Chapter 4

The two directors nodded politely and left the conference room.

Only Bethany and Shane remained in the conference room.

"How does it feel?" Shane asked with a smile.

"It feels like I'm dreaming," she admitted.

"It's real," Shane said, standing up and coming over to her. "You earned this."

He looked at her, his gaze intense.

"Bethany, welcome to Riverstone."

*****

After leaving Riverstone Capital, Bethany stood outside the office building, looked up at the clear blue sky, and breathed out slowly.

The sun was shining, and it felt warm on her skin.

The gloom that had been weighing on her for days felt like it was finally starting to clear away.

She had a new job, a fresh start.

She could finally leave that suffocating home behind for good.

She pulled out her phone and, without hesitation, sent her resignation email to her old boss.

Then, she started searching for a new place to live on a rental app.

She couldn't stay in her old place anymore. It was way too close to her family, and they'd track her down.

She needed to find a place close to her new job, in a secure neighborhood, so she could start living on her own.

Everything was finally looking up.

However, she had still underestimated how far her family would go.

That afternoon, while she was checking out apartments with a real estate agent, she got a call from her old boss, Rodney Aguirre.

Her boss sounded pissed. "Bethany, what's going on with you? You sent an email to quit? Do you have any respect for company policy?"

Bethany kept her patience. "Mr. Aguirre, I'm sorry. Something urgent came up, so—"

"What could be more important than your job?" Rodney cut her off, his voice rising. "Do you realize your dad called the office?"

Bethany's heart sank. Of course he did.

"He was yelling on the phone, saying the company corrupted his daughter and that he was coming here to confront me. Do you have any idea how bad this looks? The whole department knows about it now."

"Sorry for the trouble, Mr. Aguirre," Bethany said. She really didn't know what else to say.

"That's all you've got? Bethany, I don't care what's going on with your family. This isn't your playground. You can't do whatever you want. Get back here right now and wrap up your handover, or your resignation won't go through."

He hung up with a loud bang.

Bethany stood in the empty apartment, phone in hand, feeling drained.

The real estate agent asked cautiously, "So, do you still want to look at this place?"

"No, thanks," she replied.

Bethany turned and walked away.

She had to go back to the office.

She wasn't going to beg Rodney to sign off on her resignation.

But she had to collect her things and put the past behind her for good.

*****

She took a cab back to the office. As soon as she stepped into the office, the whole vibe was totally off.

All her coworkers were shooting her strange looks, whispering behind her back, and even pointing at her when they thought she wasn't looking.

"That's her, right? Heard she totally blew up at her parents and stormed out right during the holidays."

"Her dad showed up at the office and made a scene. What a mess."

"She always seemed so quiet and sweet. Never thought she'd have it in her to rebel like that."

The gossiping whispers felt like tiny needles stabbing into Bethany.

She walked to her desk expressionless, not looking at anyone.

All she wanted was to grab her stuff and get out of this toxic place.

But when she reached her desk, she saw the last person she wanted to see: her brother Myron.

He was there with Rodney, deep in conversation about something.

When Myron saw Bethany, he immediately walked over, his face clouded with annoyance.

"What's up with you? You won't pick up your phone. You won't answer any texts. Do you even realize Mom and Dad are freaking out?" he snapped.

Bethany looked at him coldly. "Are they freaking out or mad as hell?"

Myron was caught off guard, his face turning even darker.

"Do you have to talk like that? Just come home, say sorry to Mom and Dad, and this whole thing will be over."

There it was again.

He was always with that holier-than-thou attitude, like everything should go his way.

"Go back? Fine." Bethany suddenly smiled. "But only if Dad apologizes to me. For that slap he gave me."

"You!" Myron was so furious he could barely speak. "Why are you being so difficult? Dad hit you for your own good."

"For my own good?" Bethany felt like this was the most ridiculous thing she had ever heard. "So beating me without even asking what happened is for my own good?

"Forcing me to apologize to Grandma is for my own good? Myron, be honest with yourself. When have any of you ever truly done anything for my own good?

"Didn't you always get the best of everything at home? Didn't your college tuition cost twice as much as mine? Didn't Mom and Dad empty their savings for your wedding and your house?

"And me? I've been working for years, giving most of my paycheck to the family. What did I ever get in return?"

Bethany's voice was quiet, but every word hit home, full of all the hurt she'd bottled up for years.

Her coworkers gathered around, watching the drama unfold like it was a live show.

Myron's face flushed red and then went pale.

He never expected his usually quiet sister to spill all the family's dirty secrets right here, in front of everyone.

"Y-you're making things up!" Myron snapped, his face burning with embarrassment and anger.

"Deep down, you know the truth." Bethany had no interest in continuing the argument. She began packing up her desk.

Rodney walked over, his face stern. "Bethany, this is an office, not your family's living room. Take your arguments outside."

Then he turned to Myron, putting on a polite smile. "Mr. Stephens, don't worry. I'll make sure to talk some sense into your sister."

Myron nodded gratefully. "Thanks for your help, Mr. Aguirre. She's a bit spoiled, so please go easy on her."

The two of them were playing off each other, treating Bethany like she was invisible.

It was as if she wasn't even a real adult but some object they could push around however they liked.

Bethany's hands froze mid-motion.

She looked up at Rodney. "Mr. Aguirre, I've already emailed you my resignation letter. As of today, I'm officially done here. I'll be taking all my personal stuff with me."

Rodney let out a cold laugh. "Done? In your dreams. I haven't approved your resignation. If you walk out without my say-so, you'll have to fork over three months' pay as a penalty."

It was a blatant threat.

He was trying to force Bethany to back down so he could do Myron a favor.

Bethany's heart went completely cold.

She looked at the two men in front of her. One was a relative trying to control her. The other was a boss trying to squeeze her. The absurdity of it all hit her at once.

She laughed.

"Penalty? Fine, I'll pay it." She pulled out her phone and, right in front of everyone, made a call. "Shane, it's me."

Shane sounded a bit surprised on the other end. "What's up?"

Bethany glanced at Rodney and Myron, then said in a clear, steady voice, "I'm in a bit of trouble. My old company won't approve my resignation, and they're demanding I pay a penalty."

She paused, then spoke slowly, emphasizing each word. "Could I get some backup from Riverstone Capital's legal department?"

As soon as Bethany finished speaking, the whole office went dead silent.

Everyone stared at her, mouths hanging open, like someone had hit the pause button on the whole room.

She had mentioned Riverstone Capital's legal department. They couldn't understand who this woman was.

They couldn't figure out how this woman knew anyone from Riverstone Capital. They could hardly believe this woman would have the nerve to ask for their legal team.

Rodney's sarcastic grin froze, his eyes wide with shock and uncertainty.

Myron was stunned too. He had no clue what Riverstone Capital was, but hearing the name, he could tell it was a big deal.

On the other end of the line, Shane was silent for barely two seconds before he laughed.

His voice wasn't loud, but it came through the phone loud and clear for both Rodney and Myron.

"Of course." Shane's tone was as casual as if he were commenting on the weather. "Put your Mr. Aguirre on the phone. I'll talk to him."

Bethany did as she was told, put the phone on speaker, and handed it to Rodney. "Mr. Madison wants to talk to you."

Rodney's face instantly turned sour.