“Ms. Collins, I would’ve forgotten if you hadn’t told me about it. Previously, Anthony always worked too hard and overlooked his health. Now that it’s lunchtime, it’s the only time he could take a break. However, as his secretary, you’re bringing documents to his office, disturbing him. Have you ever consider if he’s able to handle it? If he forced himself to work, and something bad happened to him, would you be able to take responsibility for it?”
I asked in an interrogative tone while walking over to her. Just as I finished speaking, Stella lifted her head and wanted to refute me. I met her gaze, staring right into her reddened eyes with an assertive and unflinching gaze.
Did she think that I’m an easy target just because I rarely flew off the handle?
Stella’s expression froze for two seconds. Afterward, she recollected herself and took a step back to get further away from me. She retorted, “Who said that I don’t care about his health? I…”
“You what? What do you have to say?” I became aggressive the second I spotted her clutching the lunchbox in her hands tightly.
Stella knew full well that I had seen the lunchbox many times before. If she had the nerve to admit that she had been sending Anthony a lunchbox every day, it would indicate that she already had her eyes on him much earlier and that she was a pretentious woman.
“Nothing.” Stella looked away indignantly. Her gentle expression was replaced by a scowl.
“What’s happening?” Joseph showed up unexpectedly. Perhaps he had come over earlier and heard our conversation for a while now. As he approached us, he questioned Stella in an icy tone, “Why didn’t I know there are some urgent documents which Mr. Featherstone needs to sign right now?”
Stella bit her lower lip, a hint of panic appeared on her face. She couldn’t utter a word in the face of the upright and fair-minded man.
“Ooh, someone just got busted.” Emery gloated at her embarrassment while leaning against the wall with her arms folded. The smugness on her face was comparable to that of John when he ridiculed someone.
Stella’s face flushed beet red, and she went speechless.
Ignoring the woman, Joseph cut to the chase. “Ms. Stanhope, what brings you here? How can I assist you?”
Undeniably, Joseph was shrewd and worldly-wise. Stella almost prevailed against me just now. Joseph’s question reminded me that I was one of the company’s board members, and that saved my crumbling dignity.
As a board member, I must carry myself with pride and authority.
With an expressionless face, I sized him up and nodded faintly. “Emery just started a new company, so she needs guidance from us. I thought that Ms. Collins was the most sweet-tempered person in our company and that she would definitely be willing to give us a hand, so I came over. however, it turns out that I’ve disrupted Ms. Collins’ work. I’m sorry, that was rude of me.”
The world honored wealth and power more than anything else. So for an insignificant secretary like her to disrespect a board member and pretended to be pitiful afterward was downright preposterous. I was interested to find out if she would be able to get away with this.
After all, she was not the only one who could put on a show.
Staring intently at Stella, I heaved a long sigh and plastered on a guilty face.
Anyone who had experience in the workplace knew it was full of hypocrisy. Normally, a subordinate was doomed when their superior put on such an expression. Unable to pinpoint any mistake that their superior had done, they could only accept their misfortune. I heard gasps of horror behind me. It seemed like the other colleagues could already foresee what was coming Stella’s way and started praying for her.
Joseph glanced at Stella and me. Then, he instructed curtly, “Ms. Collins, please head to the Finance Department and get three months’ worth of salary. You don’t need to come to work from tomorrow onward.”
His voice was firm and loud. Even I was amazed by his boldness. He actually had the guts to fire an employee whom Anthony hired just like that.
Well done, Joseph! I couldn’t help letting loose a smirk.
“Mr. Campbell?” Stella couldn’t believe her ears as she gaped at him in shock. She forced a smile and asked, “Please don’t joke about this. I’m Mr. Featherstone’s secretary, so you need to get his approval before firing me.”
Joseph cast her a cold glance with an indifferent expression. “So you do know that you’re only a secretary. I’m in charge of coordinating all the company’s affairs, it’s only natural that I have the authority to terminate you. You can’t even fulfill a small request from our board member. Are you waiting for Mr. Featherstone to clean up your mess? Giving you three months’ worth of salary according to the employment agreement is the kindest thing I can do. Don’t try to push your luck.”
“I…” Stella bit her lower lips. Her face contorted with distress, but she couldn’t find the words to refute him.
