The Supreme Soldier in the City
Chapter 390 - 397 Goddess

Chapter 390: Chapter 397 Goddess

Back in the office, Lucy Campbell smiled and said, "This atmosphere is great, I really like it. Looks like you’re quite skilled at managing your team—Human Resources seems pretty lively."

James Brown felt a little guilty. Though he worked in Human Resources, he hadn’t been particularly diligent outside of his initial efforts. Most of the time, he would shove the tasks directly onto his subordinates, essentially becoming a hands-off manager. He replied, "These folks are all quite unique in their own way. This energy is probably because of your arrival. The ’beauty effect’ truly is powerful."

Lucy chuckled softly and said, "Everyone loves beauty, can’t fault them for that. Oh, Manager Johnson, your tea has gone cold—let me get you a fresh cup."

"There’s no need for that," James said, feeling a bit uneasy as he watched Lucy change his tea.

"I’m your secretary. If I don’t take good care of you as the manager, and you end up firing me, wouldn’t that be awful for me?"

Secretly, James thought to himself, "More likely you’d fire me. Who in their right mind would dare fire you?"

Since Lucy seemed keen on playing this role, James decided not to say much more. He adjusted quickly; after all, he’d interacted with people far more imposing than Lucy in the past. Letting go of any hesitations, he decided to accept this situation without issue.

Lucy looked at James casually posturing like a boss, which oddly made her quite happy. She had met so many people who bent over backwards to curry favor with her, but James’s ability to treat her with ease and normalcy only made her like him more.

Of course, part of this was also because she had long harbored secret feelings for James. So whatever he did, she always viewed it through an appreciative lens—any little action of his seemed to reveal yet another positive trait.

"Manager Johnson, what should I do right now?" Lucy asked James as she sat down.

James glanced at the personnel requests submitted by various departments on his desk and said, "I’ve got some employee request reports here. Look through them for me and determine which ones are necessary and which ones aren’t."

Lucy promptly came over to take the stack and diligently got to work.

Given Lucy’s experience managing multiple large companies, tackling such small tasks was no challenge. Even though she wasn’t familiar with this particular corporation, her expertise alone allowed her to make accurate judgments.

In less than twenty minutes, Lucy had finished organizing the reports. She brought them over and stood beside James, saying, "Manager Johnson, I’m done. These sets are fully justified, these ones are optional, and these ones are entirely unnecessary."

James flipped them open and took a look, breaking into a wide grin. "Impressive, very impressive," he said, as he quickly signed off on them. He handed them back to Lucy, instructing, "Take these over to Robert Thompson and let him handle it."

Lucy responded with a simple "Okay" before heading out of the office with her usual graceful steps.

James couldn’t help but feel as though Lucy enjoyed being ordered around, even looking excited about it. Was it possible that the renowned Goddess of SSUP Country, used to calling the shots and delegating tasks, had actually developed a liking for being a subordinate now?

Regardless of what Lucy was thinking, James had no interest in analyzing it. He simply treated it like a fun little game. It worked out perfectly—less stress at work, plus having a beautiful secretary around. Why not enjoy it?

Human Resources didn’t have much to do these days anyway, and James, as the manager, had even less work. Now, with a highly capable secretary, his life was even more relaxed—spending the morning playing computer games, smoking, sipping tea, all while feeling utterly at ease.

Lucy, on the other hand, proved to be an excellent secretary—constantly refilling his tea, emptying the ashtray, and keeping his desk spotless. James pretended not to notice and let her work away.

James was thoroughly enjoying himself, while Gina Lopez couldn’t shake a sense of disquiet. To her, it was outright bizarre for a former board chair to suddenly take up a junior position at the company and even act as her husband’s secretary. Especially since James had always been somewhat unreliable—if he were to rub Lucy the wrong way, surely it would spell trouble.

Unable to calm her mind, Gina decided to head downstairs to James’s office. She walked in to find Lucy refilling James’s tea, while James sat there with his legs crossed, fully engrossed in his computer screen, looking as carefree as ever.

"Mr. Lopez!" Lucy greeted Gina warmly.

Gina closed the door before saying, "Mr. Smith, why are you refilling this guy’s tea? I told you yesterday—you’re here to be a board member, not to serve him. And you, James, what on earth are you thinking? Acting like such a king—stop letting Lucy wait on you!"

