A noble cause

Stephen was flabbergasted for a brief moment, even forgetting to blink. "A..a job?" Jenny nodded hopefully. "Yes, yes of course. I am sure we can find you something." Jenny clasped her hands from joy, having solved another one of her seemingly impossible tasks. "Wonderful. Thank you father. If possible I want something where I can actually make myself useful. I don't want you to create a job just for me. Otherwise I could have done what Jason had told me and just put it on the spending card he gave when we got engaged." Hoping that her father-in-law wouldn't take her request the wrong way Jenny turned a bit hesitant as she added, "Also...I want my identity to hidden, even from you, so that I don't receive any preferential treatment...". However it had the opposite effect on Stephen as he couldn't be more proud of Jenny at that moment. She could have taken the easy route by simply charging the gift to the card she had gotten, when she decided to earn the money herself, she could have asked him to get her an easy job with high pay, but instead she took the honorable route.

Stephen thought it was a noble cause that Jenny wanted to earn her money by herself and without his interference, basically only asking for an introduction, so he suggested, "Well, in that case it might me better if I get you a job at one of our partner companies, instead of one of the companies we own. That way I won't receive wind of your achievements nor struggles. Better yet, I will give you the contact information of three different companies, you can pick where you want to work and you can have HR process your employment under a false name. That way it will all depend on your own merit."

Those words sounded like music to her ears. She was already reluctant to ask her father-in-law for help in the first place, but considering what her mother-in-law had said during the whole Violet debacle and taking into account the peace she was trying to guard with the stubborn man she had chosen, she felt like there was no other way. Especially considering the time for her to give the jeweler the remaining money was coming closer at a rapid speed and she hadn't earned a penny yet. So, she needed a well paying job to reach her deadline and any company working with Westwood international would surely have a salary matching the level of the company, which is high! With a big smile on her face she said, "That would be even better!".

The moment they came home, Stephen made work of his promise to Jenny and called his assistant as he prepared to go to he office. He asked him to look through their contact list for three suitable partner companies where his daughter-in-law could work for the foreseeable future. The secretary was quite confused, not understanding why she couldn't work at the main company or one of their own smaller companies, but he knew better than to openly question his boss's decisions and requests. So, without any hesitation he answered with a "Yes, sir." and got started. Nonetheless, whether he agreed or understood the tasks he was given, it was clear to anyone who came into contact with him, directly or indirectly, why he had the position that he held. It was because regardless of the day, time or extent of the task he got it done efficiently and performed it to perfection.

By the time Stephen got to the company, the assistant was already waiting for him in his office with a thorough list and possible jobs for Jenny and had already contacted the partners to get their pre-approval for hiring Jenny. Each one of them was honoured to have any member of the Westwood family at their company and this was aided by the follow-up request to have her employment processed under a false name. The companies the secretary had chosen were all companies of self-made men and women, who were impressed by Jenny's request to remain anonymous, indicating that she wanted to show her worth and not have it handed to her on a silver platter. So they immediately gave their approval along with a pre-signed letter of employment and an instruction to their HR department to accept whatever request she made on her first day at their company should she pick them.

Despite the impressive job he had done, Stephen only gave a slight nod when he was presented the results and said "Put it on my desk. I will look over them later today." With that the secretary was dismissed without a single word of praise. Though he wasn't surprised or disappointed because of it, because being efficient, thorough and perfect was what he was being payed for and he certainly had nothing to complain about in that department. So, as long as his work was satisfactory in the eyes of his boss, that was all the praise he needed. This was the understanding he and Stephen had and it had worked well for them for the past ten plus years, as this was the same assistant that was by his side from his first day as CEO. Back then he had told him, "I don't care about your background, degree or your past. All I need is that from today on you execute every assignment I give you, however small they may be, to perfection because we won't be able to afford a mistake. There are traps for us everywhere and many people who wish to see me fall, so trust no one, anticipate everything and report to no one but me. That way we will be able to achieve greatness and you will be awarded accordingly."