The Man Who Never Looked Away novel Chapter 137

Lavinia printed out the divorce agreement and returned to her desk, just in time to hear Jocelyn Chandler, the Director of Industry Research, taking the floor on the broadcast.

Two colleagues next to her were whispering:

"Who do you think is better, Director Chandler or Director Sloan?"

"Director Chandler, for sure. She got into Princeton at fourteen, got her Master's at eighteen, and was already leading sponsorship projects at a major investment bank by twenty-two."

"Agreed. Plus, Ms. Sloan can't even hold a candle to Ms. Chandler's family background. She's the heiress to the Chandler family, after all."

"Yeah, she's probably just here at Celestial Capital to pad her resume. Who knows when she'll be called back to inherit her family's empire."

Lavinia listened in awe. How was everyone in the finance world this brilliantly accomplished?

After Jocelyn concluded her industry analysis, it was Sigrid's turn to present for the Quantitative Research Department. This was her debut at Celestial Capital, and it was obvious she had done her homework.

She utilized data models to forecast the profitability of key upcoming projects. But her conclusions completely contradicted everything Jocelyn had just presented.

The projects Jocelyn had greenlit were shot down by Sigrid's data models.

And the projects Jocelyn had rejected, Sigrid's models insisted were highly profitable.

The Industry Research Department exploded into an uproar.

"What is wrong with this Sigrid woman? Is she trying to assert dominance on her first day?"

"Does she think she can walk all over us just because Chairman Coleman hired her and she has a billionaire husband?"

"Look at Ms. Chandler. She looks furious."

Sigrid finished her presentation and gracefully took her seat. Before the Chairman or President could even offer their feedback, Jocelyn seized the mic.

During the departmental huddle, Jocelyn announced several items:

First, three new trainee analysts had joined the department. They were assigned to the medical, tech, and medical groups, respectively. The probationary period was three months, and only one of them would be offered a permanent position.

Second, the higher-ups had assigned several advanced manufacturing projects for the department to vet. One of them, Joplin Adhesives Corp, was marked as a high-priority target by the executives.

Lavinia froze. Joplin Adhesives Corp—wasn't that Saul's company?

"'High priority' means exactly what you think it means," Jocelyn paused, glaring at the head of the tech group. "But our due diligence has to be bulletproof. Do not cut corners."

Wrapping up the meeting, Jocelyn's face darkened as she addressed the room. "You all saw it. That new Quant Director just declared war on our department. Everyone better step up their game, or we're going to get steamrolled."

After the meeting adjourned, Jocelyn held Lavinia and the other two trainees back. She didn't mince words. "All three of you got in through connections. But in venture capital, connections are a dime a dozen. I don't care whose backing you have—you're going to prove your worth with actual results, or I will fire every single one of you."