Being admonished by his wife felt different these days; while unreasonable, it carried a certain charm. Back when Gina criticized him as his superior, it had a distant, formal sting. But now, as his wife, her complaints held a familial warmth—a tender care at its core.

Lucy quickly interjected, "Mr. Lopez, I am officially Manager Johnson’s secretary right now. Serving him is part of my job. If he started taking care of me instead, wouldn’t that defeat the purpose of me being here?"

Gina shot James a glare before smiling politely at Lucy. "That’s just for appearances in front of people. When it’s just the three of us, why bother serving him? That guy loves playing the big shot—you shouldn’t spoil him."

Lucy replied with a smile, "Whatever I do, I like to invest myself wholeheartedly. Since I’m here as a secretary, I’ll be the best secretary I can be. Please don’t overthink it; just treat me as Manager Johnson’s secretary. If you see me as a board chair here, it’ll only make me uncomfortable."

Lucy’s words were elegant yet firm, carrying an undeniable sense of authority. Gina could do little else but relent, saying, "I know Secretary Smith is diligent and meticulous. But you shouldn’t coddle certain people too much, or you’ll surely end up being taken advantage of."

Lucy chuckled lightly and said, "Don’t worry. I’ll protect myself—there’s no way a manager, using his title, could bully me."

Feeling slightly embarrassed, Gina said no more, while James lit a cigarette and casually remarked, "Now, dear wife, don’t concern yourself with it."

Gina frowned at him and countered, "In the company, don’t call me ’wife’—address me as Mr. Lopez."

"Sure, sure. Mr. Lopez, if you’ve got no pressing issues, perhaps it’s best for you to head back to work instead of wasting time here. Secretary Smith, please escort Mr. Lopez out."

Gina felt an impulse to pinch James—how dare he act so superior at a time like this, as if he were the company president and she merely a department manager? If other people were present, she’d have no choice but to reprimand him sternly. But with only Lucy and him around, as his wife, she couldn’t bring herself to get harsh. All she could do was respond, "You’d better take your work seriously. If you laze around again, I’ll have you out of this company."

After Gina left the office, James continued acting like royalty, while Lucy carried on as a devoted secretary. Though their conversations were sparse, the atmosphere between them remained harmonious.

At lunchtime, Lucy’s arrival caused a stir throughout the company. Bold employees even approached her, striving to leave a good impression and perhaps secure a chance to get closer to her.

Though the company already had its share of beauties—Gina, Sunny Nguyen, and Sarah Utah—all three were absolute stunners. But Gina and Sunny held top executive roles; employees wouldn’t dare even entertain romantic thoughts, let alone approach them.

Sarah, friendly and approachable, had many suitors initially. However, after her public confession to James, the number of admirers dwindled. Sarah was a manager, and James was also a manager. No one wanted to risk upsetting either of them.

Lucy, however, was different. As an ordinary employee, she stood on equal footing with the others, meaning they could pursue her without concern about status.

News of Lucy’s new position spread quickly throughout the company. Apart from two brief visits to Human Resources, she hadn’t made another public appearance—staying in James’s office all morning, leaving no opportunities for others to approach her.

This left many unmarried men grumbling about James, accusing him of monopolizing the best resources at the company. First, he "claimed" Sarah, and now he made Lucy his secretary, keeping her isolated in his office and preventing anyone from interacting with her. Truly despicable!

Little did they know, neither Sarah nor Lucy were romantically involved with James. Meanwhile, Gina—James’s wife—and Sunny—James’s lover—remained off-limits and admired from a distance.

Lucy treated her eager male colleagues with warm smiles, without showing even a hint of annoyance. This thrilled them to no end, and by afternoon, she had already been crowned the company’s new Goddess, surpassing Gina and Sunny in popularity.

When the workday ended, James took his HR team out for some relaxation, leaving everyone ecstatic—a company-sponsored outing bolstered by Lucy’s presence as the highlight. Just imagining it made everyone giddy.

Gina had initially wanted to join as well, but James vetoed the idea outright. It was a gathering for HR colleagues, and as the company president, she had no business sticking her nose in. Left with no choice, Gina went home on her own.