Chapter 4
1824words
After all, the interview would be conducted personally by Desmond Archer, the CEO of Vertex Group.
I'd asked Kayla about him and found out that he was notoriously strict. Apparently, quite a few people had even come out of their interviews in tears.
Nevertheless, I didn't have much time to prepare since Lily had dumped all her work on me.
To avoid unnecessary conflict, I simply gritted my teeth and put up with it. I only needed to do it for two more days anyway.
I quickly put together the slides she needed and sent them over, then barely paid attention during the meeting itself. Cosmo Group's affairs had long stopped being my concern.
That was, until Lily started her presentation, and everyone in the room abruptly gasped. "What… That's ridiculous! How could someone show this in a serious meeting?"
"Oh my gosh! I've really seen it all now!"
Only then did I lift my head to look at the big screen. My eyes went wide in shock.
What was supposed to be a dozen pages of slides had turned into a collection of Lily's private photos, all of them highly inappropriate.
Panicking, Lily tried to close it, but nervous fumbling made it impossible.
Unable to take it any longer, Zane slammed the table. "If anyone so much as breathes a word about this, don't bother coming to Cosmo Group again!"
Everyone immediately stopped smirking and lowered their heads, not daring to look anymore.
Lily gave me a pointed look, and Zane's gaze followed hers straight to me. His eyes were full of disappointment and anger. Sure enough, he thought it was my doing.
After the meeting, Zane stopped me from leaving.
Lily sat nearby, covering her face and sobbing. "What do I do, Zane? Everyone saw everything. How can I stay at the company after this? Something this humiliating… Maybe I should just quit!"
She tried to get up, but Zane pulled her into his arms. "Relax. With me around, no one will say a word."
That stopped her crying. She pointed an accusatory finger at me and yelled, "Ms. Hartman, if you didn't want to help me, just say so! Why sabotage me like this? This is what you wanted, right? Are you happy now?"
Zane patted her back soothingly, then coldly turned to me. "Cassidy, I never thought you could do something this vicious, using your position to settle a personal grudge out of jealousy!"
Hearing him accuse me blindly, I felt incredibly wronged, but I forced myself to stay rational. "Mr. Bender, the editing process is traceable in the software, and chat records show I sent the slides properly. I guarantee my version had no issues. As for how this happened, you should ask Ms. Hubbard."
Lily panicked upon hearing my words. She turned to Zane with a pitiful look. "Mr. Bender, I didn't do it! She sent the file right before the meeting was about to start. I didn't even have time to open it! How could I have altered it? Besides, who would show their own private photos…"
Between Lily and me, Zane would always choose to believe her without hesitation.
He stared at me coldly. "Don't try to argue, Cassidy. No woman would make her private photos public, especially someone as pure as Lily. There's just no way she would do this.
"Since you have no regard for what we once had, I see no reason to show leniency. I'll announce disciplinary action, strip you of your director position, and cut your salary by half. If you have a problem with it, there's the door."
I looked him straight in the eye and asked slowly, "Mr. Bender, if you think I'm wrong, then what do you call employees who keep dumping their work on others?"
My icy tone thoroughly enraged him. He scoffed in anger. "Cassidy, have you forgotten? You used to do the same thing."
Then he headed out of the meeting room with Lily in his arms. As he walked past me, he coldly added, "From today onward, you're responsible for all of Lily's work. Refuse, and you're fired."
As the door shut, I didn't cry, nor did my eyes turn red. I merely felt incredibly exhausted.
Zane was right. I had enjoyed his special treatment before, but unlike Lily, I'd never pushed my work onto others, nor played dirty tricks like this.
I stayed in the meeting room for a long time, until the disciplinary notice that was sent to everyone in the company popped up in the work group chat.
When I walked out, my coworkers looked at me mockingly.
"Tsk-tsk, looks like someone's fallen out of favor. From now on, you're just like the rest of us. Ms. Hartman, I'm curious. Do you think you can stomach instant coffee when you're already used to hand-brewed coffee?
"Oh, wait. I don't have to call you Ms. Hartman anymore. Maybe I should call you Cassidy now."
"Cassidy, can you also help with my work? According to Ms. Hubbard, you're the office workhorse, and anyone who's tired can just use you."
Soon, stacks of files piled up on my desk.
I expressionlessly pushed them aside, trying to focus on preparing for the interview. But when I opened my laptop, I found myself unable to concentrate at all.
