Too Pretty to Be Your Backup novel Chapter 34

Leila stood quietly in her spotless white dress, her voice so soft it barely carried. She looked so fragile you just wanted to reach out and protect her.

She was pretty, no doubt about it. Her skin was glowing, and those big, sparkly eyes only made her seem innocent and vulnerable. It was the kind of look that made people want to take her side without even thinking.

She drifted over to Travis, glancing around at the tense atmosphere before speaking up, her words gentle and hesitant. “What’s going on? Travis, you look upset.”

Chad’s eyes lit up when he saw Leila, as if she was his last hope. He put on his most pitiful voice. “Ms. Price, Mr. Hill wants to fire me.”

He shot a nasty look at Amanda, making it clear who he was blaming for all this.

Leila blinked in surprise and turned to Travis, her face full of worry. “Did Chad do something wrong? Why would you want to fire him? He’s worked so hard to get here. It hasn’t been easy for him. If

someone…”

She let her gaze linger on Amanda, making her meaning obvious.

“Travis, maybe you could give Chad another chance? He’s had a rough time.”

Amanda couldn’t help but laugh at the way they all played their parts. If they wanted drama, she’d give them drama.

She copied Leila’s syrupy tone, turning to Travis. “Travis, Chad works so hard. Even if he takes on side gigs and leaks contract info, is that really a reason to fire him? He came from nothing. Surely you can forgive him.”

Chad’s face went pale.

Leila looked at Amanda like her heart was breaking. “Amanda, how could you say something so awful just to get Chad fired? Do you even realize what your words could do? He could get blacklisted from the whole industry!”

Amanda rolled her eyes. “Oh, so now you care about what people say? Wasn’t it just a minute ago you were dropping hints about me being the reason he’s getting fired? Give me a break. If I really had the power to make Travis fire Chad, do you honestly think he’d still be here?”

It wasn’t like she hadn’t complained about Chad to Travis before. And every single time, she got the same old lines: “Stay out of company business.” “Don’t get involved.” “Stop making a fuss.” If Travis was going to fire Chad for her, he would’ve done it ages ago. She wasn’t delusional enough to think this was about her.

But the way Chad freaked out when she mentioned side gigs and leaking prices… It almost seemed like she’d hit a nerve. Maybe she had.

Leila glared. “If it’s not because of you, then why would Travis suddenly fire him?”

Amanda shrugged. “How should I know? Ask Travis. I’m not a mind reader.”

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Chapter 34

She turned to Chad with a sweet smile. “If you haven’t done anything wrong, then you’ve got nothing to worry about. But if you have… well, good luck.”

Chad’s eyes flashed with guilt. He lunged at Amanda, but in his panic, he tripped over the desk and went sprawling to the floor.

Amanda slapped her hand over her mouth, pretending to be shocked. “Wow, talk about bad luck!”

She glanced at Travis, as if to say, See, I told you so. Her words were never just talk. And if Chad was this unlucky, maybe he really had done something shady.

Amanda wasn’t doing this for Travis. But the company had given a lot of people opportunities, and it would suck if a jerk like Chad messed things up for everyone else.

Chad’s embarrassment instantly turned to rage. He scrambled up, his face twisted, and swung at Amanda like he wanted to tear her apart.

His punch never landed. Travis caught his arm, his face cold and dangerous.

“Chad, you really think you can hit her in front of me? Who the hell do you think

you are?”

He shoved Chad’s arm away so hard that Chad stumbled back, looking like he might faint.

Fiona, watching from the side, was scared stiff. Chad must’ve lost his mind. Hit Amanda right in front of Travis? Sure, some things could be done in private, but pulling a stunt like that here was basically asking for it.

Chad finally realized he’d gone too far. He’d always thought Amanda was a pushover, but her comeback had made him snap.

“Mr. Hill, 1-” he started.

Leila tried to jump in, her voice barely above a whisper. “Travis, it’s not Chad’s fault. Amanda was provoking him-”

“Enough,” Travis cut her off, his voice ice–cold. “I don’t need your permission to fire a traitor.”

He was intimidating just standing there. The way he stared at Chad could freeze anyone in their tracks. He’d watched Chad disrespect Amanda over and over, and now Chad had actually tried to hit her, right in front of him.

Who the hell did he think he was?

Leila fell silent, her face even paler than usual. She’d never seen Travis look at her that way before, and she didn’t dare say another word.

Travis turned his glare on Chad. “I’ll have your actions investigated. If you’ve done anything illegal, you’ll be held accountable. Now get out.”

Chad started shaking all over. If Travis really dug up the truth, jail was a real possibility.

He didn’t even try to argue. He just turned and ran.

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