Chapter 276

Chapter 276

Sophia had just wrapped up her meeting when the receptionist called. The Howard Group's Ms. York was waiting to see her.

The news caught Sophia off guard. She'd always pegged Amelia as someone too proud to make the first move. Then again, it made sense. For someone like Amelia, losing control was worse than losing face. She'd come to personally check out the one fish that slipped through her net.

With that realization, Sophia told the receptionist, "Tell her I'm unavailable. She'll need to go through the appointment process."

The receptionist sounded shocked. "But… that's Ms. York from the Howard Group!"

Born and raised in Emerald City, the receptionist had only ever seen Amelia on TV. When that same woman from the news suddenly appeared in front of her desk, the young girl had thought she was dreaming.

Despite her excitement, the receptionist remembered her duties. She'd politely escorted Amelia to the lobby sofa and eagerly refilled her tea several times.

"I don't care who she is. I don't have time to see her. Is that a problem?"

Sophia's cold voice snapped the receptionist back to reality.

Any experienced professional would've recognized the boss's displeasure and followed orders immediately. But this receptionist was too young, too fresh out of college to understand workplace politics. All she saw was an important person, a golden networking opportunity slipping away.

"Ms. Mellon, Ms. York is the head of the Howard Group. She—"

Sophia cut her off. "Did you promise her I'd definitely see her once I was free?"

The receptionist's eyes went wide. How did Ms. Mellon know? She was in the 26th-floor conference room.

Her silence said everything.

"You're fired," Sophia said flatly. "Go to HR and collect this month's pay."

She hung up without giving the receptionist a chance to defend herself.

Her executive assistant Sarah had been standing nearby the whole time. Seeing Sophia's expression, she asked carefully, "Did the receptionist do something wrong?"

Sophia pinched the bridge of her nose. "She overstepped. That's a character flaw, not a skill issue. I let her go."

Firing a receptionist didn't seem like a big deal to Sarah. She was about to report on work when Sophia dropped a bomb.

"Ms. York from the Howard Group might still be waiting in the lobby. Find someone sharp and have them send her away if she's still there."

Sarah froze. Once she processed who exactly 'Ms. York from the Howard Group' was, she sucked in a sharp breath.

"Ms. Mellon, you're not planning to meet with Ms. York from the Howard Group?"

Sarah double-checked, just to be safe.

"Not yet. Now's not the time."

Sarah was someone her godmother Xanthe had recommended, so Sophia showed a bit more patience and explained herself. Sarah didn't disappoint. After getting a clear answer, she asked no more questions and went straight to work.

Sophia stared intently at her computer screen, but a cold smile crept across her lips.

She remembered every single person who'd bullied and humiliated her back then. Ms. York was one of them—a ringleader, even. Why would she make things easy for her now?

When the receptionist told her to leave, Amelia's mind went blank. She stared at the young girl who'd been fawning over her moments ago, shocked. "Do you even know what you're saying?"

The young receptionist knew exactly what she was saying.

The moment she'd been fired, her panic and regret had transformed into rage. She couldn't understand why Ms. Mellon would fire her when she'd only been trying to help.

In that instant, youthful impulsiveness took over. She stormed up to Amelia and snapped, "Ms. Mellon said she doesn't want to see you. She told you to get lost."

As she said it, the young receptionist thought spitefully: if Ms. Mellon didn't want to see Amelia, then she'd help burn that bridge completely. If she was going down, everyone else could go down with her.

Amelia's expression darkened immediately.

Get lost?

In all her years, no one had dared say that word to her. Sophia had some nerve.

But quickly, Amelia sensed something off. She studied the young receptionist with a scrutinizing gaze, her tone icy. "Is that exactly what your Ms. Mellon said?"

Amelia's presence was formidable. That one question had the young receptionist breaking into a cold sweat.

Still, she couldn't bring herself to admit she'd lied so quickly. She doubled down instead. "That's what Ms. Mellon meant. I tried to put in a few good words for you, and she got so angry she told me to get lost too. Then she hung up on me!"

The more she talked, the smoother it flowed. She thought she'd come up with a perfectly reasonable explanation, one that would surely enrage this famous businesswoman.

Instead, Amelia smiled. She cut straight to the point. "So what you're saying is, those weren't Ms. Mellon's exact words. That highly offensive remark just now was your own interpretation?"

The young receptionist panicked. Without thinking, she denied it. "No, no, she—"

Amelia didn't let her finish. "She told you to 'get lost too'? More accurately, she fired you, didn't she? That explains your attitude perfectly. You're trying to use me to get revenge on your former boss?"

The receptionist's face went white.

She finally understood. She was no match for these women who ran companies. In front of them, she was transparent as glass.

Logic told the young receptionist she should apologize sincerely to Amelia. But even though the words reached her lips, she couldn't force them out.

Some people are like that. Lying comes easy. Taking responsibility? That's when they realize it's humiliating—and suddenly remember they have pride.

In the end, the young receptionist made an incredibly rude and thoughtless move. She said nothing. Just turned and walked away.

Amelia's expression was still grim, but she felt somewhat relieved. She knew Sophia wasn't that foolish.

Five minutes later, a male employee in his early thirties approached Amelia. He spoke politely. "You're Ms. York from the Howard Group, correct? I'm so sorry to keep you waiting. I'm Ms. Mellon's secretary—please, just call me Joseph. Ms. Mellon isn't in the office today. That receptionist earlier was a new intern, still learning the ropes. I'm terribly sorry she wasted your time. Ms. Mellon said she'll personally apologize to you when she's available."

Amelia stared at the male employee expressionlessly. She noticed he was actually quite good-looking with a decent build.

So Sophia was planning to seduce her?