Chapter 175 Outcome
Rachel finally realized how stupid she had been. How could she have believed Sophie's words?
How could she have thought that as long as she pleased Aria and acted sincere enough, she'd be accepted back?
Rachel's eyes welled up with tears that suddenly poured out without warning, sliding down her cheeks and dripping onto her collar, spreading into small dark wet stains.
She thought that as long as she cried a little, admitted her mistake, and shed a few tears like last time, Arthur would remember how long she'd been with him and give her one last chance.
She lifted her head, her eyes covered with a watery film, her voice choking and broken, carrying a humble yet urgent plea.
"Mr. Grant... I was wrong, I really know I was wrong!
I shouldn't have acted on my own, shouldn't have gone to the flower shop! I just wanted so badly to be back by your side. Please give me one more chance, okay? I'll never dare again, really never again..."
As she spoke, her body trembled slightly, even stumbling forward a step, trying to close the distance between them, hoping like before to trade tears for a bit of sympathy.
But Arthur didn't even lift an eyelid.
His gaze remained on the documents, his fingers turning pages steadily and calmly, as if the woman crying and swaying before him was just an insignificant piece of background scenery, not stirring any emotion in him.
Rachel's tears fell faster, and that last bit of hope in her heart shattered piece by piece.
She suddenly understood.
Last time she cried, Arthur softened because he still tolerated her.
But this time, he wouldn't even look at her.
Because she had completely exhausted his last bit of patience.
She choked out, her voice nearly breaking, "Mr. Grant, please, I'll just stay quietly in the logistics department from now on, won't hang around you anymore, and won't do anything you don't allow, okay? I really don't want to lose this job!"
She reached out, trying to grab his sleeve, but stopped an inch from his fingertips, forced back by the powerful aura he suddenly emanated.
Arthur finally looked up at her.
In that gaze, there wasn't a ripple of emotion, only a deep, silent coldness.
"Get out."
That word, light as wind yet heavy as an iron hammer, slammed hard into her heart.
Rachel's hand froze in mid-air, tears stuck in her eyes.
She opened her mouth, wanting to say something more, but was pinned down by those bone-chillingly cold eyes.
Rachel's throat caught, and all her words were forcibly blocked.
She finally gave up completely.
Tears kept falling down her cheeks, but could no longer earn even a bit of sympathy. The capital she had been so proud of completely collapsed in this moment.
She stumbled back a step, her legs weakening, nearly falling to her knees, but forced herself to straighten her back.
She knew.
This time, it was truly over.
Only her suppressed sobbing remained in the office, echoing repeatedly in the empty space, sounding both pitiful and ridiculous.
Arthur stopped looking at her, lowering his head back to the documents, as if she had never existed.
Rachel took a deep breath, wiped her tears, and used all her strength to steady her voice before barely squeezing out a word through clenched teeth, "Yes."
She turned around, walking step by step, heavy and broken.
Rachel stumbled out of the office. The door slammed shut behind her with a "bang," that sound like her last bit of dignity being completely crushed into the floor.
Inside the office, Arthur slowly lifted his eyelids, his gaze calmly watching that closed door, a cold gleam flashing in his eyes.
Rachel's momentary panic and paleness when he deliberately asked if someone had put her up to it proved everything.
Someone was definitely pulling strings behind the scenes!
Rachel had been sidelined for so long, yet suddenly had the nerve to cross the line, not only approaching Aria using his name without permission, but also saying things that could easily cause misunderstandings.
If there wasn't someone behind the scenes giving her pointers or egging her on, he absolutely wouldn't believe it.
Sophie.
Arthur's fingertips lightly tapped the desk, the rhythm unhurried, his mind already clear as a mirror.
Now it seemed even Rachel had become Sophie's pawn, a tool she used to test him and stir up chaos.
Arthur picked up his phone, his fingertips rapidly tapping the screen, issuing an order in a cold, ruthless tone.
[Check all of Rachel's recent call records, transaction flows, and her movements with Sophie.
Whether they met privately or contacted secretly, I want it investigated thoroughly, not missing a single second.]"
He didn't need Rachel's confession. He wanted hard evidence, ironclad proof of Sophie's behind-the-scenes manipulation!
The person on the other end immediately agreed.
After hanging up, Arthur's gaze returned to the documents, but he couldn't read a single word.
His mind kept replaying Rachel's panicked evasion just now, not daring to tell the truth.
This game was deeper than he'd imagined.
Her hand reached too far!
Sophie thought that by using Rachel as a pawn, she could both probe Aria's situation and test his limits through Rachel's overstepping.
Once he got angry, the blame would only point to Rachel.
As the person behind it all, she was certain he had no evidence and couldn't touch her.
What a clever scheme of killing with a borrowed knife.
A extremely cold smile curved Arthur's lips, chilling to the bone.
Sophie really dared to play with fire right under his nose.
Again and again, did she really think he couldn't find out?
His fingertip lightly swiped, pulling up all the materials about Jasper's recent allergies and the amusement park incident from the desk.
Since Sophie had so much free time, he'd peel back these matters layer by layer. He wanted to see how she'd explain!
The sky outside gradually darkened, and the atmosphere in the office dropped to freezing point.
Rachel stumbled out of Grant Corp building. The wind cut across her face, piercingly cold, yet couldn't compare to the turmoil in her heart.
The cold reality of being fired was like a boulder, pressing down until even breathing hurt. Her fingertips clutched her phone, Sophie's message "Well done, wait for news" still glaring on the screen.
Every word was like a mocking slap, hitting her hard in the face.
She hated Arthur's ruthlessness, but hated Sophie's deception even more.
If Sophie hadn't dangled the promise that pleasing Aria would get her back to the core assistant position, how would she have swallowed her pride to approach that cold nail, how would she have ended up thrown out like this!
Sophie lived in Arthur's villa, with tight security and Arthur's people guarding it. Even when she was an assistant, she had to report in advance to enter. Now that she was fired, how could she dare barge in directly?
Full of resentment and unwillingness stuck in her throat, she tremblingly pulled up Sophie's number with shaking fingers, almost crying as she pressed the dial button. As soon as the call connected, all rationality instantly collapsed.
"Sophie! You lied to me! You liar!"