Chapter 5

Charlie tossed the crumpled paper towel into the trash can with a flick of her wrist. She didn't spare Trina another glance as she walked out of the restroom.

She strode down the carpeted hallway of the marketing department, heading straight for her office to pack her personal belongings.

Trina scrambled out of the restroom after her. Panic flushed her face red. She couldn't afford a corporate espionage charge.

Her heels clicked frantically as she chased Charlie down.

Just as they neared the director's office, Trina sped up and intentionally slammed her shoulder into Charlie's.

Charlie stumbled slightly. The stack of pending contracts she was holding slipped from her grasp, scattering across the floor.

Trina stopped, crossing her arms over her chest. She looked down her nose at Charlie and sneered. "Oops. Can't even hold onto your files, Director? I guess the divorce really messed up your head."

Heads popped up from cubicles all down the hallway. The entire department was watching.

Charlie straightened her spine. She brushed an invisible speck of dust from her shoulder and locked eyes with Trina. "Pick them up."

Trina rolled her eyes, raising her voice so everyone could hear. "Why should I? You're about to be nobody here. Stop acting like you own the place!"

At that exact moment, the sound of multiple footsteps approached from the main corridor.

Kayson Logan turned the corner, flanked by a group of senior executives. Clinging tightly to his side was Alyce Murray, glowing in her designer clothes.

Trina's eyes darted to Kayson. Instantly, her sneer vanished, replaced by a look of sheer terror.

She deliberately stepped on one of the scattered contracts, threw her weight backward, and slammed into the wall.

"Director Charlie, please!" Trina cried out, her voice trembling with fake tears. "I know you're upset about leaving, but you can't take it out on me!"

Kayson stopped dead in his tracks. His dark brows crashed together as he took in the scene.

Alyce gasped, covering her mouth with her hands. She shrank behind Kayson's arm. "Oh my god, is Charlie hitting her employees? That's so scary."

Kayson immediately threw his arm out, shielding Alyce, keeping her at a safe distance as if Charlie were a rabid dog about to attack her stomach.

That single, protective gesture was a knife twisting in Charlie's gut.

Kayson's eyes snapped to Charlie. They were filled with raw, unfiltered disgust.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" he barked.

He didn't ask what happened. He didn't ask for her side. He just convicted her on the spot.

Charlie looked at the man she had loved for three years. Suddenly, the urge to explain, the urge to fight for his approval, completely evaporated.

She felt nothing but a profound, exhausting pity for herself.

She pulled her gaze away from Kayson and looked down at Trina, who was still cowering against the wall.

Charlie's voice rang out, clear, authoritative, and utterly devoid of emotion.

"Trina Dempsey. For suspected theft of corporate trade secrets and severe violation of workplace conduct, you are officially terminated."

The hallway went dead silent.

Trina froze, her fake tears drying instantly. "You can't fire me! You're the one getting kicked out!"

Charlie pulled her director's ID badge from her pocket and tapped it against the scanner on her office door. The light flashed green.

"I am still your direct superior," Charlie stated coldly. She turned to the security guards standing near the elevators. "Watch her pack her desk. I want her out of this building in ten minutes."

The guards hesitated, glancing at Kayson, but the absolute authority radiating from Charlie compelled them to move toward Trina.

Kayson's face turned a dangerous shade of purple. He saw this as a direct challenge to his authority, a desperate stunt to embarrass him in front of Alyce.

He turned his head slightly toward his executive assistant, Milo Vance.

"Bring her to my office on the top floor. Now," Kayson ordered, his voice dripping with venom.

Without another word, he wrapped his arm around Alyce and guided her toward the private executive elevator.

Charlie stood in the hallway, her face an unreadable mask, ready for the final war.