BLEACHED (COMPLETED)

6: Challenge me

Lavender can't help but keep her burning eyes on Domen who seems to be struggling to get the red sauce out of the teardrop shaped bottle, no matter how many times he tries to squeeze it out.

The entire table is filled with small fancy portions of foods that Lavender knows she can eat it all by herself. Some of the food on the table are neat rolls of sushi, something she never ate but does not dream of eating.

Most of the food on the table are seafood and oddly looking meat decorated in such odd ways that even Lavender couldn't have imagined.

"Are you going to talk or just stand there?" Domen asks as he glances up to meet her gaze when he gives up in shaking the sauce bottle.

"The report summarizes the efficiency after the simulation of the model-." She begins to explain as she sketches a few diagrams on Domen's notepad, trying to illustrate her explanation as the boss listens attentively, taking a few notes as he nods his head constantly. The other man with them seems overly annoyed at Lavender being present, even though they barely know each other but he knows he can't talk to the boss with her explaining her report. "And that is why I think we need to improve by considering the dynamic complexity and retrace all our feedback processes to manage to fix all our problems. I guarantee we will be able to forecast future patterns on what we are trading at any time."

"Hm. that's a very impressive report, Ms. Carter. I really am impressed you managed to break down the system in mere hours." The boss says, getting Lavender to giggle out and brush her hair to ear as she turns her gaze to Domen who has gone back to trying to get the sauce out.

"I had to deliver the best. I'm good at taking in detail." She chuckles out as she walks over to Domen and snatches the bottle with so much unneeded force, getting him to stare at her wide-eyed with furrowed brows at the sudden snatch.

She hovers the sauce bottle over his meal and demonstrates that he simply has to squeeze the sides where the thumb shaped soft spot is attached. He stares down in amusement at how she managed to figure out that there is a button on the small teardrop bottle. She places it down beside him and walks back to her seat.

"I have a boyfriend who is an artist and when he paints places, I help him with the details he misses out." Lavender chuckles as she reaches for her glass of water.

"Then he must be bad at detailing, why should he be an artist?" Domen asks as he begins to eat with ease now that he finally got the sauce on his food, just as she wanted.

"Detailing isn't easy. Not everyone can notice, Mr. Southren, just like you didn't notice the rare teardrop bottles have a soft spot to press to get the sauce out." Lavender smiles as Domen frowns at her as his jaw moves in rhythm to him breaking down his food. "Detailing is hard to master, but with perfect time, one can master it."

"Then how did you acquire such a skill if you think detailing isn't something anyone can do?" Domen asks as he rolls his eyes and drops his gaze down to his food.

"I've been around a lot of liars, deceivers and people that I can't categorize. They keep me cautious all day and I find myself looking around. So the more I talk to such people, and the people around them, I forced myself to learn how to read the liar and the victim." Lavender explains as she frowns towards Domen, not out of irritation, but slowly out of pity. "I'm at the point that people are now an open book. Makes it easy to apply the same thing in everything else. Dogs, cats, systems. You name it." She chuckles as she clasps her hands together, getting Domen to glance at her as her boss smiles and nods at her.

"It's a rough way to acquire a skill but it might as well be the reason to get a promotion." The boss says, getting Lavender to widen her eyes as she shifts her gaze towards him.

"... What!? Really!?" She chuckles out in surprise as she clasps her hands together. "I... I'm honored!"

"She's not getting a promotion until her detailed report shows results. And I want to challenge that you analyse your report to get sales up in just two weeks." Domen says as he keeps his eyes down to his plate as he cuts his next meal, grilled but mild cut into countless bite sized pieces. "Sounds impossible but if you can sit here and boast about your perfect attention to detail, I think this should be a piece of cake."

"For that to happen I'll have to break down the entire company's system and rebuild it from scratch. New hypothesis, new simulations, new policies-."

"You don't need to agree to it. Your current report is fine, you'll get a promotion. but-," he slowly plasters a smirk on his lips as he stares directly at her. "If you manage to actually achieve this goal, even with a 0.5% rise in the sales, I'll handwrite a million dollar check, multiply up your salary by three, give you a five month bonus and upgrade you to advisor, where you'll work under me, but in this current company, since I'm ranking to the largest shareholder."

Lavender gasps out as she stares at him in terror at the outrageous offer he has given her and for something that not everyone can achieve.

"All you need is a 0.5%?" She asks as she reaches her hand to her mouth when she starts drooling over the amount of money she will get almost all at once. And talk about an entire million on top of four months of promised bonuses!?

"0.5% for the company will be a billion in cash sales. It's not a lot for a company this size, but it's still profit." He grins when he knows for sure there is no way she can manage it. As far as he's known her for, through their small encounter and through his fiancée, Lavender sounds more goofy than smart. "But, you will have to make sure your model holds out for four months during the time of the bonuses, if it doesn't and collapses lower than it's currently working, your promotion will still be yours, but, I'll cut your salary by half-."

"Deal!" Lavender exclaims with blood rushing to her head at the thought of all of the money. All the potential flood of money she is getting. She'll get triple the amount, and downing it by half is nothing, still more than what she gets.

"You do know a failed model makes it hard for you to get jobs elsewhere in your field, right?" Domen asks and Lavender nods her head as she leans back to her chair and smirks.

"Mr. Southren, I don't intend to fail. I'm waiting for that check. You better start practicing on how to congratulate me." She smirks as Domen raises a brow but slightly smirks back at her.

"I like this one." The boss chuckles as he nods his head. "The challenging ones are what business is about."