Fired Today, CEO Husband Begged Tomorrow

Synopsis

At the top of the layoff list, my name sat right in the middle. Those two letters of my name sat in such heavy, inky black that they might as well have been an official stamp marking the end of my job. Ashley Carter sat across from me, her makeup flawless. She slid the pink slip across the table with a small, confident smile. "Olivia, don't take it personally," she said. "The market's tough. The company has to cut costs." She used my first name like we were friends, but her eyes had that cold look for something about to be thrown away. "You've been in Finance for eleven years. Maybe it's time for a change," she added. I just looked at her. She was 24, head to toe in the latest luxury brands. That watch on her wrist alone was worth two or three years of a regular employee's salary. She'd parachuted into HR four months ago, but she already had more power than the actual department head. Simple reason. The chairman, Richard Lane, had walked her in himself. I didn't answer. I just reached out, picked up that thin sheet of paper, and skimmed it. The severance was the maximum legal package. The legal team had crossed every T and dotted every I. When I stayed quiet, Ashley must have thought I was in shock. She leaned back in her chair, crossed her arms, and looked down at me. "Olivia, I know you don't want to leave. But the company needs to upgrade. We're bringing in a new team that knows smart financial systems. And you... you're not getting any younger. Those new systems would be a real headache for you, don't you think?" I gave a thin smile. I reached into the pen holder and took out my old pen, the one I'd used for years. I unscrewed the cap slowly. "Fine."