Once Laurence left, Misty led Elliott and Janet out of the VIP lounge.
"Are you planning to head to Mr. Manny's, Mr. Durham?"
Misty had had a few interactions with Elliott, so she knew of the friendship between the two, which was why she figured that at that moment, he was thinking of dropping in on Manny.
Manny was also waiting in his new office to hear the result of the talks between Elliott and Laurence.
So what if Laurence said he knew Longbottom Corporation inside out? Elliott was not an easy one to deal with, and even he had to spend a long time before he managed to talk Elliott into being willing to work with Longbottom Corporation. Laurence had only just taken over, so Elliott was not likely to play nice with Laurence.
If the talks fell through, Laurence, as their newly appointed CEO, would be embarrassed, and everyone would change their impression of Laurence.
Elliott did not say anything, silently agreeing.
Thus, Misty led Elliott downstairs to Manny's office.
When Manny's new secretary called via the intercom to inform him that Misty had arrived with Elliott, Manny was thrilled.
He thought Laurence was not able to handle Elliott and handed Elliott off to him.
The credit was due to him in the first place, as he had been the one handling negotiations with Elliott all along.
If their companies partnered up and turned a profit together, his track record at the company would shine even brighter. Who would dare say then that he was not as good as his father?
He was just being low-key because he did not want to stir things up. All that fuss could easily ruin the family business his ancestors built.
"Let him in," Manny instructed.
Very soon, his new secretary knocked on his door and allowed Misty to lead Elliott and Janet in.
"Mr. Manny, Mr. Durham and Janet are here."
Misty's voice was sweet, but he was very much not used to her addressing him as Mr. Manny, like it was a step down from Mr. Longbottom. However, he could not correct her. After all, he was COO now, no longer CEO or "Mr. Longbottom."
Laurence had taken his position and what meager authority he held.
Laurence was the true head of the family, while he had only been the acting head and had to step down.
The fact that Laurence had not immediately ousted him from the executive board entirely was already out of consideration for him.
However, it was purely a tactical move to keep the old employees calm during the transition. No matter how impressive Laurence was, it was not appropriate to make such drastic changes when he had only just taken office.
Manny walked around his desk to meet Elliott halfway, all smiles. “Hello, Mr.
Durham. My apologies. There's been a bit of a reshuffle in our company management, so I'm no longer in charge of the collaboration with your company."
He could still be in charge of it. He was not doing so on purpose.
He wanted to see Laurence embarrass himself.
After inviting Elliott to sit down, Manny signalled for Misty to serve drinks.
Misty wanted to tell Manny that both companies had already reached an agreement and signed the contract, but left it up to Elliott to tell him in the end. She stepped out to grab a fresh tray of drinks.
In the pantry, Misty pulled out her phone, wondering if she should send a text or call, but finally gave up, shoving her phone back into her pants pocket.
With the tides of authority in the company having turned, her position as the CEO's secretary was up in the air.