Chapter 4
The other colleagues looked shocked. A coworker I got along with couldn't help but whisper a warning to me.
"Charlotte, the CEO just gave everyone raises. Resigning now doesn't make any sense. And didn't you hear? He was just joking with you earlier."
My tone remained calm. "I'm not joking. I submitted my resignation letter to HR yesterday."
A flash of delight crossed Lila's eyes. She was about to say something when she caught Owen's look and swallowed her words.
Owen frowned deeply, his gaze at me complicated. "Do you understand the company's situation right now? Do you realize what you're giving up by leaving?"
Of course, I knew. I was giving up stress and feeling trapped.
Lila spoke with a wounded tone. "Charlotte, I get it now. You still have a problem with me, don't you? Maybe I should be the one to leave instead.
"After all, you and Owen have worked together for so many years. Leaving now would be such a waste."
She walked straight toward the door, though her eyes kept sneaking glances at Owen, waiting for him to stop her.
I almost laughed out loud.
Owen either didn't notice or didn't care. He immediately grabbed her hand, his tone doting. "This has nothing to do with you. You're not going anywhere."
Triumph flickered in Lila's eyes.
Perhaps seeing that Owen still hadn't changed his mind, she said reluctantly, "But Charlotte has been with the company for so long. Fine, let me try to talk her out of it."
Lila approached me. "Charlotte, please reconsider. Everyone would miss you.
"Everything before was just us joking around. We all think of you as a good friend, practically like a sister."
As she spoke, she patted my shoulder. But when no one was looking, she viciously pinched it.
Sharp pain shot through me. Without hesitation, I kicked her.
Lila fell to the ground, clutching her stomach and gasping. Owen rushed forward to help her up, his eyes full of concern for her.
When I'd drunk myself to the point of vomiting blood at business dinners, he'd never shown me this kind of care.
Owen slapped me across the face and shouted, "Charlotte, are you insane? Lila was trying to help you and you assault her? This is workplace harassment!"
Just then, someone from HR walked over, apparently to inform Owen about my resignation. Owen didn't hesitate. "Process her paperwork. Get her out of here!"
After signing off on my resignation, he still didn't seem satisfied and added, "The company's making hundreds of thousands in daily profits right now. Only an idiot would leave at a time like this.
"Lila, don't worry. In a few more months, forget houses and cars. You can have whatever you want.
"Same goes for everyone else. Next month, whoever has the best performance gets a house from me directly!"
Lila's eyes lit up. The other colleagues responded excitedly, chiming in their agreement.
Owen grew increasingly arrogant. "But certain people who bully their coworkers and refuse to follow rules? I'll make sure their background checks never pass anywhere!"
The others joined in on cursing at me. Watching their nearly manic behavior, I hesitated for a long moment but ultimately kept quiet.
This morning, Dad had called me and that was when I learned that he was Owen's company's largest investor over the past two years.
After finding out I was resigning to start my own company, Dad did another background check on Owen's company. He wasn't satisfied with the results and had already decided to pull his investment, citing breach of contract.
I knew exactly how significant Dad's subsidiary was in terms of investment capital. Once he pulled out, never mind houses and cars, whether the company could even survive another month was questionable.
Seeing my hesitation, Owen assumed I was having regrets. He rolled his eyes at me and said coldly, "Certain people still have a chance to apologize to Lila. Otherwise..."
Before he could finish, the finance manager, Sheila Moore, rushed over, looking anxious.
"Mr. Hayes, we have a problem. Our largest investor just sent word that they discovered serious issues with our financials. They're accusing us of investment fraud. Not only are they withdrawing their investment, they're suing us for five times the penalty amount!"
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