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The Actress They Couldn’t Replace

NovelMaster Completed

Romance 现实主义-Realistic重生-Reborn魔幻-Magic

On my thirty-seventh birthday, I bought a cake and brought it to the company. I had planned to celebrate with my coworkers that evening, but I never expected to receive a layoff notice the moment I walked into the office. The boss’s new girlfriend, Chloe Reed, sneered and said: “A thirty-seven-year-old actress is too old to keep acting.” She held a contract in her hand: “Look, I only signed with the company half a month ago, and I already landed the female lead in a film by a famous Hollywood director.” “An old woman your age should just retire from the industry early, so you don’t stay here and embarrass yourself!” I said nothing and quietly signed the termination agreement. She did not know that I had been in this industry for fifteen years. I had never become famous, but I was the reliable golden supporting actress many directors trusted the most. These past two years, I truly had not taken on many new projects, but that was because I had chosen to settle down and improve myself by going back to school to study directing and screenwriting. After leaving the company, I took a photo of the cake and posted it on Ins: “Thirty-seven, starting over.” 1 The next second, my phone would not stop ringing. Directors and producers I had worked with before sent me messages one after another: “Ms. Harper, why did you suddenly terminate your contract?” “Did you have a conflict with the company?” “If you’re planning to switch agencies, you can consider us.” “The terms are negotiable, as long as you’re willing to come.” When I switched to the chat screen, Director Morgan, whom I had worked with before, sent a message: “Ms. Harper, didn’t we just finish discussing the new project? Why did you suddenly terminate your contract?” I explained: “Sorry, Director Morgan, I’ve already left the company, so you can contact them again about the new project.” She quickly sent a confused emoji. “You got terminated? Is your company trying to stop making movies?” I sent a helpless emoji. She quickly replied: “Since you’re not there anymore, I’ll need to reconsider this role.” Seeing these messages, I felt relieved. After fifteen years in the industry, I knew quite a few directors and producers. So many companies had offered high prices to sign me, but I had never agreed. A person had to have a conscience. Back then, I had just graduated from college and had run around to countless crews for auditions. I was rejected again and again. At that time, I had no fame, no background, and could not even get a role with a name. Just when I thought I was not suited for this industry, it was Marcus Hale who gave me a chance. Back then, the company was still very small. I started as a minor supporting actress without any lines and worked my way up step by step to where I was now. A poor maid, a vicious queen, a single mother, a fallen socialite... I had played every kind of role. Later, I did not let the company or the boss down either. The newcomers in the company were also people I had trained little by little. I taught them how to hit their marks, how to find the camera, how to act opposite another actor, and even what to say the first time they faced a director. But one week ago, everything changed when Chloe brought her own team onto set for the first time. Because she was underprepared, she kept ruining takes on the day of filming and almost cost the crew millions. I only gave a little advice, and Chloe started making a scene. “We can’t stay up late, and we can’t film nonstop, because you’re bullying newcomers!” In the end, when the crew ran into problems, I was still the one who stayed behind to clean up her mess. But when I turned around, I had become the “old fossil” everyone talked about. Before long, Chloe became the company’s key talent to promote. The company erupted in cheers. Among them were quite a few newcomers I had personally trained back then. The office door was pushed open, and Chloe walked in. She looked over the things on my desk, then glanced at the cake beside them. “Is it your birthday today?” She laughed. “You’re already thirty-seven, and an actress relies on her face. That face of yours isn’t worth anything anymore.” I glanced at her sideways and ignored her. Seeing no reaction from me, she grew a little angry and leaned closer as she said: “Why are you acting so superior? You played