Chapter 152 - A Suggestion For The District Councilor's Secretary

"This lunch, I assume you made considerations with the venue, or do you want me to choose?" Sofia formally asked after the two of them had reached an agreement.

"Hmmm... Sofia, frankly speaking, I don't know which place is suitable to go. The young master of the Lee clan is an esteemed person. I am troubled by the place. Will you help me choose?" Grace requested.

"Brent is not that high, Grace. You think too highly of him," Sofia said and crossed her legs. She could not understand why this lady who had a powerful family was troubled by just choosing a place for them to eat. 

"He is high! The Lee family is one of the richest people in this district," Grace reasoned.

"Oh please... Your family holds the authority of the entire district. Brent is not above. You are the same level as him," Sofia's told her. How could this lady be so modest!

"Ah.. you are really young. You know, it's my family, not me. I have no control over the authority that we possessed. I am nothing but a tool for them," Grace pouted. She could not help but feel sad. Every day, she needed to dress properly and be mindful of her appearance in the public. She could not shout or yell. There were so many rules that she needed to obey so that the image of her family won't be affected.

"Daughters..." Sofia suddenly trailed while several thoughts crossed her mind. She remembered how it was before she gained power before. How could she forget that in the elite families, daughters were arranged to secure partnerships? Even in her last life, Sofia needed to prove her worth first before she gained control of her family so she could lead their company.

"Maybe you don't understand me. But, if Brent won't agree to be with me, I have no choice but to follow my father's order," Grace explained.

Sofia stared at her for a while before she took a deep breath. "What you are asking for Brent may be too much. But, he is also in the right age for marriage. Sof, talk with him directly so that both of you would not have any misunderstanding in the future," she spoke in a serious tone. It was clear in her mind that Grace was only looking for someone that could help her escape from the arrangement that her parents made for her.

Although Grace's action was beneficial to Sofia, she also felt conflicted knowing that the lady would only use her friend. It could be a potential mess if not talked about properly as early as possible.

"Are you thinking that I am using the young master of the Lee clan?" Grace suddenly asked as if she was able to read Sofia's thoughts.

"Yes. I'm quite worried that you would take advantage of him. But, he won't be sitting in his esteemed position right now if he would be easily taken advantage of. So, I just wish the both of you a good luck," Sofia answered without sugarcoating her words.

"You are too frank," Grace chuckled. "Don't worry, I won't take advantage of him. He would have his benefits if he will agree to my proposal," Grace stated with a strong determination on her face.

"I will call the Rosen Club and see if we can have lunch there," Sofia diverted their conversation back to their planned venue. She then searched the contact number of the establishment on the internet and dialed the number.

"Hmmn, the Rosen Club? Okay," Grace nodded while looking at her. This was the second time that Sofia called using her phone in front of her and each time she observed, she could not help but admire how refined Sofia's hand gestures were. Even the expression on Sofia's face while waiting for the call to connect was something that gave off a different feeling towards her heart.

"Yes? Do you have a spare table for ten people this lunch?" 

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"Uhuh! We will get that under my name, Sofia. Do you need other details for my companions?"

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"Alright, thank you!"

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Grace played with her fingernails while Sofia made the reservation. Not long after, Sofia finished her conversation and confirmed the venue of their lunch.

"I've made the reservation. But, how do you plan to be introduced? Do you want to come together with my squad? Or do you want to go there alone and pretend that I will invite you to join our table?" Sofia inquired.

"Haha, I  never presumed that you have reached your considerations up to this matter in your mind. I only thought that if you would agree then you will introduce me. It turns out that your ability to plan is few steps ahead of me! I think I will choose your second option," Grace said with a big smile on her face. 

Sofia just nodded upon hearing the lady's compliment. Grace sounded impressed by her questions but she did not think too much of it. In reality, she just wanted to speed up their conversation for it was almost time for her to go on her appointment with the district councilor.

"Then, I'll see you at lunch," Sofia said before she stood up from her seat.

"See you then," Grace beamed and clapped her hands joyfully. She was truly satisfied with their conversation. 

Sofia left the conference room and went straight to the councilors office. But to her disappointment, she was told that district Councilor Lucas Martinez was suddenly on leave. He was in the hospital handling some family emergency.

"Young lady, you mentioned that there is some complaint that you want to discuss with Coun. Martinez? You may fill out this form for your complaints," the secretary handed her two pages of paper.

Sofia looked at the paper and then to the eyes of the secretary with a blank expression. Then her line of vision moved to the nameplate of the employee which had her nickname scribbled as 'Miss Cathy'.

She pushed the paper back to the secretary and said, "I have an area for improvement that I want to speak in relation to you, Miss Cathy."

Sofia used the name of the secretary easily. The woman also stood straight. This was the first time that a visitor in their office used her complete name.

Although she had been wearing a nameplate, all of the people that she had met before was only calling her ma'am. 

Hearing Sofia's call made her felt a little bit uneasy.

'Areas for improvement? Damn! I did not commit any mistake. You just came in and I greeted you properly. Just what do you want me to improve? Do you want me to smile bigger?' the secretary consequently made a quick rant in her head. But her face still looked calm in facing Sofia. No one could tell that she was already cursing in her mind.

"Yes, what is it that you want to speak, young lady?" the secretary promptly spoke.

"I must say that I am in no position to tell you this however, I think that this is necessary," Sofia started. It was important for her to establish that she was not bossing around with the employee. Instead, it was just her opinion.

"Young lady, I am older than you and I have much experience with this line of work. But, you just feel free to speak what is in your mind and I will handle that with professionalism," the secretary responded with a humble tone.

"I am not invalidating your experience in your job. But, I want to help so that you will develop as a high-level person in this field. Whether you will apply this or not, it's up to you," Sofia said. 

The secretary nodded and felt slightly calmed. She thought that Sofia would speak to her with selfish and nonsense whining. She had met such types of people too many times. 

But after the young lady mentioned development, she could not help but look forward to what Sofia wanted to speak.

"This appointment, I called yesterday to make sure that I will be able to talk with the district councilor---" Sofia said but she was interrupted with the secretary before she could finish her sentence.

"If you are upset about this, I'm sorry! Like I said, there was an emergency that our district councilor needs to attend to. I hope you'll understand that we cannot control or predict emergencies!" she reasoned.

"Oh, no... I am not talking about the emergency. What I meant is for Miss Cathy to perhaps, inform me of these changes ahead of time? That way, I won't come here only to find out that my appointment is no longer available. I could have used my time for my other errands," Sofia explained with a tone that was slightly disappointed.

"Well, I wanted to do that really. But, how am I supposed to call you? You used the telephone. I don't know your number!" the secretary continued to reason. She was willing to call Sofia to inform her about the changes. However, there was no means for her to communicate with the young lady.

Sofia had already thought of such lapses. She was truly disappointed and wanted to address the matter professionally.

"This is where my suggestion can be applied, Miss Cathy. Maybe, next time, you can list the appointments and include the contact information just in case there are changes of plans on your side," Sofia said sternly.

"Ohhh..." the secretary could only open her mouth and became speechless for a few seconds. "That's indeed a good suggestion," she added thoughtfully.