Chapter 32

When Lilia finally fell asleep, Joanna sighed, turned off the light, and slipped out of her daughter's room silently.

The phone rang. "Beep-beep." It startled her.

A strange number flashed on the screen.

"Hello?"

"Joanna, where did you hide the children?" It was Bruce. His anger was palpable.

Joanna replied brusquely, "What's wrong with you? They are my children, and they have nothing to do with your family. Don't disturb us again. I will sue you if you abduct them again!"

Bruce swallowed, growling coldly, "Tell me, where are the children?"

"I've sent them to study abroad. Don't waste your time."

Bruce explained, "Joanna, Grandma is getting old. She just wants to see the children"

"I'm sorry. But I'm under no obligation to fulfill your request."

She knew that if the children saw Margaret, they would be forced to stay. Margaret was shrewd and wouldn't release them easily.

Bruce was speechless. Upset, he said, "Joanna, you have one day left. You'll be sorry if you don't take the children to see her." "Beep." Joanna hung up.

On the other end of the line, Bruce seethed. No one had ever hung up on him.

"Beep-beep Beep-beep"

He made a dozen calls in succession, each met with a disconnect by Joanna. The more she hung up, the more he called. Finally, a recorded message answered: "Sorry. The number you dialed is off. Please redial later."

"Joanna, you just wait and see!" Bruce raged, slamming his phone to the ground. The screen shattered. "Crack!"

The next day, headlines screamed that the Haynes Group faced bankruptcy and imminent acquisition. The news sent shockwaves through investors. The Haynes Group's stock plummeted. Small investors panicked, selling their shares en masse. In a single day, the company lost hundreds of millions of dollars in market value, teetering on the brink of delisting.

Inside the Haynes Group, anxiety reigned.

"Miss Haynes hasn't been to the company for three days. Will we go bankrupt?"

"Did you see the financial news? We are going bankrupt!"

"Did Miss Haynes run away with the money?"

"At this rate, becoming a top 500 company is impossible. We need to focus on staying afloat!"

"She's just blowing hot air."

"With Mr. Grim on her side, she's not afraid. But it won't work. If we go bankrupt, how will I support my family?"

"Yeah, she overreached herself. I can't believe she signed that Valuation Adjustment Mechanism with Mr. Everett. Now, before the contract expires, she's doomed."

"She hasn't come to the company for days. She's probably too afraid."

"See? There's been so much negative news about her."

"What a jinx"

Employees buzzed with worried discussion. Then, Joanna appeared unexpectedly.

An intern paled, bowing his head. "Hello, Miss Haynes."

Others quickly returned to their desks.

"You don't need to come in tomorrow."

"What? Why?" They stared at each other.

"Miss Haynes, according to our contract, you need to give one month's notice for layoff."

"And unemployment benefits."

"Even Mr. Haynes couldn't fire us easily. Why are you laying us off?"

"Don't worry. I will provide unemployment compensation according to legal procedures." Joanna added, "Go to the finance department to collect this month's salary. I'll have the lawyer process the unemployment compensation; it will be sent to your cards."

"Seriously?" They were stunned. They hadn't expected such decisive action.

"Cora, here's the layoff list. These people don't need to come in tomorrow."

"Got it, Miss Haynes."

A dozen names were on the list—Ingrid's relatives and confidantes. They offered little to the company and often spread rumors about Joanna. Their dismissal was necessary.

Soon, the fired employees complained to Ingrid. Furious, she raged.

"Damn! Joanna fired six of my cousins!"

"She's so cruel!"

Ingrid sobbed, cursing Joanna and occasionally punching Shaun, who smoked silently.

"Shaun, look what your daughter did! If you don't do something, she'll only get worse."

The extraneous text at the end was removed as it appears to be promotional material.