a few supporting roles before, and you really think you’re some big star?” “I’m the one the company is focusing on now.” I gave a cold laugh. “Is that so?” “Does the boss know about this termination, or can you make decisions for him now?” These days, Marcus had been in Europe the whole time. I figured he did not know about my termination. After hearing that, she clearly looked guilty for a moment. But soon, she went back to her arrogant attitude. “I’m Mr. Hale’s girlfriend, so of course he listens to everything I say.” I smiled. “I’m afraid that position of yours isn’t very stable. Do you know how many ex-girlfriends he has?” She wanted to argue, but she stammered for a long time and could not say anything. I continued: “Oh, and your position as an actress isn’t stable either. You can’t even do a crying scene well.” “In this industry, being pretty isn’t enough.” “You may be able to get the female lead now, but that doesn’t mean the crew won’t terminate your contract.” After saying that, I picked up my box and started walking out. When I left the company, not a single person stood up to speak for me. I no longer felt sad about that. Instead, I felt a little curious. Without me, the person who was always there to save them at any moment, and without me, the person who stayed up late memorizing lines, helped newcomers polish their acting, and maintained the company’s relationships with directors. Could they still get roles and resources as easily as before? And how would this company keep filming? 2 On the way, I saw the news. Chloe was giving an interview: “The times have changed now, and we young actors need to change Hollywood’s current state.” “Starting today, the actors in our company will refuse to film at night and will need reasonable rest time. If one scene needs multiple takes, the crew will need to compensate us.” The comments under the video were full of praise. Then, in a WhatsApp work group, I saw an actor share this video, and it was Ryan Cole, who loved sucking up to people. “Chloe is much better than Ms. Harper, at least she won’t force us to practice lines every day!” The others also echoed him one after another: “Exactly, she’s finally gone, and besides exploiting us, what did she ever contribute?” “I think so too, that old witch Evelyn Harper made us rehearse all day.” “Chloe never loses her temper.” The chat group quickly became lively. There were too many messages stepping on me to count. Soon, Chloe removed me from the group. It would be a lie to say I did not care after seeing all that. I had never liked staying up late to film. But in this profession, actors had to seize every opportunity to let the audience know them. The camera would not stop just because you were tired. Every time we stayed up late before, it was because the crew suddenly changed the scene or a newcomer had a problem. When the director finished revising the script at dawn, I stayed behind to rehearse it with them again. When someone could not find the camera, I walked them through their marks. When someone could not cry, I helped her find the right emotions again and again. Even at two or three in the morning, I never complained. I never expected that my help had always been pressure to them. Everything after that had nothing to do with me anymore. After getting home, I first left several work groups and set my phone to Do Not Disturb. Over the years, for the sake of filming, I always only had time to eat after my meals had gone cold. Even sleep was squeezed out of my schedule. I had never truly considered myself. My friends advised me to rest, and my family told me not to be so stubborn. Only now did I finally let myself go. Over the next few days, I did not take on any acting jobs, nor did I hurry to sign with another company. After being tense for so long, I wanted to let myself rest and properly experience life. These years, work had occupied almost everything in my life. Occasionally, I would still learn about the company through Ins. However, it was all flattery. For example, Chloe bought expensive perfume for all the newcomers. She even took them to attend a film festival. But I did not care. 3 When I woke up in the morning and opened my phone, there were more than forty missed calls. There were even countless text messages. After reading them, I saw most were from people in the company’s talent department and production department. [There’s a problem with the script, call back immediately.] [The director wants an