Rejecting Workplace Harassment, I Fought Back Against Being Laid Off

My boss took a liking to my beauty and wanted to exploit me.

My boyfriend, seeking a promotion and raise, delivered me to his bed.

He said, "Just one night and you'll have everything you want. Why are you pretending to be so pure?"

I pretended to go along with it, only to turn the tables and ensure he'd never harm anyone like that again.

In a fit of rage, my boss added me to the layoff list for the end of the year.

But they didn't know my true identity. I was someone they could never afford to provoke.

1

"Amber, Mr. Palmer wants to see you in his office. Be gentle, speak sweetly, and make him happy. Your promotion and raise won't be far off," said my boyfriend, Bodhi Reed.

He leaned over my desk, trapping me in a close, suggestive posture.

I turned my head, blinking innocently, and asked in confusion, "Isn't promotion and salary increase based on personal performance here?"

He patted my head and planted a kiss on my forehead. He smiled slyly, "Amber, you don't understand. Performance is just a formality. It doesn't hold much weight. The final decision is in Mr. Palmer's hands.

"Just do as I say, okay? Here, spray a little perfume. He likes this scent."

He pulled out a half-empty bottle of perfume from his pocket and sprayed a bit over my head. The strong fragrance immediately made my nose itch, and I sneezed.

Covering my nose, I frowned in distaste. "Stop spraying that. It smells awful, and besides, I'm not interested in a promotion right now.

"Even if I wanted one, I'm your assistant. Where else in the department could I move up? Should I run my own team? Or take you out and replace you?"

His smile froze, and after a brief, awkward moment, his face darkened.

He said, "Amber, why are you so unambitious?

"We don't even have a place to live yet, and I'm just a small team leader. If you can win over Mr. Palmer and become his favorite, maybe you could put in a good word for me. The department head position is still open.

"Even if you don't think of yourself, shouldn't you think of me? Of our future?"

The more he spoke, the more agitated he became. He was full of reproach.

I felt a little hurt. In the three years we had been together, he had never raised his voice at me before. This was a first.

For a moment, I wanted to tell him not to worry about our house or getting married, but then I remembered that I couldn't reveal my identity yet.

I had kept it a secret for three years. If I told him now, he might be scared off and break up with me."

When we first started dating, I asked him, "If both the daughter of a billionaire and I liked you, who would you choose?"

Back then, he patted his chest and swore he'd choose me. He said he only loved me.

He also said that wealthy women were always difficult, and he had no interest in being a man who married into wealth. The wealth we built together through hard work would be the most valuable and fulfilling.

Though I felt wronged by his harshness, I knew he was just anxious. He wanted to marry me too badly.

He had spent all the money he had saved on a car, just so we could go on road trips together.

But without a house or savings, marriage seemed far off, which was why my lack of ambition upset him so much.

Under his constant urging and my self-reflection, I reluctantly made my way to Joshua Palmer's office.

2

"Mr. Palmer, you wanted to see me?" I asked.

The office door was wide open, so I knocked on the frame.

Sitting on the couch with his legs crossed and a cigarette in hand, Joshua glanced at me, his shifty eyes roaming over my body.

Today was my third anniversary with Bodhi, and the dress I wore was a gift from him.

He had given it to me last night, and this morning, before I left for work, he asked me to wear it, saying he would take me somewhere special later.

It was a tight, form-fitting dress with a deep V-neck, paired with black stockings and high heels.

My figure was curvy, and the dress accentuated it, making me look even more alluring.

Originally, I had a jacket over it, but for some reason, the office was unusually warm, and I was already feeling too hot in just this outfit.

Joshua's gaze made me uncomfortable, and I instinctively wanted to leave, but he quickly called out to me.

He said, "Amber, you've been with the company for half a year, but we haven't really had a good chat.

"I like to be close to my employees. Don't be so stiff. Close the door and come over here."

Reluctantly, I moved over to the sofa and sat on the edge, as far from him as possible.

He frowned. "Why are you sitting so far away? Come closer and sit next to me. It's easier to talk that way."

I didn't move, forcing a smile that was more of a grimace. "Mr. Palmer, I'm fine here. Don't worry, I have a loud voice and good hearing, so we can communicate just fine."

He stubbed out his cigarette and moved to sit beside me.

This two-seater was already tight, and with his large frame, I was practically pushed to the edge.

I frowned and was about to stand up and move, but he quickly grabbed my shoulder.

His hand on me made my skin crawl. I tried to shrug him off, but he hooked his arm around my neck.

Breathing against my cheek, his foul breath made me nauseous. "Amber, you know why Bodhi sent you here, don't you?"

I held my breath, my face turning red from the effort. He mistook my reaction for shyness.

He said, "Didn't think you'd be so shy. Blushing already? Looks like Bodhi hasn't trained you well. Maybe he's not up to the task?

"Amber, you know I have absolute authority in this company. As long as you please me, I'll make sure your promotions and raises go smoothly.

"And if you're available anytime I call, I'll throw in an extra eight thousand dollars a month for spending money.

"So, what do you say? Want to test my abilities first?"

As he leaned in closer, his stinking lips were about to touch my face. I had enough. I shoved him away and slapped him hard.

The force of the slap turned his head, leaving him stunned.

He was older, overweight, and his face was fat. The feel of my hand on his skin disgusted me so much I wanted to cut it off.

I grabbed a few tissues from the coffee table and furiously wiped my palm.

When he snapped out of it, he was furious. "Amber Walsh, did you just hit me? Are you tired of living?"

His breathing grew labored from anger, and I could almost smell the stench from his open mouth.

I crumpled the tissues and threw them at him, landing them right in his mouth.

