Georgoeus Lucy

"You lied to me," Sonya said, pouting.

"Actually, I wasn't lying," Regina said calmly. "I just wasn't telling the truth, but, yeah, I am sorry, Sonya."

Sonya sighed. "You're right. But, Regie, did it really have to be like that? How many years have you been working as a regular staff member? Five years? Six years? And you even went through so many hardships, even though you could have just risen to the top."

"And I won't be a good and proper leader that way," Regina said. "When I start at the bottom, I'll appreciate everything more when I reach the top. My years as a staff member have given me a wealth of experience and invaluable insight that will equip me for my future leadership. Thank you for always being there for me and helping me, Sonya."

Sonya looked at Regina with admiration. She and Regina had known each other since Regina's first day on the job. Sonya had been working as a receptionist for three months, and she was already used to it.

Sonya taught Regina to do her duties with generosity, unlike the other staff who chose to ignore Regina.

"It's kind of a tradition," Sonya said once.  "Let the newbies fend for themselves, because everyone starts out that way. Don't let the newbies get more attention, even if they're capable, because even incompetent veterans deserve more attention."

"Ugh, that was really bad," Regina muttered, mentally retorting to herself. "It was like a covert hazing."

"That's it. I was scolded and had a water bottle thrown at me by a customer because she thought I'd deliberately switched her room with her husband's girlfriend's. It was a big scene, and besides the cut on my forehead from the water bottle, I was also suspended for three days," Sonya said. "In fact, the one who made the mistake wasn't me, but the staff member who was on duty before. She'd been working there for two years and had made mistakes like that."

"Oh, that was really annoying. Did you tell management about that?" Regina asked.

"Yes," Sonya replied. "But I was still suspended, and after I came back, some of the senior staff members became hostile towards me and called me a snitch. The senior staff member who made the mistake, she just smiled annoyingly and spread rumors that I was jealous of her and tried to bring down her name."

Everything Regina said about the covert hazing was true. But she handled it calmly and carefully recorded everything. She learned a lot of things while working as a staff.

Regina understood why the Maverick family had a strict rule of not using the family name until they were ready to take over company or begin leadership.

Learning and working from the bottom up not only allows a prospective leader to understand the good and bad in their company, what needs improvement and what needs to be maintained, but also to better understand the direction in which they should lead their company to improve and progress.

The Maverick ancestors implemented a grassroots business strategy, which was continually refined from generation to generation.

Now, having returned to her family, Regina felt confident that she was ready to carry out her duties as a Maverick. She had enough material to get started.

"You know what, Regie," said Sonya. "When you accepted your ex-husband and that bitch's request to officiate their wedding, I nearly threw up."

Regina laughed amusedly.  "Honestly, it was a bit annoying. You should have seen Asher's face when I handed him the divorce papers. He was shocked, then upset. He's a competitive person, and the small fact that I was the one divorcing him made him feel defeated. So I'm sure he'll try to retaliate."

"By pointing out his ex-wife, who was managing his marriage with her mistress! That annoying bastard!" Sonya cursed angrily.

"Actually, three days after I filed all the divorce documents with the court, I was able to go home to my family. They were waiting for me. But I still had to wait for all the paperwork to be completed, and in the meantime, I learned that Asher and Leika were planning to play a trick on me by getting married at our hotel and using me as the officiant," Regina said.

"So you delayed fulfilling their challenge and delivered the final blow on their wedding party day!" Sonya said smugly. "Really, Regina, your business rivals will have to be careful."

Regina just smiled.

"So, when are you going to take over the hotel?" Sonya asked.

"Early next year," Regina said. "Two more months. My mother insisted she'd fix me first after five years of me being ruined by Asher and his family. She cried every time I undressed in front of her. She said she could put soap on my collarbone."

Sonya laughed. "I'm sure your extended family wants to invade and exterminate Asher and his family for making you miserable."

Regina sighed. "I regret not listening to my parents five years ago. Love blinded me then and paralyzed my reasoning. In the end, experience made me realize that."

Sonya gently stroked Regina's shoulder. "You may have wasted five years on a jerk and his annoying family, but now you have a lifetime to live a better life."

Regina nodded.  She knew that in the past five years, Sonya had been one of the best things she'd ever had. A friend who was always there to listen and help her without hesitation.

"Let's go," Regina said, grabbing her bag and standing. "Aunt Lucia is probably waiting. She's been fussing about my monotonous, outdated, and shabby wardrobe ever since I got home."

Regina and Sonya walked leisurely to the largest boutique in the mall. The boutique belonged to Lucia Rose Whitmore, Regina's aunt. She was her father's youngest sister.

Lucia owned 18 large and well-known boutiques across six American states. She also opened two new branches in London and two more in Sydney late last year. The boutique, labeled Georgeus Lucy, specialized in women's formal and casual wear.

Lucia's husband was Adam  Whitmore, a high-ranking military officer with significant influence within the Ministry of Defense.

They had twin boys, and after a series of miscarriages, Lucia finally gave up on getting pregnant again because she wanted a girl.

Regina became her and her husband's favorite daughter, often vying for time to take Regina out with her other in-laws.

"I often look at the Gorgeous Lucy catalog, but I never dare to go into this boutique," Sonya said as she arrived. "My wallet is too thin for a boutique of this caliber."

Regina laughed and led Sonya inside. The tinkling of the doorbell brought a staff member to their side. Her smile was friendly and her demeanor polite.

"Welcome to Gorgeous Lucy. I'm Milla, and I'm ready to assist you," the staff member, named Milla, greeted.

"Thank you, Milla," Regina replied. "I've already arranged to meet with Aunt Lucia."

Milla's face lit up. "Ah, you must be Ms. Regina. Madam Lucia said she'll see you soon. She's currently meeting with a client from Japan who suddenly requested an earlier meeting. While you waits, she said you can browse our collection and choose whatever you want. I'll guide you."

"Regie, maybe that's why your aunt didn't answer your call earlier. She's probably in the middle of a meeting," Sonya said.

"Yes, I think you're right," Regina replied. She turned to Milla. "My friend and I will look around first."

"Sure," Milla replied. She pointed to a large room. "There are several fitting rooms over there. You can bring up to four outfits to try on. I suggest you start browsing in section A. There are many new designs released last month, sections B through E, respectively. Section F is a collection of designs that we've marked down at half price because they're all older designs from the middle of last year."

Regina showed Sonya around, and she quickly grabbed everything she liked.

"Sonya, why are you so quiet?" Regina asked, turning to see Sonya not picking anything, just touching some of the clothes and looking at them. "You don't like these clothes?"

"Don't be ridiculous," Sonya said. "They're all very nice and cool. But I don't—"

"Take whatever you want," Regina said, cutting Sonya off. "Don't think about the price. I should be grateful to have you as my friend during my difficult times, so let me show you my gratitude now."

"But, Regina, I became your friend without—"

"I know. That's why I'm grateful. Now shut up, use your eyes to choose, and use your hands to pick it off the hanger and try it on!"

Sonya's eyes welled up, but then she quickly went to another row of clothes when Regina glared playfully.

Regina was talking to Milla about the material of the clothes she had chosen when she heard someone shouting from another room.

"Oh, what's that?" Regina asked, looking at Milla. "The voice sounds familiar."

Milla was also surprised. "I think it's from section F. I'll check it out in a moment."

Regina followed behind Milla.

In the middle of section F, Sonya was arguing with two women in front of her. Sonya's face was bright red, and she was holding her cheek.

Regina stopped in the doorway of Section F. She recognized the two women arguing with Sonya, even though she only saw their backs.

Magie and Olivia.