in-person meeting, give me an answer as soon as possible.] [Where did you go?] [Director Morgan suddenly wants to change actors, so what do we do?] Even the boss, Marcus Hale, called me from out of town. Clearly, they had never imagined that I would really be terminated. After I answered, he cursed me out: “Evelyn Harper!” “What are you doing outside when you should be at work?” “Did the company give you such good resources so you could rest at home?” “Do you know what a mess the company has become?” “And what’s going on with Director Morgan?” “We already agreed that actors from our company would join the crew, so why did she suddenly say she wants to cast again?” “You never caused any trouble all these years.” “How did you get so full of yourself the moment I wasn’t around?” I had just opened my mouth: “Mr. Hale, at the moment, I have already...” He immediately cut me off: “I don’t care what’s going on with you!” “Come back to the company right now and handle these things!” After saying the last sentence, he hung up directly. When I called back, there was only a mechanical voice prompt. For the entire day, I barely had a moment of peace. It was not until evening that I learned what had happened from a friend. Ever since I left, the company had fallen into complete chaos. Aside from a few unknown veteran actors, most of the others were newcomers who had just entered the industry. Although Chloe understood internet traffic, she had no experience leading a crew at all. In the past, whenever the company ran into problems, the director only had to call me, and I could always find a way to deal with it. Now that I was gone, there was not even one person in the company who could truly coordinate with a crew. When the director suddenly changed the scene, they did not know what to do. When actors suddenly had scheduling conflicts, they did not know how to coordinate them. When the crew suddenly requested a role change, they also did not know who to negotiate with. Most importantly, several projects that had already been negotiated before all ran into problems. One of them was a big-budget production, and the cast list had originally already been confirmed. But Chloe overturned the original arrangement at the last minute in order to swap roles for her own people. She even replaced an already agreed-upon second female lead with a newcomer from her own team. Now that was perfect. The director’s face darkened on the spot. He announced directly: “I don’t want to use actors from your company ever again.” I heard that Chloe, who arrived at the company at ten o’clock, froze on the spot when she heard this news. She changed her usual image completely and flew into a rage. Her voice in the video was very clear: “I gave you such good resources, and this is how you do your jobs?” “Why didn’t the script pass?” “Why did the director suddenly change people?” “You bunch of idiots, are you all useless?” “Everyone, if you can’t solve the problem today, don’t go home!” “Stay in the office!” My friend then sent a long string of messages. “Evelyn, you have no idea, the people below her were stunned when they saw her lose her temper.” “And that Chloe, she got chewed out by the higher-ups for more than an hour, and her eyes were red when she came back.” Handling a crisis like that would have been hard even for me. Crew relationships, directors’ habits, actors’ schedules, and sudden emergencies. Those things could not be mastered overnight. Without me, they were in chaos. That day was destined to be their sleepless night. At eight that night, I deliberately posted on my timeline. [Rainy days are perfect for cooking at home and sleeping.] The attached photo was of the cake I had just baked. I was not some saint. When I left, they treated me like that, and I could not swallow that anger. Now it was fine, because I had returned it to them. Underneath, a former newcomer commented a few lines: “Ms. Harper, I only understand now how good you were to us.” Soon, they quickly deleted it. When I woke up the next day, everyone had shared Chloe’s post. The time was one in the morning. “Each wave is stronger than the last, and what doesn’t kill me only makes me stronger!” I could not help laughing twice. Then I exited the screen and prepared to reorganize my résumé. At that moment, Stella called me. After thinking it over, I still answered. After the call connected, the other side did not speak for a long time. Just as I was about to hang up, I heard quiet