"...So, are you gonna take me in or what?" Kevin arched an eyebrow, a yful smirk on his face. "I mean, I''m like your mentor here. It''d be pretty cold to leave me out in the cold, right?" Dorothy sighed, exasperation tinged with amusement. "If I dared to snatch you away, I think Everett would literally cry. You''re his right-hand man, practically ready to step in as CEO! If I poached you, he''d be devastated."


    "Well, now that you mention it, I guess I should ask for a raise when I get back this afternoon! If Mr. Lopez doesn''t agree, I''m resigning and waiting for your start-up tounch!"


    "He will," Kevin was just joking, but Dorothy took him seriously, "Or maybe I should drop a hint tonight?"


    "No, no! Mr. Lopez has been more than fair to me."


    As they walked to their car, sliding into the driver''s and passenger''s seats respectively, Kevin continued, "Honestly, I''ve been to otherpanies before. Sure, the CEOs were okay to their staff, but their paranoia made everyone ufortable. If I just did my job, they''d think I wasn''t ambitious. If I did more, they''d suspect I had ulterior motives."


    In the cutthroat business world, everyone seemed to wish they could read minds, always on guard.


    "Yeah, it''s tough," Dorothy agreed, recalling her own challenging times at Prosperity Consortium.


    "But it''s different with Mr. Lopez! He doesn''t overthink or have the time to doubt us. If I take on more work, he acknowledges it, not with suspicion but with a raise or a bonus. I wouldn''t dream of leaving such a great boss," Kevin smiled. "Otherpanies have tried to lure me away, but I''ve never been tempted."


    Staying with Everett for so long not only spoke volumes of Kevin''s skills but also of Everett''s leadership.


    He had the knack to inspire loyalty and dedication.


    Dorothy nodded in agreement, "Everett really does have a human touch as a CEO."


    "Exactly! Like this one time, I was


    sick, swamped with work, with no


    chance to see a doctor. I was pushing through, trying to work overtime, when Mr. Lopez noticed something was off during a meeting. After it ended, he locked myputer and insisted I get treated first."


    "That sounds just like something Everett would do," Dorothy wasn''t surprised. He was always attentive.


    He never yed the aloof CEO, indifferent to the well-being of those around him.


    "When I returned from the hospital, L found Mr Lopez workingte in his office, covering my tasks. He even sent me home to rest when he saw


    me


    swnv


    Such mutual respect and care couldn''t be built overnight.


    Through thick and thin, they understood each other''s true nature.


    "I''ll treat my employees the same way one day."


    Kevin blinked, then suddenly said, "Ms. Sanchez, you know what?


    with Mr. Lopez, I actually wondered if he was gay."


    When first started working


    "You have to understand! He kept his distance from any women, never had meetings with them or anything!"N?velDrama.Org content.


    After a moment, Dorothyughed, "And let me guess, you thought Jeffrey was...?"


    "They were always in touch! And there wasn''t any other man around, so..."


    "Does Jeffrey know about this?" Dorothy burst intoughter, imagining the scene.