Carson Flores shifted his gaze from the screen of his phone and looked up at Sergio Combs with a mocking expression.
"All the clients inside are the tough nuts that you guys couldn't crack, right? You just want to see me fail to land any deals and then have me kicked out, don't you? How is it, even after targeting me like this, you still expect me to treat you with utmost respect? Wishful thinking."
Carson's words slapped Sergio across the face, leaving him with a scorching sensation and a complexion ashen as iron.
I am targeting you, I am making things difficult for you, I am trying to drive you out, but can these words be openly discussed?
There were still two subordinates watching!
Sergio took a deep breath and forcibly tried to smooth things over, "This is a test. If you're capable, then my sales team 8 will certainly welcome you. If you're just here to lay back and be a dead fish, then we don't welcome you in team 8!"
Carson gave a lazy smile, "Do you even believe those grandiose lies you're telling?"
Sergio instantly felt as if he had been slapped in the face again, and the odd looks from the other subordinates were like needles in his back.
"If you can land orders, you stay; if not, get lost. Even if it escalates to Ms. Miller, the rule is the same. Our company doesn't shelter the idle!"
After saying that, Sergio didn't wait for Carson to respond and turned to leave.
He really didn't have the courage to listen to Carson speak again. This guy was like a stick for stirring shit, having no regard for workplace etiquette, ready to flip the table at any disagreement. There was nothing more to say.
He might be the team leader, but his authority stemmed from the company policies and other people's need for their jobs. Yet if someone didn't even care about their job, what need would they have to respect him as a team leader?
He absolutely had to get rid of this guy, or else, how would he maintain his authority as a team leader in the future?
After Sergio left, Carson picked up a folder, glanced through it briefly, and then handed it to the bespectacled young man sitting beside him.
"Jax, do me a favor and check how difficult these are," he said.
The bespectacled young man glanced at Sergio's office, took the folder, looked at it for a moment, then handed it back with a hint of sympathy in his eyes.
"I've only just joined too, so I don't fully understand this list, but a few here are the clients I had attempted before. The difficulty is... pretty high; I couldn't land them."
Jax spoke conservatively, but Carson understood.
He hadn't guessed wrong; these were all tough nuts to crack, or in other words, clients that were likely impossible to land.
If they were possible to land, they surely would still be with the salesperson, so why would they have ended up with Sergio, let alone being passed on to himself?
Yet Carson wasn't the least bit worried and pulled out a cigarette, tossing one to Jax, "Thanks, take one."
The sales department was indeed very free-spirited; performance dictated power. Your daily activities were of no concern to anyone. But if you weren't producing results, then you would have to hit the road. Sergio targeting Carson was a legitimate exploitation of this rule.
Jax caught the cigarette and said thanks but didn't smoke it, just placing it to one side.
He didn't want to get too involved with Carson; this guy was clearly a thorn, likely not to last much longer.
Carson was smoking when his phone rang.
Samantha Tate.
"Tomorrow's the time for the acupuncture session with my grandfather, you're available, right?" she asked.
Carson laughed, "The money's been paid, of course I am."
"Good, come over to my house tomorrow morning."
"Sure!" he replied.
Samantha hesitated before saying, "Dress up and look sharp, okay?"
Confused, Carson asked, "What does acupuncture have to do with how I'm dressed?"
Samantha suddenly lost her temper, "Aren't you pretending to be my boyfriend? Dress nicely, match my style, any problem with that?"
Carson blinked, "But our two-hour arrangement has already ended, hasn't it? Now we're just focused on the treatment, right?"
Samantha had previously paid fifty thousand for Carson to pretend to be her boyfriend for two hours, an agreement they had already fulfilled. In Carson's view, now he was just paid five hundred thousand for treatment fees to complete the remaining sessions for Old Master Dariel.
Samantha was at a loss for words and then said after two seconds of silence, "During this period of treatment, you'll have to continue pretending to be my boyfriend; otherwise, it would give the game away. I can pay you more; just name your price."
Continue pretending to be the boyfriend?
Was he some kind of professional actor? Pretending to be Shirley Miller's husband on one side and Samantha Tate's boyfriend on the other?
After a thought, Carson said, "Forget it, I've taken the treatment fee. The treatment is the priority; consider the boyfriend act a free bonus."
It was just a pretense during treatment times anyway; and besides, Samantha was quite pretty. Demanding extra fees would seem too greedy, almost indecent.
Samantha laughed, "You're agreeing to this of your own free will, no backing out!"
Carson laughed, "What's the big deal? Why would I back out?"
Samantha's cheery voice came over, "Okay, then make sure you look the part tomorrow. Don't give any other men a chance, alright? I'll send you the address later, see you tomorrow."
Samantha hung up directly, leaving Carson stunned.
Look the part?
Other men?
Why did it feel like Samantha was setting him up for something again?