Unfazed, I watched them nonchalantly, enjoying the victory. Stella had overestimated herself. She wasn’t even as gorgeous and talented as Rachel. It was dumb of her to attempt to seduce Anthony just because she worked closely with him.
What happened to Stella that day served as a warning to everyone in Featherstone Corporation. The position of being Anthony’s wife was mine alone and anyone who tried to replace me had better be ready to stand against the board members, as well as the Moore and Stanhope families.
“Why is it so noisy?”
A man’s familiar, husky voice came from afar. Turning around, I saw Anthony step out of his office. With a stern face, he strode past the inquisitive employees to us.
“Mr. Featherstone, Ms. Stanhope asked for Ms. Collins’ help with some simple tasks, but the latter declined her with many excuses. I’m asking her to head to the HR Department to process her termination.”
Anthony’s dark eyes landed on Stella, whose eyes were still reddened. Thinking that he could be her lifesaver, Stella gazed at him with tears glistening in her eyes, and her brows furrowed slightly, looking delicate and pitiful.
As the two locked eyes, time seemed to have stood still, and the office fell silent. My eyes couldn’t help but flick between the two speculatively, and my brows drew together instinctively.
Although Anthony only looked at her for less than three seconds, I felt as if a century had passed, and every second passed in an extremely slow motion.
What’s going on? Is Anthony going to sympathize with her just because she sent him lunch consistently?
“Is Joseph’s words true?” Anthony asked. His attitude was just and unbiased.
Stella was smart enough to realize that Emery and I were against her. Looking down, she nodded her head firmly and admitted her fault in silence. Her docile face made it look as though I made her confess to it by force.
She may look pitiful to others, but for me, I was downright irritated by it.
“Mr. Featherstone, you don’t need to hesitate. I know you’re indebted to Ms. Collins for saving your life, so there’s no need to make a big fuss out of this.” I marched over and interrupted them, staring straight at Stella boldly. “I heard that Ms. Collins is good at meal planning and taking care of people. So why don’t we transfer her to the Logistics Department as an assistant supervisor? She’ll be able to make good use of her talents there.”
The moment those words left my lips, the nosy employees behind me started gossiping again.
“Assistant supervisor? Is Ms. Stanhope being serious? Doesn’t that mean that Stella will get a pay raise? Is Ms. Stanhope that kind-hearted?”
“Tsk, tsk. Dream on! Once Ms. Collins is transferred to the Logistics Department, she’ll never be able to come back to this floor. What hope does she have when she has to face a bunch of old and rough men each day?”
“I think that’s not too bad. As long as I can get a good pay, I don’t mind working with a bunch of ugly people every day.”
“Don’t be silly. Don’t you have any pursuit in life? Once she leaves, she’ll never get the chance to marry up.”
Brushing off these comments, I kept the smile on my face and stayed calm.
Many years later, Emery would recall that day’s incident and say, “At that time, when I saw the fake smile on your face, I finally understood that deep down, you’re as ruthless as Anthony.”
She was right. I indeed wanted to give Stella a hard time.
The Logistics Department was on the lowest floor of Featherstone Corporation and the furthest away from the president’s office. If everything went smoothly, she would never be able to see Anthony again. Working in the same company without meeting each other was even more disheartening than kicking her out of the company. She would lose hope as she watched other women approach and seduce Anthony.
I suppressed my feelings and compassion. The only thing I wanted now was to let Stella reap what she had sown.
“It’s up to you,” Anthony answered without a second thought. “Leave once you get it done. There’s no place for monkey business in the office.” With that, he turned around and walked away.
Before long, his towering figure slipped into the president’s office. Perhaps the conflict between us annoyed him.
Emery and I exchanged glances, and meaningful smiles spread across our faces. Soon, we redirected our gaze back to Stella, who was still in a daze.
“Ms. Collins, you heard him. Can you help me out now?” I raised my voice deliberately.
It was confirmed that Stella was going to be transferred to the logistics department.
Just like the way she addressed me as Ms. Stanhope, my voice sounded cheerful as I glanced down at her triumphantly.
None of her colleagues dared plead for her. In the end, Emery and I took her to a small conference room on the lower floor.
Previously, Emery was better at tormenting people, but now, I had become a self-taught expert.
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.
Leave a Reply