Chapter 6: You Are Fired

 

"You... you'll regret this!" Julian screamed, scrambling up from the dirt. His expensive suit was ruined, and his glasses were cracked.

"Try me!" Harper shouted back, dusting off her hands.

She watched Julian limp away to his car before turning back to the mansion. She felt a rush of adrenaline. She had just kicked a shareholder. She, Harper Evans, the girl who used to be afraid of her own shadow.

She ran back upstairs to the study.

The room was silent. Sebastian was still sitting in his wheelchair, his back to the door, staring out the floor-to-ceiling window. The storm clouds were gathering again.

The air in the room felt heavy—suffocating. The adrenaline faded, replaced by a dull ache in her chest. Sebastian looked so... lonely. Like a king sitting on a throne of ash.

Harper didn't speak. She quietly bent down to clean up the mess. She picked up the scattered papers, the broken glass, the heavy paperweight.

Then, she saw it. Under the desk, lying face down, was a broken photo frame.

Harper picked it up and brushed off the glass shards. It was a photo of two young men in graduation gowns. One was Sebastian, standing tall and proud, smiling with the world at his feet. The other was Julian, his arm draped around Sebastian’s shoulder, laughing.

They looked like brothers.

Harper’s heart sank. No wonder Sebastian was so hurt. It wasn't just a business betrayal; it was a brother stabbing him in the back.

She sighed softly, placing the broken frame on the desk.

"Do you pity me?"

Sebastian’s voice cut through the silence. It was low, hoarse, and cold.

Harper froze. She looked at his back. She wanted to say No. She wanted to say I understand you. But seeing that photo, seeing his broken legs... She hesitated. Because deep down, there was a sliver of sympathy. Not pity for his legs, but for his broken heart.

Her silence was the wrong answer.

"Leave," Sebastian said.

Harper thought he meant she should leave the room to let him rest. "Okay, I'll finish cleaning and—"

"I said," Sebastian spun his wheelchair around. His eyes were dead, devoid of the warmth she had seen earlier. "You are fired."

Harper stood up straight, the duster falling from her hand.

"What?" She blinked. "Why? I know labor laws. You can't just fire someone without cause! I just defended you!"

"I don't need a guard dog who looks at me like I'm a charity case," Sebastian sneered. "I will pay you your severance. Three times your salary. Now pack your things. Get out of my house in one hour."

"But..."

"GET OUT!" Sebastian roared, sweeping the pile of papers she had just organized off the desk again.

Harper flinched. She looked at the man she had massaged, fed, and protected. The man who had held her hand just ten minutes ago. Now, he was back to being the Monster.

"Fine," Harper’s voice trembled, but she didn't cry. She clenched her fists. "I'll go."

She walked to the door, then stopped. She turned around to face him one last time.

"I didn't answer you because I was searching for the right word," Harper said, her voice steady. "I don't pity you, Sebastian. I was proud of you. But clearly, you're more comfortable being miserable alone."

She slammed the door shut.

---

[The Departure]

Thirty minutes later, Harper walked down the grand staircase with her suitcase. She didn't have much to pack. Just a few clothes and her toothbrush.

As she reached the foyer, the front door opened. Liam walked in, holding a box of pastries.

"Harper! I brought celebration donuts!" Liam beamed. "I heard you kicked Julian! That was—"

He stopped. He saw the suitcase.

"Where are you going?" Liam asked, his smile vanishing.

"Home," Harper said flatly. "Your brother fired me."

"WHAT?!" Liam dropped the donuts. "Why?! You're the only one who can handle him! You made him eat! You made him sleep!"

"He said I pitied him," Harper adjusted her backpack strap. "He's stubborn, Liam. He'd rather push everyone away than admit he needs help. Good luck with Caretaker Number 89."

"No, wait! Harper, don't go!" Liam grabbed her arm. "He's just angry! He doesn't mean it! I'll go talk to him!"

Harper gently removed Liam’s hand.

"I have dignity too, Liam. I'm an employee, not a punching bag."

She walked out the door. The heavy oak door clicked shut behind her.

[Upstairs]

Sebastian sat in the dark study. He heard the car engine start outside. He heard the tires crunching on the gravel driveway.

She was gone. Just like that.

His hand twitched on the armrest. He looked at the spot where she had stood. Why did I do that? Because she saw his weakness? Because for a moment, he had wanted to rely on her? That terrified him more than anything.

---

[The Street Corner]

Harper sat on a bench at the bus stop outside the Sterling Estate gates. It started to drizzle. Of course.

Where could she go? She couldn't go back to her father. He would just sell her again if he found out she lost the job. She had no apartment. No friends in this part of the city.

She was homeless.

"Great job, Harper," she muttered to herself, wiping a raindrop from her nose. "You kept your dignity, but now you're going to sleep under a bridge."

Ding.

Her phone buzzed in her pocket. Probably a spam message. Or maybe Liam begging her to come back.

She pulled it out listlessly. Her eyes widened. Then widened some more.

[Bank Notification: You have received a transfer of $50,000.00 from Sterling Corp.] [Memo: Severance Pay + Compensation.]

Harper stared at the screen. She counted the zeros. One, two, three, four... Fifty. Thousand. Dollars.

That was more than she could make in two years.

Her sadness vanished instantly. Her anger evaporated. The rain suddenly felt refreshing.

"He... he actually paid it?" Harper gasped.

She looked back at the gloomy mansion on the hill. Suddenly, Sebastian didn't seem like a monster anymore. He seemed like a glowing, golden ATM machine.

"Wait," Harper tapped her chin, a mischievous smile forming on her lips. "If I go back... and let him fire me again next month... I could be a millionaire by Christmas."

She stood up, grabbing her suitcase with renewed energy. She wasn't going to sleep under a bridge. With $50,000, she was going to the finest hotel in the city.

"Thanks for the bonus, grumpy husband," she whispered, blowing a kiss toward the mansion. "But you'll miss me before I miss you."