"You filthy pig, I hit you, and I'd do it again," I snapped.

3

The tissue ball entered his mouth, and he reflexively closed it, followed by a frenzy of spitting.

The tissue dissolved upon contact with water, and he spat out a pile of shredded fragments. Taking advantage of the moment, I slipped out of the office.

Back at my desk, Bodhi approached with a bright smile on his face.

He asked, "Amber, how did you come out so quickly? Did you and Mr. Palmer..."

His eyes sparkled with excitement, and even if I were naïve, I would have understood his intentions at that moment.

Using me as a bargaining chip for his future, he had it all figured out.

No wonder he, always so stingy, suddenly bought me such an expensive dress. No wonder he insisted I wear it this morning and paid special attention to my makeup. Normally, he wouldn't have cared at all about such things.

Noticing my dark expression, he sensed something was wrong and panicked. "Amber, did you upset Mr. Palmer?"

I crossed my arms, suddenly aware of the deep V-neck of my dress. I grabbed the jacket hanging on the back of my chair and draped it over myself.

I snapped, "Bodhi, you're despicable.

"So eager to take shortcuts. Why don't you do it yourself?

"You use me as a favor. Are you even human? What do you take me for?"

He was dumbfounded by my sharp words, blinking in confusion.

He placed his hands on my shoulders, looking straight into my eyes. He appeared innocent, just like the man who had once loved me.

He said, "Amber, what are you saying? When did I ever use you as a favor? Did you misunderstand something?

"I asked you to go to Mr. Palmer's office just to discuss things with him so we could make work easier. We've got to go on a business trip tonight, remember?"

His words were so earnest that I began to doubt myself.

But then, his phone rang. It was Joshua calling.

I narrowed my eyes, raising an eyebrow. "Answer it. Put it on speaker."

We shared an office as part of a team, and today, all the other members were either on a business trip or out in the field. So, I wasn't worried about disturbing anyone else.

Bodhi hesitated, but under my probing gaze, he answered the call.

Joshua grumbled, "Bodhi, bring Amber over here right now. I want to discuss tonight's agenda with her. She had the audacity to slap me.

"Are all your subordinates this unruly? How am I supposed to work with someone like her? If it weren't for the fact that she's the only assistant left in your group and that you're trying to give her an opportunity to grow, I wouldn't even look at her."

Bodhi stared at me in shock. After a hurried apology to Joshua, he hung up the phone.

He pressed his lips together, swallowing nervously. His face was filled with concern. "Amber, you hit Mr. Palmer?"

His expression was genuine, leaving me momentarily unsure whether my suspicions were correct.

Maybe Mr. Palmer was the one who made a move on me, and it wasn't Bodhi offering me up for his advancement.

But then again, slapping Joshua wasn't unreasonable. He had tried to grope me, which was clearly workplace sexual harassment.

I hardened my resolve. "Bodhi, he harassed me in the office and insulted me. Even if he was joking, it was far from appropriate.

"In fact, I think slapping him was getting off easy."

I showed no remorse and that annoyed Bodhi.

He sulked, "Amber, do you realize that Mr. Palmer has been a mentor to me? I owe him everything, even my position as a team leader. When you were struggling to find a job, it was him I went to for help."

4

He was trembling with rage, disappointment filling his eyes.

I felt even more wronged. I was the one who had been mistreated, yet it felt like I was the one who had done something wrong.

Just because he helped us, should I silently endure being abused?

I reasoned, "Bodhi, these are different things. We can thank him in other ways for helping you, but that doesn't give him the right to humiliate me.

"I'm a person with feelings and dignity, not a toy. I know what's right and wrong."

My anger flared. I was usually gentle and mild-mannered around him, but this was the first time I'd ever shown this side of myself.

He was frozen in place, unable to say a word as he looked at me with emotions I couldn't quite decipher.

I held his gaze, refusing to give in.

After a long pause, he sighed and pulled me into his arms.

He said, "Amber, you know I didn't mean it like that.

"To me, you're the most important person in the world. I just think that as long as someone doesn't cross too many lines, we should bear it and move on.

"Now that you've offended Mr. Palmer, have you thought about how we're going to survive in the company from now on? How will we get promotions or raises?

"Amber, we haven't even found our future home yet."

His voice cracked at the end, and I felt something cool and damp on the top of my head. He was crying.

I wanted to push him away and wipe his tears, but he held me tightly. "Amber, I'm sorry. It's my lack of ability that made you suffer like this. If only I weren't just a poor guy, I could've married you sooner."

At that moment, I wanted to reveal my true identity to him.

After wrestling with my thoughts for a while, I made up my mind and began to speak. "Bodhi, actually, I'm..."

Joshua suddenly called out, "Bodhi, didn't I tell you to bring Amber over? It's already four o'clock, and we still haven't finalized the details. How are we supposed to make it to Ogrebridge tonight?"

His sudden appearance cut off the words I was about to say.

I could only stay quiet and wait for another opportunity to tell Bodhi.

After finalizing the travel plans, it was already 5:30 p.m. By the time we drove to Ogrebridge, it was just seven in the evening.

What I didn't expect was that the person we were meeting today was my childhood friend, Theo Armstrong.

I realized he might be the difficult client Joshua had mentioned.

When Theo noticed me, he was both puzzled and surprised.

A moment ago, he had been cold and indifferent, but now, he suddenly seemed so warm.

Seeing that he was about to greet me, I quickly stopped him with my gaze, sending him a fast text and signaling him to check his phone.

[Just pretend you don't know me. If my identity is exposed, you're done for.]

After reading the message, he gave me a knowing look. [Still playing your little role-playing games?]