Chapter 97

Linda was thrown out of the company – right at the front entrance. A group of security guards shoved her outside. The receptionists craned their necks to watch the commotion, eager to find out what had happened. After all, this was the first time they had ever seen something like this. The next second, the guards tossed Linda’s belongings onto her, the items scattering messily around her. “You can scram now. And don’t bother showing up near the company again.” With that, the security guard clapped his hands together and walked away with a smug air. Everything had been carried out exactly as the manager had instructed. Mission accomplished. In all his years on the job, this was the most disgraceful way he had ever seen someone leave a company. Linda sat there, humiliated, her gaze falling on the two receptionists at the door, who were looking at her with amusement and curiosity. She bit her lower lip hard, clenched her fists, and swore silently to remember this humiliation. Noticing her glare, one of the receptionists clicked her tongue. “Even after being thrown out like this, she’s still acting arrogant.” The other simply shrugged. “She’s always been like that. Used to dress modestly, seemed unremarkable.” “I just got the full story – turns out she made such a mess because of plagiarism. And apparently, she was involved with someone like Chuck.” “No wonder.” They exchanged a few sighs, completely indifferent to how Linda might feel. After all, she was out of the company now – what could she possibly do to them? Feeling no need to hold back, they spoke even more freely. If this had happened before, Linda would have had something to say. But now, she had no strength to argue, nor the energy to care. All she could do was squat on the ground, gathering her scattered belongings, before trudging away in defeat.

Standing on the bustling street, Linda felt momentarily dazed, unsure of where to go next. No! She clenched her teeth. “Aurora, you bitch. I won’t let this slide.” She hailed a cab and headed straight for Chuck’s place. Since being fired, Chuck hadn’t bothered looking for a new job. Instead, he occasionally kept in touch with Joseph, waiting for the right opportunity to take Aurora down. Seeing Linda show up in such a rush caught him off guard. “What’s wrong, Linda? Why are you here at this hour? Shouldn’t you be at work?” At his words, Linda’s grievances rushed to the surface. She threw her things to the floor, lunged forward, and wrapped her arms around him. “Chuck, you have no idea – Aurora is absolutely ruthless!” Tears streamed down her face as she clung to him, pressing herself tightly against his body. Chuck’s gaze darkened for a moment, but his rationality won out. He had always been protective of Linda. “What did she do to you?” “She got me fired… and even had me blacklisted from the industry.” Linda conveniently left out key details, twisting the story to make herself seem like an innocent victim while painting Aurora as a villain. Hearing this, Chuck was furious. “That bitch – how dare she?” He gritted his teeth. “It wasn’t enough to get rid of me, now she’s going after you too?” Linda continued to sob softly. “Chuck, you have to help me get revenge. Aurora is too arrogant. “You don’t understand – at that meeting, I begged her so desperately, but it was completely useless.” “Don’t worry.” Chuck stroked her hair, his expression dark and menacing. “I’ll make sure she pays for this.”