Garret shot a serious look at the employee who had spoken and said seriously, “If you made a mistake, why did you say it and get everyone confused?”
The employee was so intimidated by Garret’s attitude that she bowed her head and apologized right away, “I… I’m sorry, I…..”
Seeing her on the verge of tears, Garret said coldly, “If I catch you spreading this kind of talk again, don’t expect me to go easy on you.”
“Thank you, Mr. Lopez. We swear we won’t spread rumors again,” one of them blurted out.
One of them realized Garret wasn’t actually going to punish them and let out a sigh of relief.
Garret didn’t make things harder for them. After the warning, he waved them off.
Garret only returned to his seat after they left.
Chloe gave him a thumbs–up.
Marina said softly, ‘Thank you.‘
Garret quickly replied, ‘No need to thank me. It was nothing, really. Besides, Daron specifically asked me to look after you before he left.
“If you end up getting talked about at Zamora Group, I don’t even want to imagine what kind of punishment he’ll have for me when he gets back.‘
Marina bit her lip, a little taken aback that Daron had gone out of his way to tell Garret to look after her.
After lunch, Marina headed back to the office.
Her colleagues had already caught wind of gossip.
As soon as Marina walked in, she overheard Calista and a few others gossiping.
Calista said, “I knew something was going on between them.
Zara and I went to high school together. Back then, she was just a poor kid Mrs. Blanchard helped out.
“Zara was always the model student, smart, well–behaved.
“Nowadays, those rich families aren’t into arranged marriages anymore. They’d rather raise their own ideal wife to run the household
As soon as Marina walked in, Calista changed the subject.
She said, “Only those families that are about to go under still think marrying up will save them.
“Honestly, these days, big–name families want people who hustle and make something of themselves, not those spoiled rich girls who’ve had everything handed to them.”
It was lunch break, and everyone was gathered around in the office area.
Calista kept things general, so everyone joined in the conversation.
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“I wouldn’t say that, someone jumped in.
vouchere
“Any family with vision wouldn’t let their kids grow up pampered. Their way of seeing things is miles ahead of most parents,” another coworker said.
Some coworkers immediately chimed in, agreeing with that point.
But Calista held firm to her opinion.
She said, “Didn’t you catch the premise I mentioned?
“I’m talking about those families that are on the verge of going bankrupt. If they were so sharp–sighted, how could they let their family business fall apart like that?”
Bella frowned, her voice calm as she said, “Honestly, sometimes family businesses fail because of pure luck, or simply because the world changes and leaves them behind.
“What was hot a few years ago might not be profitable anymore once the trends shift.”
Calista chimed in, “But that doesn’t mean it’s bad luck, right? It shows they can’t see the big picture.
“When they’re out of options, all they can do is push their kids into marrying up and mooch off the other family, hoping to keep themselves afloat.
“People like that are total leeches.”
Bella shook her head.
She said. “That’s not quite right.
“Rich families care about one thing: profit. If there’s nothing in it for them, why would they agree to a marriage alliance?
“And let’s be honest. It’s rare for someone from the bottom to have the skills and vision to do it. If you don’t bring value, those families won’t even give you a second glance.”
Calista cut in with a smile, interrupting Bella.
“So, now you get how much Zara is worth, huh?” she said.
After Calista dropped that line, the room went silent for a few seconds. Then, just to keep up appearances, everyone chimed in with a few token compliments about Zara.
After all, nobody could predict what the Zamora family was thinking right now.
But when it came to things like this, it was always smarter to be cautious.
Calista wore a look of smug pride, soaking up the compliments everyone was giving Zara as if they somehow reflected on her, too.
It was almost like she was daydreaming about riding Zara’s coattails to a life of luxury one day.
Her eyes flickered over to Marina, a subtle glance that seemed both curious and a little provocative.
Seeing that Marina hadn’t chimed in or shown any reaction, Calista took the initiative and said. “Ms Finley, do you agree with me?
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Marina glanced up at Calista, her tone cool as she replied, “Seems like you’re not all that confident in your own views after all, Miss Rollins.”
Calista frowned.
Marina continued. “If you were that sure about your point, you wouldn’t be asking what I think, would you?”
Seeing Calista pull Marina into the conversation, everyone went quiet.
The senior staff in the executive office all knew that Marina was the reason three of their colleagues had been fired before.
Calista’s earlier comments were loaded with meaning, clearly targeting Marina.
The Finley Group was barely hanging on in Vrufield these days.
Rumor was that the Finley Group was trying to turn things around, but nobody knew if it would actually work.
Whether the Finley Group made it or not, Marina was someone nobody wanted to mess with at the moment.
No one in the office wanted to make enemies if they could help it.
So, nobody was about to back Calista up in giving Marina a hard time.
Calista noticed that as soon as Marina’s name came up, everyone went quiet. After a while, she picked up on the awkward
vibe in the room.
She bit her lip, then let it go and didn’t respond to Marina anymore.
After work, Calista texted Zara.
[Zara. I’ve got a question. Why does everyone in the office get so wary around Marina?]
[Whenever someone brings her up, the whole room goes silent.]
Zara was surprised that Calista, the airhead, picked up on it so fast.
Zara texted back right away.
[I don’t really know, maybe everyone wants to avoid trouble. You know how it is at work. Less drama is always better. People like you who stand up for what’s right are rare these days.]
[Besides, Ms. Finley’s got Garret backing her up. No wonder nobody wants to mess with her.] Zara typed out the message. hit send, and then quickly took it back.
She knew Calista was always waiting to see if someone would text her back.
Sure enough, Calista replied almost instantly.
[They’re such cowards.]
Zara: [Calista, the way you act at work makes it easy for you to offend people. It’s easy to make enemies that way, so you should be careful.]
Calista went quiet for a long while after reading Zara’s message.
She glanced up at Marina, her eyes full of jealousy.
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It drove her crazy that the man she’d secretly loved for years had ended up with Marina of all people.
Marina sensed Calista staring at her and met her gaze without flinching.
Calista quickly looked away.
Marina’s expression stayed cool and distant.”
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.
