My apology message hit the company group chat like a grenade.

On the surface, it sounded polite, but it was obvious how disappointed I was in the company. After that, I revoked all my access permissions from the company systems and began my suspension period.

Emily moved me to a desk beside the restroom under the pretense that I should stay in my lane. I spent my days there, a spectacle for everyone passing by, subjected to a mix of mocking glares and pitying looks.

Meanwhile, Jessica proudly took over my old office seat and started bossing everyone around in the department.

However, my role was far more complex than she realized.

I had personally managed every project assigned to me from its inception to its conclusion, mastering every intricate detail of planning and execution.

Jessica, meanwhile, knew absolutely nothing.

Within days, over a dozen clients filed complaints demanding that their accounts be returned to my management. They threatened to scrap their contracts entirely, leaving Horizon Ventures on the brink of staggering financial penalties.

Emily finally panicked. For the first time in days, she came over to my desk.

"Everly, these projects were originally yours. There are some technical issues right now, so I need you to coordinate with the clients and smooth things over."

I looked up at her casually. "Ms. Hopkins, are you sure you’ve got the right person? I’m suspended."

She stiffened for a second before replying awkwardly, "Suspension doesn’t mean you stop working. Company policy is that whoever starts a project sees it through."

I spread my hands lightly. "That’s going to be difficult. I already removed all my system access."

Her expression changed instantly, her eyes blazing with anger. "You were suspended, not terminated. Why would you revoke your permissions? Submit a request to restore them immediately."

I looked at her calmly. "Weren’t those your words, Ms. Hopkins? 'Stay in your lane'. I’m just following your instructions."

Her face darkened in embarrassment, but she still forced herself to stay patient. "Fine. We’ll restore your position first. Just contact the clients and stop them from canceling their contracts."

I smiled faintly, tilting my head slightly. "Shouldn’t the more capable Top Performer handle this kind of thing? I’m just a woman who relies on her looks, remember? I don’t have that kind of ability."

Crimson flooded her face as she fought to hold back her anger. "Everly, that was just office banter. Are you really taking it this seriously?"

I kept smiling, but there wasn’t a trace of warmth left in it. "So, taking away my Top Performer title and $600,000 bonus was office banter, too? And calling a $10 slice of cake excessive spending was also just a joke?"

Every sentence landed squarely across her face. Her complexion shifted rapidly, flushing a deep crimson before draining to a deathly pale color.

Silence stretched between us as she remained speechless. For a person of Emily's stature, offering an apology to a mere employee was an alien concept.

Just then, Jessica came running over excitedly. "Ms. Hopkins! Zenith Consortium agreed to the investment!"

Emily’s eyes lit up instantly. "That’s great!"

She looked at Jessica like she’d personally saved the company. "Jessica, you really are Horizon Ventures’ lucky charm. With Zenith Consortium backing us, clients will be lining up to work with us."

Then she turned toward me and shot me a vicious glare. "Everly, you’re fired. Go process your exit paperwork immediately."

I nodded calmly. "Fine. Then I expect the company to compensate me according to labor regulations."

Emily exploded instantly. "Compensation? After the losses you caused this company?" she shouted furiously. "Just wait until we sue you!"

Jessica looked at me viciously from beside him. "Everly, I’ll make sure the entire industry blacklists you."

I merely smiled faintly. "Sure, I’ll wait."

I quietly packed up my things and walked out of the company I’d poured myself into for the past year. I hadn’t relied on connections or family influence to get where I was.

Everything Horizon Ventures had become today was built with my own hard work and merit.

Instead, I was fired. It felt as if my heart had been rolled around in a pile of ice shards. It was both cold and painful.

My colleagues came out one after another to see me off, offering words of comfort.

Amelia said tearfully, "Everly, you’re so talented. You’ll succeed wherever you go. Don’t take what Jessica said to heart. You'll definitely find a new job."

I smiled quietly. Jessica? She didn't have what it took.

The moment I left the building, my phone rang. It was my uncle whom I hadn't heard from in two weeks.

"Everly, I'm signing a deal with Horizon Ventures next week. I'm heading to Africa for work and won't be able to attend."

I replied gloomily, "Uncle, I’ve resigned."

There was a pause on the other end. "Did you run into trouble at work? Do you need me to step in?"

"No, I want to go back to Zenith Consortium and take charge of this project."

After hanging up, I curved my lips into a smile.

The show has only just begun.

My appearance at the signing ceremony took my former colleagues by surprise, especially Emily and Jessica, whose gazes were as sharp as daggers.

Jessica looked at me with disdain. "What are you doing here? You’ve been fired. You have no right to be part of this signing!"

I shot her a side eye. "Just because I’m not an employee of your company, does that mean I can’t be here? Isn’t there a possibility that I’m representing Zenith Consortium as the client?"

She sneered with contempt, "Everly, are you kidding me? My father is the CEO of Zenith Consortium. I am the client, and I’m fully authorized to sign on his behalf! How dare you claim to be the client? A lowly woman like you isn’t even fit to clean the toilets at Zenith Consortium!"

The moment her words left her mouth, they instantly drew countless stares.

"So she’s Mr. Osborne’s daughter. No wonder she’s so poised."

"She dares to offend Mr. Osborne’s daughter? She must not want to make it in Harbor City anymore."

"She looks like a nightclub hostess. She’s definitely a gold-digger!"

"She doesn’t look like Mr. Osborne’s daughter at all. She’s so confident."

Jessica stood in the center, basking in the adulation, and the flattery was making her feel on top of the world. She looked at me, her smile growing more defiant, and ordered the security guards, "Throw that wench out of here! We’re signing the contract right now, at this very moment!"

Several security guards approached me, but I calmly took out an authorization letter and held it above my head. "Jessica, without this, how are you going to sign the contract?"

Everyone froze, their eyes fixed on my hand.

"Isn’t that Mr. Osborne’s signature on the document? How did it end up in her hands?"

I walked past the stunned Jessica and made my way directly to the podium, picking up the microphone.

"I hereby announce that Zenith Consortium Group is canceling the cooperation agreement with Horizon Ventures."

Emily’s pupils contracted sharply as she glared at me. "Everly, who do you think you are, daring to speak on behalf of Mr. Osborne?"

I looked at her and said calmly, "Didn’t I just tell you? I represent the client."

Jessica stared at me in disbelief. "Everly, how did you get my father’s authorization letter? Who the hell are you? What gives you the right to make decisions for my father?"

I met her gaze directly and spoke with deliberate, sharp clarity, "Because he happens to be my uncle."