Most of the employees turned their heads toward him when they spotted Elle walking beside Oliver, giving him curious glances. However, they simply greeted them before continuing on their way to wherever they needed to be.
"The building is divided into different departments, with each one handling specific business-related things. And you will have to understand each one in order to know how to use them in the future," Elle continued explaining as they entered an elevator together.
"That's a lot," Oliver stated, frowning slightly in worry.
Elle nodded her head. "That's right, Mr. Oliver. And you will need to study hard if you want to make sure that your decisions are the best possible. There will be many important meetings that you will have to attend, and you cannot make mistakes there."
"But what about my time in school?" Oliver questioned. "Won't I fall behind if I spend too much time learning about the business world?"
Elle paused for a moment. Then she looked at him as if he had just said something amusing.
"What does school matter when you will be the owner of this corporation? After all, the purpose of school is to teach you how to get a job so that you can make money and become successful. You're going to get this job handed to you on a silver platter, so school really is unnecessary for you."
Oliver frowned slightly upon hearing Elle's words. Although he agreed with them completely, he wasn't sure if he should completely abandon his studies.
Elle noticed the doubt written across his face, so she continued speaking. "Don't worry about school too much right now, Mr. Oliver. I will have teachers coming in regularly to tutor you, and they will make sure that your education does not suffer as you are preparing for your future role."
"All right then," Oliver nodded as he accepted her suggestion and pushed any unnecessary thoughts out of his mind for now.
Soon after, Elle showed Oliver around the different departments. She introduced him to several people who worked in various roles within the company, such as marketing managers, directors of research and development, chief financial officers, and so forth.
Most of the employees looked surprised to see Oliver, since they didn't know that William Ashford had a grandson.
They greeted him politely, introducing themselves as they tried to impress him and curry favor with the future leader of the company.
One of the most enthusiastic employees was a man called Thomas who looked to be in his forties.
He was the chief financial officer for the Ashford group and had been working here for almost fifteen years already.
His hair was grey at the sides, and there were wrinkles across his forehead. Yet, there was a spark in his eyes and a flattering tone in his voice as he spoke to Oliver, obviously trying to get on his good side and hoping to keep enjoying his current position for as long as possible.
"Mr. Oliver, it is truly an honor to have met you today. If there's ever anything you need, please don't hesitate to ask. I'll ensure that it is fulfilled with utmost speed!" Thomas said while beaming proudly as if he was already looking forward to seeing what he could do for the heir of Ashford Group.
Oliver returned a polite smile and shook his hand in response, "Thank you very much, Mr. Thomas. I will be in your care in the future."
"Haha... That's what I should be saying to you, Mr. Oliver! Anyway, since you have been touring the different departments, I am sure you must be feeling somewhat tired right now. How about we head to my office so you can have some refreshments there?"
The financial officer glanced toward Elle briefly. He had no intention of letting them leave without trying to butter Oliver up as much as possible.
Elle didn't bother answering him and just looked at Oliver with her brows raised slightly, silently waiting for his response.
"Okay."
Seeing as Oliver agreed, Thomas' lips formed into a large smile, showing all of his teeth. Then, he turned on his heel and gestured for the two to follow him as he headed towards his office.
"This way, Mr. Oliver."
He led them past several cubicles and offices until he reached a wooden door at the end of a long hallway. Then he opened it and entered inside.
Inside, there was a big desk placed against one wall with a black leather chair behind it. There were some shelves and cabinets lining one of the walls that contained folders and binders full of papers. The windows overlooked the city skyline that was visible from the tall building.
There was also a couch in the middle of the room that looked like it was used for more relaxed meetings. It had a wooden coffee table in front of it, which had magazines lying on top.
Once Oliver and Elle were seated on the couch, Thomas sat opposite them before asking them if they would like anything to drink.
"Would you like some tea? Or maybe Juice? If you prefer, there's also alcohol if you'd like that instead," he offered with a friendly tone as he sat down and faced the two.
"Just juice will be fine," Oliver replied, feeling slightly thirsty after spending a while exploring the building.
With a smile, Thomas called his secretary and ordered juice for the three of them.
Shortly after, the door opened again, and a young woman appeared carrying a tray with drinks on top of it.
The woman who entered was a tall, beautiful woman with shoulder-length brown hair. She looked to be around twenty-six years old and was wearing an office skirt and white blouse, which showed off the curve of her body nicely.
Her gray eyes scanned the room before she walked over towards the sofa.
Once she was next to them, she placed the tray on the table and served their drinks.