sobbing. “Ms. Harper.” She choked as she spoke: “Can you come to the company?” I did not hesitate: “No.” Hearing how firm I was, she seemed a little unable to believe it. After all, I had valued her the most before. “Please.” “If you don’t come, I’m done for.” Hearing that, I became a little interested. Very soon, I called a cab. I wanted to see exactly how she was done for. 4 As soon as I walked into the company, I noticed that something was wrong. When I stepped into the elevator, I froze for two seconds. Standing right in front of me were the boss, Marcus Hale, and several other executives. I nodded to them. “Ms. Harper.” The company’s investor, Mr. Lawson, looked at me. “I heard Chloe has been doing quite well lately?” Before I could speak, I felt Marcus’s gaze shooting toward me from behind. “Sorry, Mr. Lawson. I’ve already left the company, so I really don’t know how Chloe has been doing lately.” “As for whether she’s doing well, why don’t you go see for yourself?” Marcus immediately took over: “Evelyn hasn’t been here these past few days, so the company has indeed been a bit messy. Luckily, Chloe organized things well, and everything has slowly stabilized.” “As it happens, Director Morgan is coming today to discuss a new project.” “As long as we secure this project, the company’s reputation can rise another level.” I sneered inwardly. Director Morgan was almost one of the hardest directors to work with in this industry. She had a bad temper and high standards. But the dramas she made were almost all huge hits. The only reason we had worked together successfully before was because I had studied her habits in advance. I had been paying attention since the casting of her previous project. I followed it for months from beginning to end. Only when she finally acknowledged me was she willing to give an important role to the company. “And besides.” Marcus continued: “She brought her own team with her, all young actors with good images, and they’re influencers too, so they have traffic online.” “I’m planning to manage her team separately from the actors Evelyn used to lead.” “In the future, all of the company’s key resources will go to whoever has the ability.” “That way, we can also create competition and motivate everyone more.” I secretly rolled my eyes. Wasn’t this just him wanting to use his own girlfriend to replace the team I had trained before? Thank God I had left. Fifteen years had passed. Many things had changed. People’s hearts had changed too. “What do you think, Evelyn?” I forced out a smile. “Mr. Hale, you may not know this, but I have already...” “The elevator’s here.” He waved his hand. “We’ll talk later. Come with us to the conference room, because Director Morgan is deciding on actors today, and you can listen in.” I still wanted to say something, but I no longer had the chance. When Chloe saw me, she curled her lip. “Why is Ms. Harper here? Did you have nowhere else to go, so you came begging to return?” Hearing her words, the expressions of the other company executives changed. Mr. Lawson frowned: “Who are you?” Marcus quickly answered: “She’s my girlfriend, Chloe Reed.” “She’s young, so she can be a little rude when she talks, and I hope everyone won’t mind.” Mr. Lawson glanced at her sideways. “Evelyn Harper has been with the company for so many years, and she has worked with many directors and producers.” “It’s no exaggeration to say that although she has never played a female lead, she is the golden supporting actress many directors in the industry trust the most.” “An actress like her would not count as an ordinary artist at any company.” “You all must learn from her properly.” Hearing this, Chloe froze. But she did not dare continue speaking and silently retreated to the back. After a while, Director Morgan arrived. The conference room door was pushed open. She walked in with the producer. After seeing me, she clearly froze for a moment. Then she walked straight toward me. “Ms. Harper?” Before I could speak, she had already frowned. “The producer told me before that you had left the company, and I thought you had only changed agents.” “I didn’t expect you had really been terminated?” The room instantly went quiet. I looked at her and suddenly smiled. I no longer cared about anyone’s gaze and stepped forward. “Director Morgan, I was indeed terminated by the company, so I can’t take that role.” “Oh, and as for whether you want to continue working with this company, you can decide for yourself.”

