Harold left the office in a daze and ran into Linda on her way in. Seeing his expression, she asked what was wrong.
“I’ve been fired.”
After hearing the whole story, Linda pressed her lips together. “What should I do? I was also coming to confirm his schedule for next week.”
When she entered the office, Marico was already nodding off. Linda didn’t want to disturb him, but she had no choice.
“Mr. Stapleton, did you review the documents I gave you yesterday? The planning department is waiting for your instructions.”
Marico jolted awake, nearly falling out of his chair. When he settled back and saw Linda’s face, he smacked his lips.
“Linda, are you married?”
“No.”
“Have a boyfriend?”
“No.”
“Let me take you to dinner tonight.”
It finally clicked for Linda. Seeing Marico’s lecherous gaze, she gritted her teeth in anger. “I quit!”
With both Harold and Linda gone, rumors began to fly that Marico was purging Theodore’s old guard to consolidate power and bring in his own people.
Seizing the opportunity, a self-proclaimed clever subordinate rushed in to offer his counsel, suggesting that Harold and Linda’s teams also needed to be cleared out to secure Marico’s position in the company.
Marico stared at the weaselly-looking man and waved a dismissive hand. “You’re fired.”
“What? W-why?” The man was stunned. He was trying to show his loyalty, so how did he end up getting fired?
Marico looked disgusted. “You’re too ugly. Looking at you makes me sick.”
After the loyalist was also dismissed, everyone finally understood: the new CEO was an unpredictable tyrant. The only way to survive was to stay as far away from him as possible.
At last, Marico had some peace and quiet. Having caught everyone off guard, the usual flow of work had stalled. He seized the opportunity and slipped out of the company.
“It’s me, Marico.”
“Oh, Mr. Stapleton. What can I do for you?”
“Let’s go to dinner.”
“And then?”
“Don’t play dumb!”
“I don’t think that’s a good idea. I already have a boyfriend.”
Marico nearly choked. “Aren’t I your boyfriend? Did we break up? Are you seeing someone else at the same time?”
“You’re one to talk, Mr. Stapleton. I’m not the only one you’re seeing. Besides, you haven’t contacted me in days, and when I tried to reach you, you told me not to bother you. Wasn’t it obvious you were tired of me and wanted to break up?”
Marico felt a fresh wave of despair. Why on earth had he done this to himself?

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