Chapter 25
The folder was labeled "Resignation Backup."
She clicked on the first file. Complete archive of her resignation email. Recipients, send time, attachment list—all preserved in their original state.
Second file. The handover checklist with acknowledgment receipts. Every project document transfer had Mr. Lewis's electronic signature.
Third file. Creation logs for every project proposal she'd worked on during her time at Ashford Group. The drafts were stored in her personal cloud drive, each with a timestamp accurate to the minute. The final versions uploaded to Ashford Group's internal system were all later than her personal drafts—on average two to three days later.
She'd prepared all of this the day she moved out of the Ashford family home.
Not because she could see the future. Because she'd been at Ashford Group for over two years and had seen too many people get screwed over after leaving.
Footsteps echoed from the end of the hallway.
Luna pushed open the Strategic Marketing Department door and walked in. She was wearing a dark green suit today, her makeup lighter than usual.
She scanned the office area, her gaze landing on Evelyn.
"Ms. Kendall, come to my office."
Her tone was flat, but her pace quickened.
Evelyn grabbed her laptop and followed.
Luna's office door closed.
Luna didn't sit. She leaned against the edge of her desk, both hands braced on the surface.
"You saw what's going around in the industry chats?"
"I did."
Luna studied her for two seconds.
"I'll be blunt. Parker Group doesn't shy away from trouble, but Parker Group also doesn't keep people who bring baggage. If you actually jumped ship with Ashford Group's trade secrets, Parker Group can't keep you."
Evelyn set her laptop down in front of Luna and opened the folder.
"This is the original copy of my resignation email. Sent last Friday at 2:17 p.m. Recipients include Mr. Lewis, HR, and the entire marketing department."
She clicked on the second file.
"This is the acknowledgment receipt for the handover checklist. Every project document transfer has Mr. Lewis's electronic signature. The signature timestamp is forty minutes after I sent the resignation email."
Luna looked down at the screen, her eyes pausing at a few key spots.
Evelyn clicked on the third file.
"These are the original drafts of every project proposal I worked on at Ashford Group. All creation dates are prior to when the final versions were uploaded to Ashford Group's system. File properties, revision history, cloud sync logs—everything's intact."
She closed the laptop.
"My proposals are my own work. What I took with me was my ability, not Ashford Group's files. If Mr. Lewis thinks I leaked secrets, he can provide evidence and take legal action."
Luna's fingers tapped twice on the desk.
She didn't say whether she believed it or not. She only asked one question.
"What are you planning to do with all this?"
Evelyn pulled out her phone.
"Screenshots of the original resignation letter and handover records. I'm having a friend post them in a few core industry groups. The resignation letter clearly states, 'I am voluntarily resigning for personal reasons.' The signature line has Mr. Lewis's handwritten signature. If he dares deny it, we'll get the signature verified by a handwriting expert."
The corner of Luna's mouth curved into the tiniest smile.
"Do it."
Evelyn forwarded the prepared screenshots to Sophie.
Twenty minutes later.
Sophie posted high-resolution screenshots of the resignation letter and handover acknowledgment receipts in four core industry chat groups, one after another.
Each screenshot was accompanied by a single line.
[Regarding the rumor that Evelyn Kendall was fired, here are the facts. Ashford Group is welcome to provide their so-called evidence.]
The tone in the industry chats reversed within half an hour.
Someone zoomed in on Mr. Lewis's signature from the resignation letter and posted it.
"He signed off on the resignation and then said she was fired? Is Ashford Group's process management really that much of a mess?"
"I had contact with Evelyn on the Eastside project. Her proposal was definitely her own work. My team was involved in the preliminary research."
"This is just them realizing she was valuable after she left and trying to throw dirt on her, isn't it?"
Ashford Group headquarters, thirty-second floor.
Mr. Lewis's phone kept buzzing in his pocket.
He pulled it out. Group messages had blown past two hundred. His signature had been screenshotted and enlarged, circulating in several groups.
His palms started to sweat.
He picked up the desk phone and dialed Sebastian's extension.
"Mr. Ashford, things seem to have gotten out of hand. Evelyn has a complete chain of evidence. The resignation letter was properly submitted, and the handover records have my signature. Several major groups are spreading it now, and people from several partner companies are in those groups..."
Three seconds of silence on the other end of the line.
"When did she prepare all this?"
"Probably... the day she resigned."
Sebastian didn't speak.
Mr. Lewis heard a dull thud from the other end, like something had been slammed onto a desk.
"Mr. Ashford?"
"Don't do anything. I'll handle it."
The line went dead.
Mr. Lewis set down the phone and realized the back of his shirt was soaked through.
Parker Group Tower, forty-eighth floor.
Cedric sat behind his desk, two windows open on his computer screen. One showed forwarded screenshots of the industry chat records. The other showed a document just drafted by Parker Group's legal department.
He picked up the phone on his desk.
"Legal? Send it."
Two words.
Fifteen minutes later, Ashford Group's executive office inbox received an email.
Sender: Parker Group Legal Affairs Department.
Subject line in bold black text.
[Legal Notice Regarding Ashford Group's Distribution of False Statements Damaging Our Employee's Reputation]
Sebastian's assistant knocked and entered, placing the printed legal notice on his desk.
Sebastian picked it up and read through it once.
The wording was brutally direct.
Three pages, each section stamped with the seal of Parker Group's Chief Legal Officer.
The core demands were on page two.
First, Ashford Group must issue a public apology through official channels within twenty-four hours and retract all false statements. Second, if the above requirements are not met within the specified time, Parker Group will immediately initiate formal litigation. Third, damages will be calculated at ten percent of Ashford Group's largest recent contract value.
Sebastian flipped to the last page and saw the damages figure.
He tossed the notice onto his desk and leaned back in his chair.
The central air conditioning hummed low in the office. Sunlight streamed through the floor-to-ceiling windows, hitting the corners of those three pages on his desk.
He stared at the ceiling for over ten seconds.
The stamp on the legal notice was from Oliver Grey, Parker Group's Chief Legal Officer. Sebastian had heard Oliver's name in legal circles too many times to count. Last time Parker Group had that patent dispute with the energy company down south, Oliver led the team. Three months, case closed, the other side paid out four hundred million and didn't even dare appeal.
But the person who stamped it didn't matter.
What mattered was the person who gave the green light before the stamp.
Without Cedric's authorization, Parker Group's legal department wouldn't send out a legal notice.
Cedric was protecting Evelyn.
He was using Parker Group's corporate resources to protect her.