Chapter 82
After Reginald finished speaking, the car fell silent for a few seconds.
The assistant in the front seat's fingers flew across his phone screen, relaying the instructions one by one.
His expression remained calm. After all these years working under Reginald, he'd seen his boss issue even harsher orders in the same tone.
But this time, he knew his boss was truly angry.
Those people had laid hands on someone they shouldn't have touched.
"Mr. Lancaster." The assistant set down his phone and turned back. "We've finished looking into Kevin. He owns a construction materials company. Over the years, he's used the Fisher family's connections to secure plenty of projects. His accounts are riddled with problems. Pearl's even simpler—she was disciplined in college for bullying a classmate. Beau paid to smooth it over."
The corner of Reginald's mouth curved slightly, the smile cold as winter wind. "Then dig it all up, one thing at a time. Send whoever belongs in prison to prison. Clean out whoever needs cleaning out. I don't want to see them in Starlight City again."
"Understood." The assistant acknowledged, turned back around, and his fingers resumed dancing across the screen.
Reginald leaned back in his seat, his gaze settling on the window outside, the coldness in his eyes growing sharper.
His phone buzzed. A message from Lucinda. Just one line: [I'm at the office. Don't worry.]
He stared at those words. The coldness in his eyes receded little by little, warmth slowly seeping in.
He typed out a reply: [Okay.]
After sending it, he felt it was too cold. He deleted it and typed again: [What do you want to eat tonight?]
A few seconds passed before she replied: [Whatever.]
Reginald looked at the word "whatever," the corner of his mouth curving upward.
He slipped his phone back into his pocket and said to his assistant, "Reserve a table at La Perle Blanche."
The assistant's fingers paused. He glanced at his boss in the rearview mirror.
The boss… still hasn't given up?
But he said nothing. He lowered his head and made the reservation.
Ridgeway Tech, third-floor office area.
The moment Lucinda stepped out of the elevator, the atmosphere in the hallway felt off.
Several people at their workstations craned their necks toward the break room, expressions tinged with tension.
Someone spotted Lucinda emerging from the elevator and quickly ducked back down, pretending to type on their keyboard.
The break room door was half-open. A man's voice echoed from inside, raised and condescending, dripping with reprimand.
"You left your post without requesting leave. Company policy is crystal clear—half a day of absence counts as a full day, one day counts as three. Do you have any respect for company regulations? Do you have any respect for me as vice president?"
Joseph's voice.
Lucinda's footsteps paused.
"Mr. Miller, I really did request leave. I told Ms. Baker, and Ms. Baker said she'd inform Ms. Wipere—"
"Ms. Baker? Who the hell is Fiona? She's Ms. Wipere's assistant, not yours! If you want leave, you ask me. You ask your direct supervisor! You're low-level, but your sense of entitlement sure isn't. You don't even follow basic procedures. Do you even want this job?"
Lucinda walked to the break room door and peered through the crack.
Gaia stood in the corner, head lowered, eyes red-rimmed, lips pressed tightly together. Stubbornly, she refused to cry.
Joseph stood in front of her, suit jacket unbuttoned, one hand on his hip, the other jabbing a finger at Gaia's nose, spittle flying. "Let me tell you something—this isn't over. An employee like you who doesn't follow company discipline? Ridgeway Tech can't afford to keep you. Pack up your things. Don't bother coming in tomorrow."
"Mr. Miller, I really did request leave—"
"You're talking back to me?" Joseph's voice shot up several octaves, his face turning bright red. "Who gave you the nerve to talk back to me? Do you think just because Ms. Wipere has your back, you can disrespect everyone else? Let me tell you—you don't get to run wild in this company!"
Just then, Lucinda pushed the door open.
The door slammed against the wall with a dull thud.
Joseph's voice cut off abruptly. He turned and the instant he saw Lucinda, his expression shifted through several variations.
"Ms. Wipere." His tone dropped a few degrees from before, but his posture remained stiff. "Perfect timing. This employee left her post during work hours. I'm handling it according to company policy."
Lucinda didn't look at him. Her gaze settled on Gaia.
She stood in the corner, eyes red, lips pale from being pressed together so tightly.
"Gaia, did you request leave today?"
Gaia lifted her head. Her voice trembled slightly, but she enunciated each word clearly. "Ms. Wipere, I did request leave. I told Ms. Baker. Ms. Baker said she'd inform you."
Lucinda nodded, then turned her head and looked at Joseph. "Did you hear that?"
Joseph's complexion shifted. He forced a strained smile. "Ms. Baker informed you—that's Ms. Baker's business. She requested leave through Ms. Baker, but Ms. Baker isn't her direct supervisor. The procedure wasn't followed properly—"
"I set the procedures." Lucinda cut him off, her voice crisp. "I established that all employee leave requests can be submitted to me through Fiona. Fiona is my assistant. The authority she has—I gave it to her."
Joseph opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but when he met Lucinda's cool, clear eyes, all his words lodged in his throat.
"She requested leave. I approved it. The procedure was followed correctly. Everything was in order." Lucinda took a step forward, her gaze pinning Joseph in place. "Do you have any other questions?"
Joseph's face darkened.
He opened his mouth several times before finally squeezing out a response. "Ms. Wipere, I'm not questioning your procedures. I just think—an ordinary employee taking leave at the drop of a hat has a bad effect on the company—"
"At the drop of a hat?" The corner of Lucinda's mouth curved slightly. "Since she joined, she's rarely taken leave. Her attendance rate is ninety-seven percent—much higher than your sixty percent last month. Mr. Miller, would you like to pull up your own records of unreported absences and go through them line by line against company policy?"
Joseph's face drained of color completely.
He stood rooted in place, his lips trembling for a long moment, unable to utter a single word.
Several people had gathered around the break room entrance. Some held cups, pretending to get water. Others carried files, pretending to pass by. All eyes drifted toward the scene.
Lucinda continued, her tone measured. "Mr. Miller, employee matters are my responsibility. As for you—you just need to manage your own affairs."
Joseph's lips trembled. Finally, he said nothing more.
He turned and practically shoved through the crowd at the door, striding briskly down the hallway in the opposite direction.