Since I was now in charge of the company’s audit, I went to the Finance Department to check things out. I was shocked to find that the internal audit had already begun.
Isabelle Leek, the person in charge of the Finance Department, handed me all the company accounts. “These are all the accounts up until now, Ms. Stovall. Take a look at them. This year’s audit will include Mr. Quinn’s side of things as well, so the workload will be heavier. Mr. Fuller intends to let Harrison Credit handle the external audit this year.”
Flipping through the ledgers, I nodded and felt a headache brewing behind my eyes. “Alright, I understand. I’ll look through these first. Also, can you sort out a copy of AC Credit’s audited data from the previous years for me?”
“Sure!”
After that, I went back to my office with the documents. Stacey settled some things before coming in only to see me with my head buried in a stack of documents. “Ms. Stovall, the president of AC Credit, Mr. Thomas Lowe, just called. He wants to meet with you.”
If AC Credit and Fuller Corporation stopped collaborating, there would probably be a loss of millions. Hence, I wasn’t surprised that he was anxious to meet me. However, Ashton wanted to end their collaboration. Perhaps something happened in between which I wasn’t aware of, but I had no time to spare for Thomas Lowe.
Directing my gaze at Stacey, I ordered, “Just tell him I’m busy. One other thing, contact the president of Harrison Credit for me. I need to meet him. Look up the companies which were recently audited by Harrison Credit as well.”
“Okay!” After Stacey left, I buried myself in my work once again.
In the blink of an eye, it was already evening. My back was sore and my whole body felt stiff from sitting for so long. I stood and walked out of my office, finding that there was no one in the office area.
I made a cup of coffee and went back to my office, planning to order takeout. It looked like I had to stay here and work overtime today.
“Shouldn’t you be packing up already?” A voice disrupted the silence, startling me slightly. I looked up and saw that it was Jared.
An involuntary smile appeared on my lips. “Well, you haven’t left yet either.”
He smiled vaguely and handed me the lunch box in his hand. “This soup was just prepared by Devon. It’s good for your health.”
Surprise filled me as I peered at him. “Thank you.”
We weren’t all that familiar with each other, so I thought that he’d leave right after this. To my surprise, he remained standing there. Unable to find anything to talk about, I simply kept silent.
“Did Ashton put you in charge of the company’s audit?” He searched for a place to sit down and asked me.
I nodded. “Yeah. I don’t have much experience with this, so it’s a bit of a headache for me.”
He seemed to fully agree, nodding his head quite a few times. “It has only one year since the company went public. There is a huge difference between this year’s audit and those from previous years. A slight mistake will cause the company stocks to plummet. In fact, many companies go bankrupt every year due to errors in their annual audits.”
He spoke earnestly, so I put down my work and glanced at him with a similar expression, to which he continued, “Furthermore, the audit company has been switched this year, so you have to be extra careful.”
This was his reminder to me.
“Ashton knows that auditing isn’t my strength. Why did he still put me in charge of this?” A single mistake would cost the entire Fuller Corporation. The risk was too great, so I just couldn’t figure out Ashton’s intentions behind this decision.
Jared straightened up and looked at me. “If you do this right, the shares Old Mr. Fuller left for you will be legally transferred to your name. You’d possess all the rights to those shares, and you wouldn’t just be a director. You’d become a partner of the company.”
After a brief pause, he adjusted his clothes and continued, “But if you mess this up, Fuller Corporation will be in trouble, and you might also face the risk of leaving the company once and for all.”
My brows drew together, and I didn’t know what to say to that.
Is Ashton betting the entire Fuller Corporation on me, or…
I didn’t allow myself to entertain the other possibility and closed the ledger in my hand. As I opened the soup he had brought, I glanced at him and asked, “I’ve taken over the matters regarding HiTech, but why does Ashton want me to keep tabs on OrbitTech?”
Jared frowned slightly as if in contemplation, and said after a few beats, “HiTech was acquired by Fuller Corporation because of its cash flow issues. So far, Joe has been the one managing it. Now that it has been handed to you, perhaps Ashton wants you to get more exposure to new technologies. After all, there are policies in place. Soon, the country will support the development of internet and tech companies. In the future, Fuller Corporation might mostly deal with new technologies, so maybe he wants you to familiarize yourself with these things in advance.”
He added after a moment, “As for OrbitTech, perhaps Ashton has plans to acquire it. So telling you to keep tabs could be because he wants to find out their potential for future development.”
I nodded and took a few sips of the soup. Finding it quite delectable, I looked at him and expressed my gratitude. “Thank you for your care during this time.”
He smiled and got up to leave.
“Are you heading home?” I asked, glancing at the sky which was already darkening.
He hummed a yes and replied, “I have something on later in the night.”
I nodded as a hint of disappointment flashed through me. I initially thought that we could have supper together later if he had the time.
After he left, I drank the soup and continued going through the documents until my butt screamed for me to pack up and leave for the day.
