Zara’s face went pale as she stared at Garret in disbelief.
“Garret, Daron never said he was firing me. It’s not fair for you to treat me this way,” Zara protested.
It wasn’t even time for the staff selection yet. There was no way she was leaving Cloudstorm Group just like that.
I’m going to talk to Daron and clear things up,” Zara said.
With that, Zara spun around and headed straight for Daron.
Garret didn’t stop her. As she turned away, he spoke in a calm, steady voice.
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“You messed up at work. I’m your boss here, so I get to decide what you do. Talking to Mr. Zamora won’t change anything. If I were you, I’d cooperate and keep my head down for a while. Don’t make yourself the office pariah.”
Zara stopped in her tracks, bit down on her lip, her eyes lingering on Daron’s office door. But in the end, she didn’t have the nerve to go in after all.
Garret and Daron were so close. At this juncture, even if she went to Daron, he’d side with Garret and make her follow Garret’s orders.
Zara took a deep breath, her fists clenched tightly at her sides.
When she’d first returned, everything was going just the way she’d planned. She wondered how Daron’s attitude toward her could flip so drastically in just a few months.
Zara tried to force herself to calm down, but the turmoil inside just wouldn’t let her.
With everyone in the executive office watching her, Zara could only turn around and return to her desk. She gathered her things and left.
As soon as Zara stepped into the elevator, her phone buzzed with a call from Hayley.
“Our things have been packed and will be at Westview any minute. I’m heading over to CloudStorm Group now,” Hayley
said.
Zara gripped her phone tightly, her voice low and heavy. “Mom, you don’t need to come. I’ll head back to Westview myself. Just wait for me there.”
Hayley heard the heaviness in Zara’s voice, and her own tone grew heavy too. “Zara, aren’t you supposed to be working now? Why are you coming back?”
‘Did Daron really fire Zara?‘ Hayley wondered, a wave of panic hitting her. ‘If Daron really fired Zara, that meant he wasn’t giving me any respect as his aunt anymore!
“It’s not like that. I’ll tell you everything when I get home,” Zara said.
Zara ended the call and left CloudThunder Group.
At Westview, the movers had already hauled all their stuff upstairs and left.
Hayley had zero motivation to unpack. She just plopped down on the couch, racking her brain for a way to fix the mess she
was in now.
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7:15 pm PLMM.
Chapter 491
Soon, the electronic lock’s beeping snapped Hayley out of her thoughts.
Hayley shot up from the couch.
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When Zara walked in, she saw the living room piled high with boxes of all sizes, and her eyes widened in surprise.
“Mom, what’s going on?” Zara asked.
Hayley rubbed her temples, her voice heavy. “Harris ordered everything of ours to be cleared out of the Zamora mansion. Not a single thing was left behind.”
Zara’s face went stiff. She’d thought there was still a chance for Hayley to go back, but she never expected Harris to have everything cleared out and dumped here.
Harris’s message couldn’t be clearer. He wanted to chase Hayley out of the Zamora family.
Zara’s face turned white as a sheet, her fists clenched so hard that her nails dug into her palms.
That bitch Marina! She has wrecked everything,‘ Zara fumed to herself.
Seeing how upset Zara was, Hayley quickly came over, took her hand, and spoke in a soothing voice. “Zara, don’t worry. Things haven’t hit rock bottom yet.
‘No matter what, I’m still Daron’s aunt. He owes me for raising him, and that’s something he can’t just deny.”
Tears streamed down Zara’s face as she heard Hayley’s words.
I’m sorry, Mom. This is all because of me. If it weren’t for me, you’d still be enjoying life at the Zamora mansion,” Zara said. This place isn’t even as big as your old room at the mansion.”
Hayley looked around the place.
Back when Harris gave her this apartment, she never even came to see it.
Thinking about it now, it seemed that he’d already arranged her accommodation at that time.
As soon as she was no longer useful to him, he just booted her out of the Zamora mansion.
I’ll return to the Zamora mansion,” Hayley said. “Since Harris can be this ruthless to me, you really think he’ll show Marina any mercy? Sooner or later, I’ll get some dirt on her.”
As she spoke, Hayley gently stroked Zara’s hair, her voice soft and soothing.
‘Zara, don’t worry. This is just a temporary setback. I’ve endured for over twenty years. Like I’d quit now? We just have to wait until Daron’s interest in Marina fades,” Hayley said.
Zara nodded sullenly, her eyes dark with barely concealed malice.
‘So, what happened at work?” Hayley asked. “Did Daron fire you?”
Hayley brought up the one thing Zara had avoided mentioning on the phone.
Zara shook her head.
“I screwed up at work. Garret said I wasn’t in the right state and told me to come home, get my act together, and only go back when I’m ready, Zara replied.
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:15 pm P WMM.
Chapter 491
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Hayley frowned, her voice low and serious. “Zara, you can’t just hide right now. Tomorrow, you go back to work and just pretend everything’s normal.
“If you stay away too long, they’ll come up with any excuse to fire you. But if you just do your job properly, Daron won’t be that cold–blooded.”
As long as Zara wasn’t officially fired, they still had a shot.
“If it really comes down to it, we’ll just have to use some tricks,” Hayley murmured.
As she spoke, a dangerous malice flickered in her eyes.
Zara hesitated, uncertainty flickering in her eyes.
Hayley saw the uncertainty in Zara’s eyes and cut in immediately, “Zara, now’s not the time to worry about impressing
Daron.”
Zara bit down hard on her lip.
‘Mom, playing dirty is our last card. It hasn’t gotten that ugly yet,” Zara muttered.
Deep down, she still wanted Daron to notice her.
More than anything, she wished Daron would actually fall for her.
Hayley knew exactly what Zara was thinking.
She nodded, speaking earnestly, “Zara, right now, what we need to do is be patient. Once the timing is perfect and things can’t be undone, I’m sure Daron will ditch Marina.”
Zara nodded firmly. “Alright.”
As soon as Daron lost interest in Marina, they’d finally have enough time to put their plan into action.
But if, even then, Daron still didn’t care about her, she’d have no choice but to drop all pretenses and force a confrontation.
If I can’t have Daron, then I’ll destroy him, Zara thought. ‘If I can’t have something, there’s no way I’m letting Marina have it all to herself.’
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Sara Lili is a daring romance writer who turns icy landscapes into scenes of fiery passion. She loves crafting hot love stories while embracing the chill of Iceland’s breathtaking cold.
