After a few days of rest, Ana finally returned to work.

The moment she walked into the office, Vincent Dalton called her into his office.

“Anastasia, you failed to show up for your scheduled client meeting the other day. The client was furious and has already filed a complaint against you. Do you really think someone with your level of professional competence belongs at this company?”

Ana shot Vincent a cold look. “Vincent, you know exactly why I missed that meeting. Since you knew what happened, why didn’t you speak up when Cassian came looking for me?”

Ana was deliberately testing him, letting him know she wasn’t going to be pushed around.

Vincent’s eyes flickered, and he pressed his lips together without responding.

He figured Ana must have gotten close to Cassian through Griffin Orlando’s connections. What he didn’t realize was just how close they’d become–close enough that Cassian would actually come looking for her.

The sense of threat growing in Vincent’s mind, he said, “Anastasia, you made a major mistake. I can’t keep you on. You should start looking for another job.”

Just like that? He wanted to kick her out of the company?

“Vincent, none of us are perfect. Everyone makes mistakes,” Ana replied evenly. “This wasn’t some ethical violation, and I had extenuating circumstances. I deserve a chance to make this right. If I fail, you can do whatever you want with me.”

Vincent narrowed his eyes and let out a cold snort.

More excuses, he thought.

But Miss Brooks wasn’t exactly known for being forgiving. She’d been absolutely livid about the wasted time, saying she’d never trust Rhodes Global again.

As far as Vincent was concerned, this was mission impossible. If Ana wanted to humiliate herself, he wasn’t going to stop her. When she failed, he’d have even more ammunition to get rid of her.

“Fine. I’ll give you one last shot. But when you fail, don’t expect any mercy.”

“Deal. Got it.”

After Ana left his office, Sharlene immediately rushed over with concern. “Ana, you disappeared for days! There were all kinds of rumors flying around the office. Are you okay?”

Ana shook her head. “I’m fine.”

She paused, then added, “Actually, I need to thank you. If you hadn’t gone up to the executive floor to find Cassian, he never would have known I was in trouble.”

“Ana, I was honestly terrified,” Sharlene admitted. “When you didn’t come back for so long and your phone was going straight to voicemail, I just had to do something.”

Sharlene stuck her tongue out sheepishly. “I was really nervous, though. I kept thinking, what if nothing was wrong and I interrupted Mr. Rhodes’ meeting for nothing? But I couldn’t just sit there if you were in real trouble.”

“You did the right thing. Really.”

“I need to head out for a bit.”

“Is this about the Miss Brooks account?” Sharlene asked curiously.

Chapter 250

“Yeah, I want to see if there’s any chance of salvaging this.”

Sharlene thought for a moment, then dug into her pocket and pulled out a small silver charm. “Here, take this. It's likely charms from St. Patrick’s Cathedral.”

Ana looked at the charm and smiled. “Isn’t St. Patrick more about protection than business deals?”