Chapters (5)

第1章

Last night, I received a termination email from HR. The reason? I was "too old," "lacked a prestigious degree," and was "holding back the company's modernization." This morning, the HR manager pulled me aside, looking at me with a mix of pity and helplessness. "Aria, you crossed the wrong person this time." I followed her gaze. Across the glass partition, Chloe Davis was laughing loudly, surrounded by her clique of newly hired team members. Chloe was the CEO's niece. Two weeks ago, she was parachuted into the sales department as the new Director. She brought a dozen of her college classmates with her, branding them as a "highly intellectual, Gen-Z elite task force." Yesterday, I rejected her marketing proposal because it was completely detached from reality. Suddenly, Chloe glanced my way. Her eyes flashed with childish provocation. "Older, uneducated women really should just stay home and be housewives. It saves them from embarrassing themselves in the professional world!" I didn't say a word. I just calmly signed the severance agreement. What she didn't realize was that I didn't need this job. The company needed me. A few minutes later, I posted a simple update on my Instagram: "Officially resigned. Excited for the next chapter." Within seconds, my notifications blew up.

第2章

My former clients immediately began commenting under my post. "Aria! Come to my company. I'll triple whatever salary they were paying you!" "Triple? That's thinking too small. Aria, name your price. My firm is always open to you." My Snapchat buzzed. It was Eleanor Vance, one of my biggest clients. "Aria, what is going on? We literally just discussed our quarterly contract. You resigned before we even signed?" I typed back, "I'm sorry, Eleanor. My name was put on the company's restructuring list. A new representative will reach out to you shortly." She sent a confused emoji. "You? Laid off?" "Is your firm trying to go bankrupt?" I replied with a helpless shrug emoji. She immediately texted back: "If you aren't managing our account, I will have to reconsider this partnership entirely." Seeing these messages, a wave of relief washed over me. Having spent ten years in this industry, I had built an ironclad network of high-profile clients. Many competitors had tried to headhunt me with massive signing bonuses, but I had always turned them down. I believed in loyalty. Ten years ago, when I freshly graduated from college, I sent out hundreds of resumes and got nothing but rejections. Just when I was about to give up, Richard Davis, the CEO of this company, gave me a chance. To repay that debt, I worked tirelessly. I treated every small task with absolute perfection. I secured deal after deal, single-handedly boosting the department's revenue and ensuring everyone got their bonuses. But lately, things had gone sour. A week ago, Chloe and her "elite team" made a massive logistical error that almost cost the company millions. I pointed out their mistake during a meeting. That very night, Richard called me to "remind me of my place" and deducted my monthly bonus. Three days ago, Chloe encouraged the team to practice "quiet quitting" and leave exactly at 5 PM, leaving half-finished client presentations behind. I stayed up all night to clean up their mess. Yet, behind my back, they called me a "toxic micro-manager." Suddenly, the company-wide WhatsApp group lit up. [Effective today, Chloe Davis is officially promoted to Executive Director of Sales.] The group chat exploded with celebratory emojis and congratulatory messages. Many of them were from junior employees I had personally trained and mentored from scratch. Those messages woke me up. This place was no longer worth my loyalty. "Aria." Chloe pushed my office door open, looking around at my half-packed boxes. "Cleaning out your desk?" "Make sure you wipe it down before you leave. Consider it practice for your future housework." "Take your time. Enjoy your final moments of contributing to this company!" I gave her a flat look and ignored her. My silence annoyed her. She stepped closer, pointing a manicured finger at me. "Why are you acting so high and mighty? So what if you were the top sales representative? I fired you with a single sentence." I let out a soft laugh. "Is that so?" "Did your uncle actually sign off on this layoff list?" "Or did you make this decision all by yourself?" Richard had been on an business trip in Europe for the past two weeks, unreachable unless it was an absolute emergency. I knew for a fact he had no idea. After all, no sane CEO would fire their top performer of ten years—the very backbone of the company's revenue. Chloe flinched slightly, her confidence wavering for a fraction of a second, before she puffed out her chest again. "My uncle adores me. My family practically owns this place. You're just an employee. Why would there be any consequences for firing you?" "Stop trying to scare me. You're just bitter because you're washed up and nobody else wants you!" I smiled gently. "Chloe, I highly doubt you can handle this position." She tried to snap back, but stumbled over her words. I continued, "Do you even know our clients' preferences? Do you know how to negotiate a contract? Can you even draft a viable proposal?" "This position isn't for a pretty trophy, Chloe. Your textbook theories won't survive in the real world." "I suggest you get to work. Otherwise, you might end up begging me to come back." I picked up my box and walked past her. She shrieked behind me, "Beg you to come back? In your dreams!" "Leave your client logs before you go!" I tapped my temple. "They're all up here. Good luck." As I walked through the open office, not a single person stood up to say goodbye. I didn't feel sad anymore. Instead, I felt a strange curiosity. Without me there to fix their mistakes and fight for their bonuses, I wondered how long they would enjoy their "stress-free" work life. Let's see how long this company lasts.

