"What request?"
"As I said, this story was written thanks to someone's advice. That person is your office clerk, Jenny Jones. I want to include her name as a reviser after my story. Otherwise, I would feel uneasy."
Eliot heard this and didn't see any problem. Instead, he found it interesting and stroked his beard.
Recently, Clare had been at odds with these clerks, and Eliot, as the direct superior, had noticed.
He was eager to see Clare grow beyond just social skills and also to see the efforts of other clerks.
But he hadn't expected that despite Clare's precautions, Jenny still found a way to slip in.
"Alright, I'll add her name after mine."
After saying this, Eliot deliberately called Clare in.
He had Clare verbatim add Sean's oral request into the copyright agreement.
Clare listened, stunned for a moment before coming to his senses. His mind went blank, and only after a while did he realize something was wrong.
"Yes, I'll add that right away."
He hurriedly left the meeting room and looked around for Jenny, completely clueless about what had happened.
But now, whatever he did was too late. He had no choice but to accept it and draft the contract.
In the hallway, Jenny was thanking Frank for the royalty adjustment.
Frank leaned against the wall panel and shook his head, saying he wasn't doing it for profit.
"Just think of me as a purely good-hearted person."
Jenny couldn't help but smile, then quickly restrained her expression.
They whispered for a while, then dispersed in the hallway and returned to the office.
Clare finished drafting the contract and brought it in. Sean read it carefully, signed it, and left his fingerprint, also providing his bank account for wire transfers.
"The first payment will arrive within two days. We'll send you a proof copy. We'll also notify you before publication six months from now. I hope we have a pleasant cooperation."
"Pleasant cooperation."
Jenny escorted Sean out of the building and learned that Mr. Eliot had included her name in the contract terms.
Although this wasn't a fixed column credit, just a revision credit for Sean's story, it was still a big step forward in her work.
Moreover, the editorial department's practice was that anyone who got a credit once would receive a bonus. She had indeed benefited.
When colleagues in the office heard the news, they gossiped among themselves.
Most laughed at Clare for being outsmarted, while a few felt anxious.
As Jenny went back upstairs, two colleagues who rarely spoke to her before suddenly greeted her.
Polly pushed the others aside and sat down to work with a reluctant expression.
Jenny looked around at her colleagues' faces, especially Fujena and Polly's sour expressions, and sighed inwardly.
She thought that although these people weren't used to it yet, one day they would get used to all this.
That afternoon was the day Mr. Alpha was scheduled to visit Mr. Burshuta.
Dealing with an author of Mr. Burshuta's caliber required high negotiating power, which was beyond Eliot's capacity. His single-book limit was only a few hundred dollars.
Mr. Alpha spent the whole afternoon negotiating and successfully finalized the contract.
When he and several subordinates returned to the office, it was already close to quitting time.
Mr. Alpha called Eliot in, and they discussed a few matters for a while.
When Eliot came out, he announced to everyone in the office:
"Starting next month, Ronald will officially have a fixed column space."
Suddenly, all the office clerks became more jealous of Ronald than of Jenny.
His favorable treatment immediately drew all the fire.
Jenny watched from behind. As soon as it was time to leave, she grabbed her bag and slipped out.
For two or three consecutive days, the atmosphere among the office clerks grew tense due to Jenny and Ronald's good fortune.
Editors and assistant editors from other groups also began to guard against their subordinates.
But Jenny now had her own credited story, and her future prospects were uncertain.
Many who disliked her, like Mr. Clare, couldn't vent their grievances in front of her. Instead, they had to pretend to be harmonious and congratulate her most enthusiastically.
For Clare, he could only offend the elderly, not the young, in case the young one suddenly grew up.
Jenny enjoyed watching him grit his teeth while congratulating her, but she knew not to get carried away.
Especially since people were watching her all day. During work, she tried to keep a low profile.
At quitting time, she slipped away promptly, either going to the coffee shop or waiting for Frank to finish work and borrowing his living room.
After a whole week of hard work behind the scenes, she finally managed to copy a complete set of Tori's stories.
On Saturday evening, Manhattan's weather was cold and overcast, with dark clouds floating in the sky.