"Chloe hasn't come out yet." Iris kept looking toward the elevators, waiting for her future daughter-in-law to appear.
"Maybe Chloe is tied up with business meetings."
Since joining FC & Co., Callia had not seen Chloe once.
She was just an ordinary employee, while Chloe was the CEO. Someone at Callia's level could not simply walk in and meet the boss whenever she wanted.
If their families were not longtime friends, getting a chance to see Chloe would have been incredibly difficult.
Jane pulled out her phone and gave her daughter a call.
However, Chloe did not pick up.
“She must still be busy. I'm afraid she won't have time to come home for dinner.”
"Chloe is really busy," Callia replied. “Aunt Jane, try calling her again in a few minutes."
Jane agreed. “She probably knows why I'm calling. I'll wait for her to get back to me.
"She works so much that she doesn't even have time to answer her mother's calls. We told her she could take it easy. If she wanted to start a business, fine, but there was no need to work herself this hard. She has brothers. With a company this large, any of them could take over.
"But she insisted on running the family business herself, and I couldn't stop her. Ever since she was little, she's always had a mind of her own."
Even though Chloe was not the eldest child, she certainly carried herself like one. Her brothers all adored her and would always do as she said.
"Honestly, I think Chloe is doing great. Yes, she's busy, but she's doing what she loves. If managing a company and running a business makes her happy, then not only does it benefit the company, it also makes her life more fulfilling.
“I'm not as capable as she is. Right now, I can't take over my family's company even if I want to. But if I could, I'd probably choose the same path she did."
Iris replied with a smile, "You don't need to follow Chloe's path. We feel sorry for how hard she works, and your family would feel the same way about you. Besides, you have a brother and six older cousins, and they are involved in the family business.
"For the company's long-term future, and so you can enjoy an easier life, your family would never allow you to take over York Corporation anyway."
Iris deliberately kept her voice low so passersby would not overhear.
Callia had joined FC & Co. under the condition that her identity remained a secret. However, now that both the matriarchs of the Johnson and Ormond families had come to pick her up after work, people at the company could probably figure out who she really was.
Anyone familiar with the close relationship between the two families would quickly connect the dots. A young woman with the last name York, whom both Jane and Iris personally greeted, could only be the daughter of the York family.
People figuring it out was one thing, but she must not be the one to say it.
At least, that was how Iris saw it.
Callia smiled. She understood that her situation was different from Chloe's.
Chloe only had two older cousins and one older brother. She and her brother were twins, while her cousins were only a year older than she was. The three men were practically delighted to let Chloe take charge.
Besides, even if Chloe had not taken over FC & Co., Connor was more than capable of doing it himself. The only reason he did not was that Chloe was simply
too outstanding. He was perfectly happy standing behind her and enjoying an easier life.
Just then, Jane's phone rang.
Chloe was calling back.
Jane quickly picked up.
"Mom, I was caught up with work earlier, so I couldn't take your call. But I figured you were inviting Callia home for dinner. I've canceled tonight's business engagement. Give me two minutes. I'll be down right away."
"Okay. We'll be waiting."
After Chloe hung up, Jane turned to Iris and Callia. She said, "Chloe has canceled her plans for tonight and told us to wait two minutes for her."