I remained in that daze until noon, when Kayla dragged me to the cafeteria.
Across the room, Zane and Lily were sitting together. Lily daintily fed Zane cake, looking just like a couple in love.
Setting down my fork and knife, I said with my head down, "I'm full. I'm leaving first."
As I walked past their table, Zane picked up a spoon and fed Lily a bite, almost as if he was deliberately provoking me.
I kept my eyes down, put on my earphones, and quickly walked out of the cafeteria.
Back at my desk, I began clearing up my workspace, mostly old work files and little gifts from Zane.
I had already sold all the valuable jewelry he had given me and gotten a fair amount of money in exchange.
Most of what remained were handmade keepsakes, such as the ceramic mug we'd made together, a scrapbook we put together, and a few small, unremarkable trinkets. I couldn't help but feel a pang of emotion upon seeing them.
I could still remember the day we made the ceramic mugs. Zane took off his multi-million-dollar watch to touch the wet clay with me.
He obviously had never done anything like that before because he had frowned as soon as he touched it, but he stuck it out.
I had to admit, he had talent. His mug turned out better than mine, even though it was his first time making one.
As I recalled how I had smeared clay on his nose and he had dodged in mock annoyance but ended up laughing, my eyes grew red again.
We had been so in love…
Exhaling deeply, I looked up and blinked back the tears. In the end, I placed the mug into a cardboard box and sealed it with tape, thinking, "Zane, this is my resignation gift to you."
Not long after, my coworkers started coming back.
Lily tapped on my desk as she passed, acting like she was already Zane's wife. "Get that file done and sent over as soon as possible. Try not to make a fool of yourself this time."
Her voice dripped with provocation, but I didn't react. I merely gave a faint hum in reply.
Not wanting her to cause more trouble, I hastily dealt with the file she had sent before sending it straight to Zane's email.
As I got ready to leave for the day, one of my coworkers swaggered over and tossed me 200 dollars. "Ms. Hubbard wants you to buy her a coffee and bring it to her desk before you leave."
Staring at the money, I finally snapped. I stormed into Zane's office.
The moment I entered, I saw Lily straddling Zane, their lips locked in a passionate kiss.
Upon noticing me, Lily jumped up like a startled rabbit, clutching her blouse where a few buttons were undone.
Zane looked at me impatiently. "Don't you know how to knock before entering?"
Clenching my fists at his words, I tried to keep my voice calm as I said, "Mr. Bender, I can tolerate work matters, but please handle your personal matters yourselves."
Then I turned to Lily, my tone icy. "Ms. Hubbard, last I checked, you have legs. Get your coffee yourself."
Lily froze, clearly not expecting me to call her out in front of Zane.
Biting her lip, she looked at me with an aggrieved expression. "I'm sorry, Ms. Hartman… I just wasn't feeling well, so I asked for your help. I didn't expect you to mind this much… It's fine. I'll just go myself."
She started walking toward me stiffly with her hand on her waist, but before she could take two steps, Zane pulled her into his arms. "If it hurts, just stay put."
He fondly ruffled her hair, then turned to me, his eyes cold. "Cassidy, it's just a cup of coffee. Do you have to humiliate Lily over it? Or is it that you only dare to bully her?"
Zane sneered. "To be fair, I was probably too rough last night and hurt her. So? Do you dare speak to me that way?"
I thought I had already grown numb, but his words cut me painfully nonetheless.
I let out a slow breath, looking at him calmly. "I've said what I needed to. Ms. Hubbard, I hope you stick to your word."
Then I turned and walked toward the door.
"Stop."
Zane's cold voice came from behind me. "She might have said she would go, but I didn't. If I don't see that coffee in 30 minutes, you can forget coming to Cosmo Group tomorrow."
I paused briefly, then kept walking. "Do whatever you want."
When I got back to my desk, Kayla looked at me in disbelief. "I heard everything. You actually dared talk back to Mr. Bender? Aren't you afraid he'll really fire you?
"Cassidy, I know you're prepping for the Vertex Group interview, but Mr. Archer is a tough nut to crack. What if you fail and lose your job here too?"
"Then I'll go find work elsewhere," I said calmly. "This is just a job. No need to ruin my life over it."
Bowing my head, I continued to prepare for my interview, paying no mind to Zane's threat. I never thought that this had thoroughly pissed him off.
An hour later, I received a text from him. "If I don't see the coffee in another 30 minutes, I will also fire Kayla."
