Chapter 228
The sudden drop in temperature around Daron left everyone in the room on edge.
People immediately averted their eyes, sank into their chairs, and barely dared to breathe. Even the sound of flipping through papers was almost inaudible.
Lillian tried to defend herself, “Mr. Zamora, this has nothing to do with me. I…”
She looked up at Daron, but couldn’t hold his gaze for even a second before she dropped her eyes. She just couldn’t get the words out.
Kassidy had looked like she’d seen a ghost, but the moment she heard Lillian trying to defend herself, her anger flared up all over again.
“Don’t you dare try to pin this all on me! This was your idea from the start! The day Ms. Milner came to the office, you already had it out for Marina Finley. You told me to go along with it and swore no one would ever find out.
“You even said you’d already taken care of the security team, so even if someone checked the cameras, they wouldn’t see a thing!”
“You’re lying!” Lillian retorted, but her voice was shaky and lacked any real conviction.
Daron’s sharp gaze swept over the two of them, then he gave Chloe a sidelong look.
Chloe felt a chill run down her spine and quickly explained, “It was the day you were meeting with the senior management. I was downstairs jotting down the minutes when Ms. Milner just showed up out of nowhere.”
Daron’s expression turned cold, and he didn’t ask any more questions. His voice was flat and emotionless.
“Settle their pay and have Chad look into his own team,” he said.
“Yes, Mr. Zamora,” Chloe replied, bowing her head. She was secretly relieved that Daron wasn’t blaming her for her management oversight.
Daron looked up and shot a cold look at Marina, who was standing off to the side.
“Come to my office,” he said.
Marina nodded respectfully. “Yes, Mr. Zamora.”
Daron’s sharp, narrow eyes narrowed dangerously, radiating a clear warning.
Marina kept her head down as she walked over, trying not to draw any more attention.
She’d only been at Zamora Group for a few days, and she’d already stirred up so much trouble in the CEO’s office. He had be seriously annoyed.
As soon as Daron left the workspace, everyone could finally breathe easy.
Chloe fixed Lillian and Kassidy with a serious look.
“You two, come with me,” she said.
Kassidy had already resigned herself to whatever was coming, barely reacting at all.
Lillian was losing it, her eyes red and watery as she glared at Kassidy with pure loathing.
18:43 Sat, Jan 31
Chapter 228
Chloe glanced at the two of them, then turned to Amari and said in a firm tone, “Amari, you too
Amari froze when she heard her name, pointing at herself, confused. “Me?”
Chloe just replied with a firm “Yeah.”
Amari protested, “Why me? I didn’t do anything, and besides, Mr. Zamora never said I was in trouble”
Chloe gave Amari a frosty stare and replied flatly. “When Mr. Zamora said ‘them, he was talking about you too.”
Amari had climbed her way up from the very bottom, proving herself at every step until she finally landed a spot in the executive office. She honestly believed she was more capable than anyone else in the room.
Now, being let go for no reason, she couldn’t accept it at all.
“Mr. Zamora never said he was firing me. I had nothing to do with this. If anyone deserves to be on that list, it should be Marina Finley, not me,” Amari argued.
Chloe rubbed her forehead, feeling a headache coming on, and said seriously, “Ms. Finley never signed any employment contract with the company. Her agreement is with Mr. Zamora himself, so the company can’t make any decisions about her employment status.”
She’d only learned about this yesterday from the company’s lawyer, Mario Garris.
Marina wasn’t officially part of the Zamora Group. Technically, she was working directly for Daron as his personal staff.
Amari was floored by Chloe’s words, and judging by the looks around, she wasn’t the only one.
‘So that’s what they meant by ‘special recruitment,” Amari thought.
Møst folks silently thanked their luck for never getting on Marina’s bad side.
Amari snapped out of her shock and gritted her teeth, refusing to accept it.
“Mr. Zamora isn’t someone who’d fire people without a good reason. I’m going to ask him myself and see if I’m really on that list,” Amari said.
Chloe saw how stubborn Amari was being and let out a long, frustrated sigh.
Daron was already fed up with everything that had happened. If Amari went and caused trouble in front of him, Chloe knew her job would be on the line for sure.
Chloe snapped, “Amari, do you seriously think you’re the exception around here? The Zamora Group has plenty of peop with real talent and integrity.
“You’re capable, sure, but you’re not exactly savvy when it comes to office politics. Still, your situation isn’t as serious as theirs, and your file will stay clean. We won’t put anything negative in your record.
“But if you make a fuss, when your next employer runs a background check, landing that job won’t be so easy.”
Chloe had been in this position for years.
She’d seen plenty of people like Amari, folks who thought they were hot stuff just because they had a little talent, always acting like they were better than everyone else.
But with just a few sharp words, Chloe could break down their defenses in no time.
Seeing Amari go quiet, Chloe took the opportunity to scan the room, catching the other employees who were all pretending to be busy. Her look was a not–so–subtle warning.
18:43 Sat, Jan 31
Chapter 228
Chloe said, her tone serious, “Zamora Group gives everyone a solid platform and pays you what you deserve. Just remember. No matter what happens, keep your head down and stay out of office drama.
“Don’t pick sides just because someone tells you to. Otherwise, you’ll just end up as a disposable pawn in someone else’s game.”
Everyone quickly chimed in, agreeing with her.
Marina followed Daron into his office, hesitated, and left the door open behind her.
She’d just let go of the door handle when Daron, walking ahead, spoke up in a low, commanding voice, like he had eyes in the back of his head.
“Close the door,” Daron said.
Marina pressed her lips together, trying to play it off with a weak smile..
“Is that really necessary? I already told you everything just now,” she tried to protest.
Daron turned to look at her, his gaze sharp and piercing.
Under his intense stare, Marina had no choice but to reach out and close the door, clearly reluctant.
She tried to leave the door open a crack, but Daron caught her in the act.
“Lock it,” he ordered, his voice low and commanding.
Marina had no choice but to slam the door shut.
Daron took off his jacket.
Marina stopped abruptly, putting some distance between herself and him.
Daron noticed her hesitation out of the corner of his eye; his gaze grew darker as he turned to face her.
“What, afraid I’m going to do something to you?” Daron said.
Marina gave a sheepish smile and said, “I’m just worried you’ll smack me.”
Daron glanced down at his waist, his expression unreadable.
“Is that what you’re into?” he asked.
Marina’s gaze unconsciously followed his, landing on his belt buckle, her eyes flashing with a hint of panic.
‘I… I didn’t mean it like that,‘ Marina said.
‘What I meant was, I’ve only been here a few days and already caused such a mess in your office. I was just worried you’d be mad at me,‘ she added, trying to play it off.
Daron quirked an eyebrow, dropped into his chair, and said offhandedly, “If I let stuff like this get to me, you would’ve killed me with stress ages ago.”
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.
