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"You know that asshole Liam? The CEO of The Grand Aurelia?"
Ivy nodded.
"He took credit for all the work I did on this project! And then he had the nerve to humiliate me in the meeting room, in front of all his shareholders! He destroyed my professional reputation in front of everyone—calling me worthless—while in the background, he played the work I had done and passed it off as his own to make himself look like a genius!"
Jenna huffed angrily, shooting a glare at Brendon.
"So I filed a formal complaint against him for unethical behavior, but guess what? I’m the one getting an earful for calling him out on his bullshit in front of a room full of his shareholders!"
Brendon raised his hands in a gesture of surrender, his face set in frustration. "Jenna, he’s our biggest client!"
"He exploited me!" Jenna cried out.
She reached for her company ID, ripped it off her neck, and threw it onto the table.
"I resign. I no longer work at this company, so I am not going to apologize to any asshole."
Brendon clicked his tongue in irritation. "You’re making a big deal out of this."
"Look, Jenna," he continued, his voice softening. "He holds a larger value to us than you do. He’s our biggest client, and you’re just an employee. If you want to keep your job, you need to apologize to him, tell everyone you lied, and admit that he did all that work. Close this matter." And," he gestured to the lawyer, who slid a check and some papers across the table, "there’s a hundred-thousand-dollar check. You can keep it as compensation."
Jenna’s eyes darkened. "So, you’re bribing me to shut my mouth?"
"It is what it is," Brendon shrugged shamelessly. "You aren’t as important as our client, Jenna. In fact, you should be happy that the only thing we’re asking you to do is apologize. And you’re getting a large sum in return."
Ivy let out an appalled breath.
"What?" Ivy let out a disbelieving laugh. "You’re telling me that man is going to badmouth Jenna, ruin her reputation in front of potential future clients, and you expect her to just brush it off and take some money?!"
Brendon’s lawyer spoke up nonchalantly, "It’s a lot of money. Jenna’s going to work for what? Two or three more years before she gets pregnant and quits to take care of her kids, right? So what difference does it make? We’re already paying her a monthly salary."
Ivy’s fury shot through the roof. She turned to Jenna, then to the two men across the table. Without a word, she reached for her own ID, pulling it from her neck and tossing it onto the table.
Brendon’s smug expression faltered as she met his gaze.
"Thank you for your understanding, Mr. Brendon," she said, her voice chilly. "I’m quitting too."
Brendon immediately straightened in his chair, his brows furrowing in disbelief. "What? Ivy, you're our best employee. This is just a small matter—we’ll sort it out. You don’t have to quit because of it. And we pay you very well. There’s no other company in this city that would offer you more than we do for this job."
Ivy shook her head politely, her expression firm. "I'm sorry, Brendon. Your values and ethics don’t align with the kind of person I want to work for. If something like this can happen to Jenna, then every woman in this company is at risk of being treated the same way. And I won’t stand for that." Her voice didn’t waver as she added, "I’m quitting too."
She turned to Jenna, offering her a gentle pat on the shoulder and a small smile. "See you around, Jenna."
Jenna returned the smile, but as she turned to leave, she shot Brendon a sharp, scathing glare before walking out of the office without another word.
Ivy headed straight to her office, gathered her belongings, and left the building without looking back.
As the evening fell and the clock struck six, Christian checked his watch again, impatience threading through his veins. But when there was still no sign of Ivy, his expression darkened. Without wasting another second, he pushed himself up from his seat and strode toward the building, heading straight for her office.
Just as he was making his way toward her meeting room, a voice called out behind him.
"Mr. Evans!"
Christian turned to see Kayla approaching with a hesitant expression. She offered a small, almost apologetic smile. "You're here for Ivy, right?"
His brows furrowed, and he gave her a slight nod.
"She quit this morning," Kayla informed him, her expression falling. "She doesn’t work here anymore."