Chapter 4

The sharp sound echoed through the office.

Peter was stunned for a moment before flying into a rage. He jabbed a finger in my face and bellowed, "Julia, you ungrateful bitch! Who do you think you are, acting all high and mighty?

"Everyone knows you're a slut, begging to be fucked. You're nothing but trash who sleeps her way into deals."

I glared at him. My stomach was churning violently. Ignoring his insults, I skimmed the contract and quickly signed it once I confirmed the terms were reasonable.

"Get out the moment you're done signing!" Peter panted with fury, jabbing a finger at the papers. "Listen. You're finished in this industry.

"The company will immediately activate the non-compete clause. I'll use every connection I have to blacklist you across the entire field. Let's see which company dares to hire you!"

Watching him rage on helplessly, I merely raised an eyebrow and said nothing. I picked up the signed resignation documents and turned to leave.

To my surprise, Hannah was still standing at my desk. Contempt filled her face as she casually flipped through my 200-page proposal report.

"I trained you for so long, but it wasn't until today that I realized you actually have quite a talent for stealing," I said evenly.

Catching the sarcasm in my tone, she immediately mustered as much authority as she could in her tone as the new manager.

"Julia, what do you mean? I'm the manager now. What right does a laid-off employee like you have to lecture me?

"This pile of nonsense has nothing to do with our project. Stop pretending like you're important. You're just all show and no substance."

One look at her self-righteous expression made me laugh. She hadn't officially taken over Mr. Langley's project yet, so she had no idea what the report was worth.

"Ms. Storrie, don't be too confident," I deliberately reminded her in a solemn tone. "This document is very important. After I leave, whether you get promoted, receive raises, or even secure your position as manager may very well depend on it. I suggest you keep it safe."

However, Hannah thought I was provoking her. She snorted.

"Are you trying to scare me?"

She grabbed the thick report and strode to the shredder in the corner of the office. After tearing it apart, she shoved it into the machine bit by bit.

"Know your place, bitch," she drawled out.

I stood there in silence, watching the report that consumed countless sleepless nights of my life instantly turn into fluttering white scraps in the air. Relief washed over me.

Just then, Peter's office door flew open. His voice was dripping with fury as he barked, "Hannah! Mr. Langley just called. He said the data migration system proposal from before was indeed very well done.

"His tech team wants to study it in more depth. Hurry up and find the backup or softcopy and send it to him to review again!"

She looked momentarily lost but still responded, "Alright. I'll do it right now."

Meanwhile, I picked up the cardboard box with my belongings and walked out of the company in high spirits.

My phone suddenly rang. A message notifying me of my exam results appeared on the screen, and I beamed.

Almost at the same time, Mr. Holmes called.

"Julia, my secretary said you offended Peter," he said tentatively. "Is there anything I can help with? Just say the word."

Knowing exactly what he implied, I replied, "Peter has activated the non-compete clause, so I'm afraid I won't be able to work for you for the time being. My apologies.

"But Mr. Holmes, I have some extremely good news."