Chapter 136: Clearing Out the Past
A quick glance around, and he immediately noticed Ellis’s overwhelming presence. Wherever she was, she made sure everyone knew she was Mrs. Hudson. Even his office still had traces of her everywhere.
Pressing the intercom, he ordered, “Send the cleaning crew up.”
Jaka, who had just recovered the boss’s lost ring that morning, felt his stomach drop. The boss lost something again. But he kept his voice steady: “Yes, Mr. Hudson.”
Not daring to waste a second, Jarlson contacted the head of janitorial services, Jordan. She was just as anxious, her voice trembling. “Ms. Stone, when we came back from the landfill, they told us the trash is scheduled for incineration soon.” If they acted last, there was still a chance to retrieve things. But once the incineration started, there would be no turning back.
Everyone understood the stakes, but ignoring the boss’s orders wasn’t an option. Jackson decided to push the problem onto the cleaning department first; he could deal with the boss’s wrath later. Keeping a straight face, he reassured her, “Don’t panic, Mr. Hudson hasn’t said what this is about yet.”
Years of workplace experience told Jordan this was bad news—she was likely about to take the fall. Knowing Jackson was the boss’s right-hand man, while the cleaning department was a marginalized part of the company, she couldn’t afford to offend him.
Accepting her fate, Jolan took the elevator to the top floor. She couldn’t stop trembling as she stepped into the boss’s office, swallowing hard before speaking. “Mr. Hudson…”
“What are you doing up here?” Baston had told Jackson to send someone from the cleaning crew, yet here was the janitorial supervisor, shuffling nervously with hunched shoulders. Easton frowned slightly. “Go back downstairs and send a few people up to clean my office.”
“Yes, sir.”
Jordan had mentally prepared for a scolding, maybe even being blamed for something, but it turned out the boss just wanted the office cleaned. She quickly reviewed her department’s usual performance, making sure they hadn’t made any mistakes, then called up a few subordinates and joined them in the cleanup.
After working for a few minutes, she listened as the boss pointed out what needed to be thrown away. Honestly, it felt less like a routine cleaning and more like a purge. Most of the discarded items had an obvious feminine touch.
Maybe it was a woman’s intuition, but Jordan sensed something was off. She hurried to Jackson. “Mr. Stone, Mr. Hudson wants these things thrown out. Could you take a look and see if any of it shouldn’t be discarded?”
Jackson glanced at the items she held and waved her off, “Just some unimportant junk. Toss it.”
If the boss said to get rid of it, then it had to go. No need to make a fuss.
“But…” Jordan hesitated, pointing out, “These seem like things a woman would like. Could they be Mrs. Hudson’s?”
“If they’re hers, then we need to get rid of them even faster!” Jackson compared their worth to the boss’s wedding ring and dismissed the concern. With Easton’s status, his wedding ring was far from ordinary; Jackson had looked into it—the ring had been designed by a top-tier jeweler, someone whose design fees alone cost a fortune. In total, the ring had cost Easton several million. Losing something worth millions and retrieving it made sense. But Ellis’s little trinkets? No need to keep those. Just follow the…
Since the boss had given the directive and Jackson had confirmed it, Jordan confidently joined her team in tossing everything out. Everyone in the company knew the situation—there was going to be a new Mrs. Hudson. Clearing out the remnants of the soon-to-be ex-wife’s presence to make way for the new one? Completely reasonable. More importantly, it showed just how much Easton cared about his new woman.
Realizing this, Jordan feared they weren’t moving fast enough. She suddenly thought of something and asked Jackson, “Does the executive suite need cleaning too? What about Mrs. Hudson’s old office?”
Reminded of Ellis’s former workspace, Jackson didn’t hesitate. “Clear that out too.”
Without another word, Jordan dutifully got to work, making sure nothing was left behind.
With everything officially cleared out, the air itself seemed fresher. Anyone could see Ellis looked happier than she had in a long time.
Her colleague, Amelia, who had recently started working with her again, noticed how often Ellis’s eyes curved into a smile. Unable to hold back her curiosity, she asked, “Ms. Harper, are you in love? Or did something good happen? You look like someone with a stroke of luck.”
“Something good did happen,” Ellis admitted openly.
“What kind of good news?”
“Hmm…” Seeing Ellis hesitate, Amelia threw out a simple multiple-choice: Love, winning the lottery; pick one.
“Why do you always assume happiness comes from love?” Ellis raised an eyebrow. “Right now, I’m in love with money. I have no interest in men.”
“Getting involved with men is bad luck.”
She wouldn’t say she had been especially unlucky, but she was definitely fortunate to have finally freed herself from that nightmare of a marriage with Easton.