Chapter 128: Unexpected Offers

“Madam Lois asked me to check when you’d be available to come into the office,” the human resources representative said.

“What does Madam Lois want with me?” Ellis asked.

“As far as I understand, Madam Lois wants to invite you back to the company,” the human resources representative explained.

Ellis was puzzled. After Lois had succumbed to pressure from Easton, causing her to lose her job with a $140,000 annual salary, Lois had made it clear she didn’t want to antagonize him, nor did she have the capability to. Just a few days had passed. Had Lois managed to withstand the pressure, thinking Tate Group could test—or hunt—her? She knew her own worth. There were plenty of workers with similar skills; Tate Group wouldn’t be significantly affected by her presence or absence. What was Lois’s angle?

“I’ll contact Madam Lois directly and speak with her personally.”

Preferring to communicate directly, Ellis wasn’t interested in going through a third party.

“That’s fine,” the HR representative said with a smile. “Ms. Harper, I’ll see you at the company.”

The change in how the human resources representative addressed her left Ellis unsure of what to say, so she simply replied, “Goodbye,” and hung up to call Lois.

Lois seemed to anticipate her call, picking up immediately. She got straight to the point about inviting her back to Tite Group and clarified, “Mr. Hudson hasn’t applied any more pressure, and his assistant even said they would welcome rehiring you without any reservations.”

The events were too much; just last night, Easton had suddenly let her go, and today her job with a $140,000 salary was potentially back. Ellis was incredulous and hated how Easton could turn her life upside down with just a few words, making her life either comfortable or a living hell.

When Ellis didn’t respond immediately, Lois asked, “Do you need a few days to decide, or can you reply today?”

“No need. I can reply now! Madam Lois, I’d be happy to rejoin!”

Before finding a better opportunity than this job, working another day was a financial win, especially given the top-tier salary of $140,000. Ellis couldn’t afford to turn down money.

“However, I can’t provide you with information about poaching scientists from Hudson Group anymore; I’m afraid of getting sued again.” Remembering the lawsuit that demanded $4.2 million from her made her head ache.

“That’s fine, you don’t need to provide that anymore. I’ve found other sources of information,” Lois paused. “Your job will be to assist me with my work and help take care of my child.”

Ellis found Casey, the kid who constantly called her “stupid,” annoying, but couldn’t reject the allure of money. She hid her true feelings, mixing gratitude with her response. “Okay, thank you, Madam Lois.”

“Will you come back to the office tomorrow?”

“Make it the day after. I need to go to the bank and deal with my frozen account.”

Whatever it took, she had to settle the score with the bank. She hadn’t done anything wrong, yet they froze her account just because Easton said so, leaving her penniless.

“See you the day after,” Lois said, preparing to hang up.

“Wait, Madam Lois, I’m curious, why rehire me? After all, Easton is a constant source of trouble; he could pressure you again any day…”

Lois decided to be frank, “I value that you were Mrs. Hudson and were associated with a man of Mr. Hudson’s caliber; too much intrigue with women.”

Ellis pursed her lips. “See you the day after, Madam Lois.”

Truth be told, if she were to start a new relationship, she’d never find someone with better credentials than Easton.

As Lois mentioned, she couldn’t develop inappropriate feelings for Casey; moreover, in her traditional view, she wouldn’t consider a younger man as a romantic partner.

After ending the call with Lois, Ellis stared blankly at the ceiling. She hadn’t expected that her association with Easton, rather than the resources she’d accumulated while with him, would land her a high-paying job; her feelings were mixed.

Seeing a new message pop up on WhatsApp, she quickly opened it, thinking it was from Maya. Instead, it was a new, blank chat. The small text read, “Contact has confirmed your friend request,” and the profile picture looked familiar.

Frederic texted, “Tomorrow at 2 PM, meet at the Civil Affairs Department!”

After reading the message, she sat up properly, no longer lounging lazily. Deleting and blocking Easton, who had unexpectedly shown up at her house and taken her phone to carry out various actions, she had vivid memories of his intrusions; she never expected Easton to actually accept the friend request he initiated.