The Reclaimed Rose (Annalise and Steven)

"I'm thinking we could quicken the progress while the hype on our comics and

merchandise is still ongoing, without compromising on the quality, of course,"

Zane continued.

I thought it was a solid idea. "All right."

He asked, "Shall I make the arrangements, then?"

"Go ahead," I allowed.

Zane grabbed his phone and went to the balcony to discuss his plans with Eric.

After years of working alongside Zane, Eric understood him immediately and said,

"Leave it to me."

However, just to make sure he hadn't missed anything, Eric went over the details

with Zane once more. It was only after he had reconfirmed Zane's plans that he

finally heaved a breath of relief.

Zane suddenly handed me the phone. I took it and asked Eric, "Is everything all

right?"noveldrama

"Our company's hiring process is almost over," Eric informed me, his words

coming out in a rush. "I went through the figures earlier. With the profit we're

making, we could afford to give our probationary staffers a raise."

"I'm assuming you already have a figure in mind if you're bringing this up?" I

guessed.

Eric chuckled. "That's right. How does ten grand sound to you? The senior staff

would get a raise, too, of course."

In the past, Eric thought that if he ever owned a business, it would be a wise

move to keep the employees' wages to a minimum. He believed it was the only

way he could boost the company's profit margin and ensure a steady cash flow.

However, working for Zane and me had changed his perception. He started to

realize how outdated his previous views were.

Money was a good motivator. It drummed up the staff's morale and encouraged

work output, thus bringing in more money for the business. The results were

gratifying.

"Do we have any senior staffers in our company?" I asked upon hearing Eric's

suggestion.

There was a long pause before Eric answered, "Not that I can think of. All our

employees are on probation at the moment. We'll confirm them once they pass

their probation."

I fell silent and considered our options. A beat later, I pressed, "Shall we give them

a raise after they've passed probation, then?"

Eric replied immediately, "That's a

good call. Oh, I forgot to tell you the

good news. Do you know how the

new merchandise for your plush

toys has been launched? The sales

numbers are still climbing, and our

new recruits have been performing

well. They've got the basic tasks

covered."

I beamed. "That certainly takes some burden off our shoulders, doesn't it?"

"That's right," he said. "All you have to do is come up with the sketches. I'll take

care of the rest."

"True," I agreed. "But the sales and

marketing team need improvement

to keep up with our business

progress. I'll drop by the company

and give them a crash course when I

have the time. Maybe it'll help bring

in more revenue."

"Nice," Eric said. I wasn't surprised by how hard he worked, considering he stood

to gain some of the profits. "By the way, I've got an important question for you."

"What is it?" I asked, puzzled.

He pointed out solemnly,

"Technically, only those who have

passed probation will be entitled to a

commission. However, none of our

staffers have been formally

employed; all of them are still under

probation."