Chapter 4

The Bentley glided away, leaving all the mess and ugliness behind.

The heater was turned up high, making the car feel extra warm.

William handed me a cup of hot coffee.

"Is everything sorted out?" he asked.

"Yeah," I said, holding the coffee to warm my hands. "Thanks, Mr. Dalton."

"No, I should be thanking you," he replied.

William looked at me, his eyes holding a look I couldn't quite read.

"Honestly, if it weren't for you, I never would've had such a perfect shot at snapping up Summit Group in one go," he said.

I was stunned. "Acquisition?"

I echoed, still in disbelief.

William smiled. "That's right. Summit Group's finances are wrecked, the banks are breathing down their necks, and now it's basically just an empty shell.

"I've got my team talking to their creditors already. In a week at most, Summit Group will be a fully owned subsidiary of Innova Tech."

He looked at me, enunciating every word. "And you, Diana, will be the CEO of the new company."

I was completely stunned.

From being tossed out like yesterday's trash to becoming the CEO of the very company I once got kicked out of.

These past five days have felt like a dream.

A week later, I walked back into Summit Group, or actually, Innova Tech's East Claera branch now.

My role was nothing like before.

The once-familiar office space now sported a new logo.

The employees were still the same, but the way they looked at me had shifted from pity and indifference to awe and flattery.

William kept his word. He completed the Summit Group takeover with ruthless efficiency.

And I was officially appointed as the CEO of the new branch.

My office was the one that used to belong to Melvin.

It sat on the top floor, boasting the best view in the building. One could see the entire city skyline and the river stretching out below.

The first thing I did as CEO was call a company-wide meeting.

The conference room was filled to capacity. There wasn't a single empty seat.

Randy and Barbara were there, too.

They sat tucked away in the farthest corner, heads lowered, clearly too embarrassed to meet my eyes.

I walked up to the front and scanned the room.

All those faces I used to know, now strangely unfamiliar, looked nervous and on edge.

"First off, welcome to the Innova Tech family."

I spoke up, my voice ringing out through the mic, reaching every corner of the room. "Whatever happened before, it's water under the bridge.

"From now on, it's all about what you bring to the table, not who you're connected to."

There was a smattering of applause from the audience.

One could almost hear a collective sigh of relief as many people relaxed.

I paused, my gaze landing on Barbara.

"But there are a few people who don't get a free pass. Barbara Rush, former HR manager," I called out.

I said her name loud and clear.

Barbara flinched, like she'd just been jabbed with a needle.

She looked up, her face drained of all color.

"M-Ms. Clayton," she stammered.

I said, "You abused your authority, maliciously sidelined your coworkers, leaked company secrets, and caused major losses to the company."

I fixed my gaze on her, letting the chill in my words hang in the air.

I said, "According to company policy, you're fired.

"And the company's legal team will officially take legal action against you to seek compensation for all damages."

Barbara's eyes instantly widened in disbelief.

She cried out, "No! You can't do this! You're just doing this to get back at me!"

"Oh really?" I hit the remote.

The giant screen behind her instantly lit up with a surveillance video.

It was footage from the night of the annual party. Barbara blocked me at the door and tossed my belongings all over the floor.

The video was sharp, and the audio picked up every word loud and clear.

Every cruel word she said was recorded, every last one.

"This deal has nothing to do with you anymore."

"Don't you know? You're fired."

The conference room went dead silent.

Everyone stared at the screen, then at Barbara, whose face went from pale to green with shock.

I added, "And one more thing. This is a recording of your phone call with a senior exec from a competitor."

I pressed another button.

The audio played, crystal clear for everyone to hear.

It was Barbara who leaked Innova Tech's project bottom line to our arch-rival, Everglow Tech.

When the recording finished, Barbara slumped in her chair, totally defeated.

"Security," I said coldly.

Two guards stepped up, one on each side, and grabbed her by the arms.

"Escort her out," I said.

As Barbara was dragged away, she kept shrieking and cursing hysterically.

But no one felt sorry for her.

I turned to the next person on my list, Randy.

He looked just as rattled as Barbara had.

His shirt was already drenched with sweat.

"Randy Hartley, former marketing director," I called out, fixing him with a steady gaze.

I looked at him. "Your situation is even more serious. You embezzled company property, took bribes, and you're also accused of... workplace sexual harassment..."

I made sure to say those last words slowly, so everyone could hear.

Randy lowered his head even further, unable to meet my eyes.

"I gave everyone a fair shot. Not just you," I said.

The big screen flashed with a series of chat screenshots.

All of them showed Randy harassing his female subordinates.

The messages were explicit and utterly inappropriate.

Several women in the room looked outraged as the screenshots appeared.

"I've already handed all this evidence over to the police," I said, my voice icy.

I looked at him like he was a walking corpse.

I added, "Mr. Hartley, I'm sure your future is going to be quite... eventful."

Randy didn't scream like Barbara did.