第3章

On my Uber ride home, my phone buzzed constantly. I opened the old department WhatsApp group. Chloe was busy pitching her grand vision. "I firmly believe that in this new era, we need fresh minds. We are young, and we represent the future. The old ways of doing things are completely outdated and toxic!" "Starting today, no more overtime. Under my leadership, everyone will have perfect work-life balance!" The chat was flooded with praise, alongside passive-aggressive digs aimed at me. Suddenly, I was added to a new, unofficial group chat. The creator was Logan, the office kiss-ass. "Honestly, Chloe is a hundred times better than Aria. At least she doesn't force us to finish projects before going home!" Others quickly chimed in: "For real. I'm so glad Aria is gone. Besides breathing down our necks, what did she actually do for us?" "Exactly! That old witch was obsessed with deadlines." "With a boss like Chloe, I'd gladly stay here forever." "And she's so sweet, she never raises her voice." The messages piled up, each one more toxic than the last. Until I accidentally hit a thumbs-up emoji in response. The next second: [You have been removed from the group chat.] I stared at the screen. To say I wasn't hurt would be a lie. I never liked making people work late. But when you lack the skill, you have to put in the time. Clients don't pay for excuses. Every time we stayed late, it was because someone had botched a file, and I was always the last one to leave. I even fought HR tooth and nail to get them overtime pay. And yet, to them, my protection was "oppression." I opened Instagram and saw a new post from Stella, my former mentee. "Nobody knows how exhausting it is to constantly be overshadowed by someone who thinks they are everyone's mentor." Underneath, someone commented, "Stella, you're finally free now that she's gone!" Stella replied, "Yes! Nobody knows how much I've had to endure." I laughed out loud, utterly amused. Stella was the first intern I had personally trained. I poured my heart into mentoring her. When she made mistakes, I took the blame. When she needed a win, I put her name on my successful deals. When Chloe was promoted, Stella was the first to buy her flowers. And when I left today, she didn't even look up from her screen. I thought she was just scared of Chloe's reaction. But now I saw her true colors. Well, this made things easier. If we ever met in the business world again, I wouldn't have to let personal feelings get in the way of crushing her. After I got home, I muted all work contacts and turned my phone to 'Do Not Disturb.' For ten years, I had skipped meals and lost sleep for this company. My friends told me to relax, and my family told me to stop being so stubborn. Finally, I was free. For the next few days, I didn't look for a job. I needed to breathe and actually experience life. Occasionally, I would see updates about the company through mutual acquaintances. It was always Chloe buying the team boba, Chloe treating them to lunch, and so on. These posts were always uploaded right at 6:00 PM, almost as if they were trying to prove a point to me. I ignored them. Until Friday arrived, and the social media updates suddenly went dead silent.

第4章

I woke up on Friday morning to forty-five missed calls and countless urgent text messages. Most of them were from managers of other departments. [Aria, the marketing proposal is a mess. Call me back immediately!] [The client is demanding an emergency meeting. We need you to handle this.] [Where are you?] Even the CEO, Richard, had called me from Europe. Clearly, they had no idea I had been fired. When I picked up Richard's next call, his voice boomed through the speaker. "Aria! Why aren't you answering your phone during business hours? Do I pay you a top-tier salary so you can go on vacation whenever you want?" "The other department heads are complaining to me! The entire sales department is in absolute chaos!" "And what happened with Eleanor Vance? We were about to sign the contract, and now she's pulling out because she says our new proposal is 'garbage'!" "You've never made a mistake like this in ten years. Have you lost your mind the moment I left the country?" I waited for him to take a breath. "Mr. Davis, actually, I no longer—" He cut me off instantly. "I don't care what excuse you have! Get back to the office right now and fix this mess!" He slammed the phone down. When I tried to call back, it went straight to voicemail. My phone rang all day, but I didn't answer. By evening, a friend from another department filled me in on the drama. Apparently, after I left, the sales department fell apart. Chloe's "elite team" was just a bunch of pampered college graduates who had no practical experience. Without me directing them, they had no idea how to execute a project. When a major client demanded a revised proposal, they couldn't produce one, so they simply resubmitted an old draft with a few words changed. The client was insulted and blacklisted the company on the spot. Chloe, who usually rolled into the office at 10:00 AM, completely panicked when she heard the news. She lost her "sweet, modern boss" persona and screamed at everyone. My friend sent me a leaked video of the office. Chloe's voice was screeching: "I give you guys perks! I let you go home early! And this is how you repay me?" "Why is the proposal not ready? Why did we lose the account? Are you all completely useless?" "Nobody goes home tonight! You will sleep in this office until this is fixed!" My friend texted: "Aria, you should have seen their faces. They were stunned. And Chloe got ripped apart by the board of directors for over an hour. She came out of the meeting crying." Fixing a crisis like that required years of client data and industry experience—things Chloe couldn't learn overnight. Without me, they were sinking. At 8:00 PM, I posted a photo of a freshly baked lemon cake on my Instagram. "Rainy days are perfect for baking and sleeping in." I wasn't a saint. They had humiliated me when I left, and I wasn't about to play the hero now. Soon, a comment popped up from one of my former team members: "Aria, we finally realize how much you did for us." It was deleted thirty seconds later. The next morning, everyone in the sales department shared Chloe's late-night Instagram post. It was posted at 1:00 AM: "What doesn't kill us makes us stronger! Rising above the challenges!" I chuckled and closed the app to update my resume. Just then, Stella called me. After a moment of hesitation, I answered. There was silence on the other end for a long time, followed by soft, muffled crying. "Aria..." she sobbed. "Can you... can you please come to the office?" I didn't hesitate. "No, Stella." She sounded shocked by my cold tone. After all, I used to protect her no matter what. "Please, Aria. If you don't come, I'm going to get fired." I smiled. "Well, let me see what's going on then." I hung up and called an Uber. I wanted to see exactly how she was going to get fired.

