Chapter 59\u00a0<\/p>\n
He turned to address the entire cafeteria. \u201cLet me make something absolutely clear: Ms. Wright was hired based on her exceptional portfolio and innovative design concepts that impressed not only me but our executive team. Any suggestion otherwise is not only false but constitutes workplace harassment.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Thomas then focused his gaze directly on Melissa. \u201cMs. Hoffman, your employment with Nest Design is terminated, effective immediately. Security will escort you to collect your belongings.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Melissa\u2019s face contorted with shock. \u201cYou can\u2019t fire me for-\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cFor maliciously defaming a colleague and damaging the company\u2019s reputation? Yes, I absolutely can.\u201d Thomas\u2019s tone left no room for\u00a0<\/p>\n
argument.\u00a0<\/p>\n
But Melissa wasn\u2019t finished. Her shock transformed into rage as she pointed accusingly between Thomas and me.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThis just proves everything! You\u2019re firing me to protect your little mistress! Everyone can see what\u2019s happening here\u2013you two are\u00a0<\/p>\n
nothing but disgusting-\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Something inside me snapped. Before I could even process what I was doing, I grabbed the bowl of cream of mushroom soup sitting on\u00a0<\/p>\n
the table and flung its contents directly at Melissa\u2019s face.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The thick, pale liquid splashed across her meticulously applied makeup and expensive silk blouse, dripping down onto her tailored pants.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Gasps echoed throughout the cafeteria.\u00a0<\/p>\n
*Slander, defamation, and verbal abuse,\u201d I said, my voice steadier than I expected. \u201cThat\u2019s what you deserve.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
For three heartbeats, nobody moved. Then came the low murmur of shocked whispers as Melissa stood there, soup dripping from her chin.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYou bitch! You\u2019re the one who should be fired!\u201d Melissa shouted, snapping out of her shock. Her hand flew up, aiming for my face, but\u00a0<\/p>\n
Thomas was faster\u2013he grabbed her wrist before she could strike.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cSecurity, now!\u201d Thomas called out sharply. Within seconds, two guards appeared and took hold of Melissa\u2019s struggling form.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Thomas turned to the other staff. \u201cAs I was about to announce, the company has just sent an official email addressing this situation.\u00a0<\/p>\n
On cue, phones throughout the cafeteria pinged with notifications. Everyone reached for their devices, eyes widening as they read.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThe email contains three things,\u201d Thomas continued. \u201cFirst, conclusive evidence clearing both Ms. Wright and myself of any impropriety. Second, formal notice of Ms. Hoffman\u2019s termination. And third, a reminder that employees who participated in spreading these rumors will face a twenty percent reduction in their quarterly performance bonuses.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
The atmosphere shifted instantly. Colleagues who moments ago had been silent observers now glared at Melissa, as if she alone were\u00a0<\/p>\n
responsible for their financial penalty.\u00a0<\/p>\n
1\/2\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 59\u00a0<\/p>\n
The guards dragged Melissa toward the exit, soup still dripping from her clothes. \u201cThis isn\u2019t fair!\u201d she shouted, struggling against their grip. \u201cYou can\u2019t do this to me!\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Her protests faded as the cafeteria doors closed behind her.\u00a0<\/p>\n
As the cafeteria slowly returned to normal, I couldn\u2019t bring myself to sit down for a meal. I picked up a bagel and some cream cheese from the grab\u2013and\u2013go section, then headed back toward my desk.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Colleagues began dispersing, some offering awkward smiles of support, others avoiding eye contact entirely. The battlefield had cleared, but the war of office politics was far from over.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Later, as I was gathering my thoughts in my office, Thomas knocked on my door.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI apologize for the unpleasantness today,\u201d he said, looking genuinely contrite. \u201cThis shouldn\u2019t have happened.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThank you for stepping in,\u201d I replied, trying to sound more composed than I felt.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s one more thing,\u201d Thomas hesitated. \u201cMr. Sterling has been informed of the situation. Please clear things up with him.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I frowned. \u201cMr. Sterling? Surely this incident doesn\u2019t warrant his attention.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Thomas shifted uncomfortably. \u201cI\u2019m concerned he might misinterpret what happened between us. I wouldn\u2019t want him to think\u2026\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
He trailed off, but his meaning was clear. Thomas was worried about what Ridley might think of our professional relationship.\u00a0<\/p>\n
But I didn\u2019t quite understand. Why would Ridley personally concern himself with office gossip about me? And why did Thomas seem so anxious about Ridley\u2019s opinion specifically?\u00a0<\/p>\n
Just then, the door burst open, and in came the person responsible for all my confusion.\u00a0<\/p>\n
We Want Mommy, Not You, Daddy!\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 60\u00a0<\/p>\n
Sara Lili is a daring romance writer who turns icy landscapes into scenes of fiery passion. She loves crafting hot love stories while embracing the chill of Iceland\u2019s breathtaking cold.<\/p>\n
The Sky Remembered the Touch of Our Unfinished Goodbyes by Lysa Orion Rehn 59 Chapter 59\u00a0 He turned to address […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[88],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-30458","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-zero-stars-for-daddy-novel"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30458","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=30458"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30458\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=30458"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=30458"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=30458"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}