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Semua Bab I Was Fired, but Her Empire Turned to Ashes: Bab 1 - Bab 10

10 Bab

Chapter 1

"It's just a small matter. Don't worry about it. I'm busy, so I'll hang up now."Wendy Shaw's tone was cold and distant, though I could tell she was rushing over here.Her secretary, Lisa Carter, had obviously heard that line too. She rolled her eyes at me before finally letting me through.I thought the initial unfair treatment had passed. But as soon as I entered the conference room, everyone inside avoided me like the plague. Wherever I sat, someone would move to another seat within seconds. I raised an eyebrow but didn't take it to heart.I had never been on good terms with them anyway. I was used to being talked about behind my back at the company, but I didn't care."Thank you, all, for attending this management meeting. Since Ms. Shaw hasn't arrived yet, I'll give a brief opening on her behalf."Lisa, who'd blocked me earlier, began chairing the meeting. She started with the usual operational adjustments, position changes, and other matters. I found it painfully dull a

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Chapter 2

Wendy strode into the conference room in a custom-tailored suit and heels. The room fell silent the instant she entered.Lisa hurriedly pulled out a chair for her, but Wendy didn't sit down right away. Instead, she walked straight up to me."Julian, stop scaring everyone with your doomsday talk. Your pretentious act only makes me feel disgusted!" she snapped.I was momentarily stunned. I'd assumed her earlier call-out was directed at Lisa, but it turned out she was talking to me.Before I could respond, Wendy continued, "I really regret letting you join this company. I still don't understand why Grandpa insisted on bringing in someone who's just a figurehead. "Who do you think you are, acting so high and mighty? Do you really believe this company can't run without you?"We'd been married for five years. Even if it was only in name, married couples were expected to keep up a veneer of harmony in public. Her relentless, humiliating criticism left me stunned, and my expression hard

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Chapter 3

When Zachary, Leon, and Victor heard that I was about to expose them, their expressions instantly tightened. But Wendy acted as if she hadn't heard a thing.Zachary was the first to respond, his tone sharp but his eyes betraying his unease."What are you accusing me of without a single piece of proof? When did I ever even talk to you? Do you have any evidence?"Wendy didn't acknowledge my warning at all, and her patience wore thin as she frowned."A loser like you dares to accuse our key contributors on your way out?"I shot back, sneering, "Key contributors? Which of these people standing up right now is a key contributor?"The remark made several faces in the room turn even darker. I pressed on, "I don't think Mr. Craig Wilson can possibly afford that half-million-dollar watch. Didn't Mr. Grant just buy a waterfront condo in the city? And Mr. Howard only recently sent his kid off to study abroad, right?"Victor slammed his hand on the table, his face contorted with anger. "Y

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Chapter 4

I suppressed my rising anger and replied through gritted teeth, "Don't worry. I'm not that pathetic. Wendy, I just hope you won't regret this decision someday."But even after I said I would leave on my own, Wendy remained skeptical the entire time.I removed my ID badge, slapped it onto the conference table in front of everyone, and then turned to leave. Just as I did, she suddenly called out to me.For a brief moment, I thought she had come to her senses. Instead, she just said, "Since you've laid it all out, I won't pretend either. Let's get a divorce. Julian, I've never loved you. Not once, all these years."Hearing that, I let out a self-deprecating laugh."Relax. I'm not delusional enough to think otherwise," I responded.Her decision was exactly what I expected. How could Wendy possibly think that after everything she'd done, I'd still have feelings for her? Even if she hadn't brought it up, I would've filed for divorce tomorrow anyway.We'd been married five years, but i

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Chapter 5

My colleagues' faces twisted into unconcealed scorn, and they started mocking me."Is that all? What good is that crappy firewall of yours? It doesn't do a thing, and nothing's ever even breached our network.""We don't even need that junk, and you're acting like it's some kind of treasure."I said nothing and turned my gaze to Wendy. She was the one in charge, and removing the firewall required her approval.I could see the hesitation on her face. As part of the higher management, she obviously understood the firewall's importance better than others. At first, she probably just wanted to get rid of me, but she hadn't expected me to be so uncompromising. Over the years, she might have thought I was slacking or just collecting a paycheck, but she never doubted my programming ability. Otherwise, she wouldn't have kept me on the payroll for so long.Wendy worried that taking the firewall down that day might leave an opening for competitors. She remained silent, and naturally, the o