第5章

As soon as I walked into the lobby of the office building, I felt the heavy atmosphere. I stepped into the elevator and bumped into Richard, who had just returned from his flight, along with several board members. I nodded politely. "Aria, I hear Chloe has been doing a fantastic job lately?" Marcus Sterling, one of the senior board members, asked me. Before I could speak, I felt Richard shooting a warning glare at me from behind Marcus. "Actually, Mr. Sterling, I haven't been at the office, so I wouldn't know," I replied smoothly. "If you want to know how she's doing, you should see for yourself." Marcus nodded. "Chloe is a bright girl," Richard chimed in quickly, trying to control the narrative. "Aria was out for a few days, and things got a bit messy, but Chloe stepped up and saved the day. In fact, we are about to sign a major contract with Mr. Arthur King from Star Media today!" Star Media was the biggest player in our industry. I had dealt with Arthur King before. He was notoriously difficult and extremely strict. The only reason we had even reached the contract stage was because I had spent weeks studying his preferences, addressing every possible risk before he could even ask. "And," Richard added proudly, "Chloe's elite team of young graduates is incredibly capable. I'm planning to have them run parallel to Aria's team to foster some healthy competition." I mentally rolled my eyes. He wanted us to do all the heavy lifting while his niece took the credit. I was so glad I left. Ten years of loyalty, and this was how I was treated. "What do you think, Aria?" Richard asked, testing me. I smiled. "Mr. Davis, you might not know this, but I actually—" The elevator doors opened. "Let's talk in the conference room," Richard interrupted, waving his hand dismissively. "We need to sign the contract with Mr. King first. Aria, come with us. Watch and learn." I didn't get a chance to object before they ushered me down the hall. When we entered the conference room, Stella saw me and let out a massive sigh of relief. Chloe, however, sneered. "Why is Aria here? Did you finally realize you have nowhere else to go and come back to beg for your job?" The board members' faces fell instantly. "Who are you talking to?" Marcus asked, his tone sharp. Richard jumped in, sweating. "This is my niece, Chloe. She's young and sometimes speaks without thinking. Please don't mind her." Marcus glared at him. "Aria is the pillar of this department. Frankly, keeping her just in sales is a waste of her talent. You should treat her with respect." Chloe froze, not daring to say another word as she shrank into the corner. A few minutes later, Arthur King arrived. When he saw me, he smiled and walked over to shake my hand. "Aria! I heard from Eleanor Vance that you had resigned, so I was actually planning to cancel our meeting today. But your team assured me you were still working here. I'm glad it was just a rumor." I looked at Stella. She looked back at me with pleading, desperate eyes. So that was her plan. She wanted to use my name to secure the deal, and then take the credit. I looked away from her and faced Arthur. "Mr. King, you didn't hear a rumor," I said clearly. "I was indeed laid off by our new Director, Ms. Chloe Davis."