understand our internal procedures. You’re just an assistant. You’re not allowed to open files like this without my approval.”

Files unrelated to internal affairs and requiring the highest departmental approval follow strict authority protocols. Whether Bennett will replace George or not, for now, he’s only an assistant.

The branch sent him to assist, not replace. Even if that’s planned, until it’s official, Bennett remains an assistant.

“Before this, have I let you manage any work without issues?”

No problem. Rules are actually quite flexible—they only take effect when someone asserts them. If the parties involved, especially the ones whose rights are harmed, don’t claim their power or enforce the rules, then the rules become meaningless.

George spent over two months acclimating Bennett to a special environment, gradually instilling in him an arrogance he didn’t even notice. Even if Lynch didn’t act, George would have taken action himself.

After a lifetime of struggle, who would willingly give up?

But George’s methods were a bit more artful than Lynch’s straightforward approach—at least, that’s how he saw it.

“Second, you approved some results without informing me about this document, which is a clear overstep of authority. And I believe the content you approved is deeply flawed, so I definitely won’t sign.”

“As for the third…” George couldn’t help but laugh, “I just wanted to see that ugly look on your face. You lost, Mr. Bennett.”

Thinking this, George felt elated. To outsiders, he had been suppressed for nearly three months, but no one knew he lived for this moment of satisfaction, which brought him more joy than any emotional exchange with young women.

And his happiness didn’t stop there. “I will report your behavior to the branch and headquarters. Your repeated challenges to bank rules and constant abuse of power to create benefit circles during this time will all be reported truthfully.”

“Oh, and that girl, Annie!”

George’s expression turned peculiar. His hand stroked the edge of the desk, as if caressing something special. “She’s excellent at her job. I’ll be a regular customer.”

Enraged, Bennett snatched up the crystal triangular nameplate on the desk and hurled it at George!