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Chapter 6

My colleagues watched me pack up my laptop with barely concealed glee. Asher turned to Wendy, making his promise with absolute confidence."Don't worry. Just leave everything to me. I can write code that's even better and more secure than his. Someone like him should've been weeded out years ago if the company hadn't been supporting him all this time. I don't know why he's still sticking around."Just from that one form of address, everyone in the room, sharp enough to read between the lines, realized the two of them had an unusual relationship.A faint blush appeared on Wendy's face as she nodded obediently. "I'm sure you'll do great. You're the new head of the Cybersecurity Department."My hands paused as I gathered my things. I had no interest in listening to their lovey-dovey talk and left.Just as I walked out of the company entrance, I heard someone call out behind me. I turned slightly and saw that Asher had actually followed me out, with a teasing smirk."You've figured

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Chapter 7

Wendy was just as shocked as I was. She hurried forward to greet Michael."Grandpa, aren't you supposed to be at the nursing home?"Michael's face betrayed no curiosity, only a sharp sternness aimed at her."Nursing home? If I'd stayed there any longer, you would've run your own company into the ground. Apologize to Julian right now."Wendy hadn't expected that Michael's first words would be this, and she couldn't accept it. In just a few sentences, he had already triggered her rebellious streak."Grandpa! I don't care who told you all this, but why does it have to be Julian? What if I insist on keeping Asher?"Michael's frown deepened. His piercing gaze swept over Asher, who stood silently to the side, and he let out a cold snort. "He's not qualified."At those words, both Wendy's and Asher's faces fell.It took Wendy a long moment to speak again, her face ashen. "You're always like this… You've tried to control my life since I was little. Well, today I'm definitely choosing A

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Chapter 8

"That's impossible!"Asher couldn't believe it. His whole body began trembling slightly."I followed the course and the instructor step by step. There's no way it could go wrong.""Really? Which instructor?" I asked casually.His blood boiled over, and he roared at me, "Shut up! Who cares which instructor it was? Are you trying to kick me while I'm down?"I let out a derisive laugh. I didn't need to guess since it was obviously some random online instructor and a coding course. With just two days of lessons, his confidence had skyrocketed. His supposed company in Camberford was probably just for show."W-What do we do now?" Wendy panicked. Although she managed a tech firm, she had no real idea how any of it worked.In contrast, Michael looked even more distressed."The firewall is gone?"I saw he was showing signs of oxygen deprivation again and quickly stepped forward to support him."Mr. Shaw Senior, don't worry. The core files still have my defense system. The current th

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Chapter 9

"You think Julian is just some ordinary programmer? He's a top-tier hacker whom I went to great lengths to recruit using old connections. I was doing you a favor by setting him up with you," Michael explained. Wendy froze momentarily. When she finally spoke again, her voice was full of disbelief. "Him?"Michael continued, "Yes, it's him. I specifically set him up with you, and look at what you've done. You're pregnant with someone else's child. I'm beyond disappointed."I could tell she hadn't grasped the gravity of the situation yet. The information overload left her momentarily stunned. But the way she looked at me had genuinely changed.Michael explained again, "You really thought I recruited him here years ago just to provide simple security for your company?""It wasn't?" Wendy asked, completely dumbfounded. He sneered and said, "That was secondary. The main purpose was to protect Shaw Group's collaborative project with the government. If that information leaked, the conse

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Chapter 10

Just a few days after returning home, Wendy showed up at my door again."What do you want now?" I asked impatiently as I opened the door.Her face looked pale and weak, and she hesitated for a long time before saying, "I received the divorce papers. How could you do this?"I leaned against the doorframe and raised an eyebrow. "You cheated first. Of course, I'm filing for divorce."At that, tears immediately streamed down Wendy's face."Can't you help me one more time for my grandpa's sake? My company is really in trouble now…"I had known this was the reason she came today."Does he know you're here?" I asked.Wendy no longer had the arrogance she'd shown when firing me. She just shook her head slightly.I called Michael right in front of her, briefly explained the situation, and then asked for his advice.There was a long silence on the other end of the line, and then he let out a snort. I could tell he was still angry."Julian, you handle it however you see fit."After ha

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