Chapter 84
Katherine's
POV
A full week has passed since the photo incident.
The scandalous photos and clips were still a hot topic, and the media went wild with them.
People have gone so far as to strip the clips down to see who Erika's male companions were. That obviously created another wave of noise, and some high-ranking businessmen were exposed, creating an even bigger scandal. As for John, he has disappeared from the public eye since the incident. If I hadn't heard Sarah calling John one morning, I would have thought that John had disappeared.
"Ms. Kate," Sarah called, standing at my office door. She looked a bit worried.
"Yes, Sarah? What can I do for you?" I asked and sat back.
"There is a meeting on the fifth floor this morning. You have been sent an invitation to attend the meeting," she said.
"Okay, what about it?" I asked, confused. Even if I was invited, that didn't necessarily mean I would attend the meeting.
Sarah walked closer to my desk and held out papers for me to take.
"This is the agenda and the financial items that will be discussed," she said, handing the documents to me.
I casually glanced at it and noticed that Sarah had returned to her suspicious behavior.
John must have paid her a great penny to have her spy on me again.
I internally sighed.
Just as I thought that John had given up, he started with his sh*t again. I wish Sarah could just see that he was killing the company slowly.
I took the stack of reports from Sarah, casually turned over to the second page of the report, and scanned through the figures.
My gaze fell on certain figures and account information, and I suddenly had this funny feeling in the pit of my stomach.
This was the information I was looking for. John made sure I never had a chance to see these.
Why suddenly give them to me? Is this another trap?
"Can't Mr. King do this meeting?" I asked sweetly, "He is the one that deals with these accounts. I don't understand what is going on in these reports. I would rather go attend and listen to what is said."
I saw Sarah's face and immediately knew she would call John and tell him the news. I suddenly wondered what John would do with that information.
Would he relax his vigilance over me?
What would he tell her?
And where was he?
If she falls for my act, it will buy me time to go through the accounts.
"Mr. King hasn't returned yet. These reports were sent by his secretary to you," she said, smiling.
I nodded in understanding and flipped through the information again, shaking my head and pretending that I couldn't understand any of it.
"I could barely understand the figures on the reports when I was involved in the projects," I said, acting incompetent. "I can't even make out if this is to do with tax or just normal financial accounts. I am still very dumb about these kinds of things, sorry." I pushed the documents toward Sarah, shaking my head.
"Forget it," I said. "I wouldn't present these figures. I can't understand what the reports say, and I will not make a fool out of myself."
Sarah bit down hard on her jaw, nodded, turned on her heels, and left my office.
Moments later, she got up, grabbed her phone, and left her desk.
I casually got up and followed her, seeing her walking toward the ladies' room and making a call.
"What did Kate say?" I heard John's voice coming from Sarah's phone, and she quickly disappeared into the bathroom.
I casually opened the door, and Sarah rushed into an available stall, closing the door behind her.
"She doesn't understand the information!" She whispered. "She doesn't want to present the figures."
"She has done two major contacts, and she still doesn't understand those accounts." John growled, "Make her understand; just make sure she attends the meeting."
With that, she cut the call and flushed the toilet.
When Sarah walked out of the stall, she gave me a surprised look.
I acted as if I had just entered the ladies' room and didn't hear anything, smiling at her as I walked past her into the stall, waiting for her to leave.
On my return, Sarah gave me a single moment before she came and bugged me with the reports again.
"These are just simple financial reports; it should be a piece of cake for you."
"Last time, I was guided by many different people; this time it is different. Forget it; you shouldn't push the subject."
"Ms. Kate," Sarah sighed, "it's not as complicated as you think. If you really don't understand any of the reports, you can always look at the bottom of each page. There is a summary of the main accounts. If they balance, all will be fine; if they don't, you need to query it. You can discuss your issues with the CFO after the meeting."
I sighed, shaking my head, and said, "I am so going to make a fool of myself."
"Don't worry, Ms. Kate," Sarah said. "I am sure there wouldn't be any problem!"
I slowly made my way to the finance conference room, took out my phone, and set it on recording mode.
"Sorry everyone," I said, smiling as I entered the conference room. "It seems like John is still on leave. I was given this report and asked to present it. I don't really understand the financial aspect of it and would like your advice."
I gave the team a nervous smile, and the people instantly became enthusiastic to help me understand.
The CFO muttered under his breath and walked forward with a laser pointer.
"I feel like a lecturer standing here," the CFO joked, and everyone around laughed at his response.
Throughout the meeting, the CFO would use unfamiliar terms to explain the reports. When it looked like I didn't understand, one of the directors would take charge, stop the meeting, and explain the terms for me to understand. We were about to reach the end of the report when I noticed that something didn't look right: two summary figures added up perfectly to the information given, but the center summary didn't.
Strange, I thought. My thoughts ran back to the reports Sarah gave me; even those summaries looked off.
"Ms. King, I don't know if you can understand me." The CFO said, searching my gaze.
I didn't reply, and I just listened to the rest of the report.
After the meeting, I waited for Sarah to go to lunch and took the opportunity to call Xavier.
"I've found a few interesting things wrong with my accounts; can you ask Sophia to help me tonight?"
There was a pause from Xavier's side, and it seemed like he was in some meeting. I could hear several people discussing something in the back and then someone striking the table.
"Yes," he whispered, and I could hear in his tone of voice that he wasn't in a good mood. "You better highlight and write down your questions; just keep in mind that we are two different businesses."
"Okay," I answered, feeling excitement bubbling up in me, "then I'll see you later tonight."
When I got home, Sophia was already waiting for me in the study. She had a couple of financial books with her.
"Luna, I hope these will help you solve your problems," she said, handing the books to me. "After all, I can't help you much with your financial issues; I can only give you the basics. The other details will have to be resolved by you." I remember what Sophia said to me the last time.
"I understand," I said, and I set my handbag down on the table. "Last time you explained something to me, I can still remember it. I want some insight about taxes."
Sophia lifted an eyebrow but didn't say anything.
"I am concerned about how the tax is calculated in the accounts. In the case where the incorrect data is captured in the accounts, will it be possible that the summary will be correct?"
Sophia, who was flipping through a book, slowly turned and stared at me. Confusion and worry crossed her eyes.
"Of course the information will not be correct," she stated, looking at me like I had lost my mind. "If the mathematical calculations are incorrect, the end result will be as well...