It was Monday morning at 9 o'clock, right when it was time to start work, at the Foley Group.
Employees dressed in black and white professional suits crowded into the elevator, chatting and gossiping among themselves. Small groups of three or five huddled together, discussing the latest rumors they had heard.
One female employee reached out and nudged her colleague who was busy checking herself in a small mirror. She leaned closer and whispered in her ear, 'Hey, have you heard?'
'Heard what?' The female colleague looked at herself in the mirror, smiled self-assuredly, and dabbed her lips, making her lipstick even darker.
'You don't know? The company released an announcement this morning, and they've removed Director Berry from her position.'
Director Berry? Wasn't she the new hire? She was just a junior supervisor in the HR department. But the mere amount of shares she held was enough for the regular employees to admire for a lifetime. Envy wouldn't get them anywhere.
Hearing the two women discussing the topic, others in the elevator became curious and joined in the conversation.
'I heard that Miss Berry caused Mr. Foley's former wife to have a miscarriage, which is why Mr. Foley broke up with her after finding out the truth.'
'Is it true? I've met Mr. Foley's ex-wife before, a young and lovely girl. It's really quite pitiful.'
'The most pitiful is the child, just discovered and gone. It's surprising, isn't it? The gentle and elegant Miss Berry turned out to be an executioner!'
'Hey, do you think Mr. Foley will choose Miss Berry or his ex-wife? I guess it'll be Miss Berry. I heard they had a ten-year childhood friendship, and having another child is easy.'
'I'm not so sure about that. They just announced this morning that they're stripping Miss Berry of all her positions in the company. I bet the next step is to buy out her shares!'
'No way?'
'...'
The numbers turned red just as the elevator doors opened, and the sudden appearance of a figure in white startled everyone. The two female employees who had been discussing earlier abruptly stopped talking, nearly biting their tongues.
'Miss Berry, good... good morning,' one of them stammered.
The woman before them was Abbie. She appeared pale and haggard, with heavy dark circles under her eyes that even a thick layer of foundation couldn't hide. Her sharp gaze swept over them, and she spoke arrogantly, 'It seems like some of you have too little work to do.'
'Miss Berry, we... we...'
Oh no, did she actually overhear us?
Abbie was still a shareholder, and if she reported this to their superiors, they would be the ones at a disadvantage.
Abbie left with a grim expression, wearing high heels. She chose another elevator.
As soon as she reached her office, she angrily slammed her LV leather bag on her desk, leaning on the tabletop with her hands. A silent tear fell onto the black surface, making the color appear much darker than the surrounding area.
In her mind, the voices of those two women mocking her were echoing loudly. 'Next, they're probably going to buy out her shares.'
No! That couldn't be true. How could Kelvin be so heartless?
Regardless of everything, the shares she held were the only connection left between her and Kelvin. She couldn't sell her ownership!
After making this firm promise to herself, someone knocked on the office door.
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Nice story...