Chapter 14: Dismissing Emma

Emma's mind went blank as if she'd been struck.

She distinctly remembered printing the latest version of the document. How could this happen...

Sebastian's expression turned glacial in an instant, his ice-blue eyes locking onto Emma.

In a cross-border acquisition of this magnitude, such a catastrophically amateur mistake didn't just expose her professional incompetence—it was a direct insult to the entire team and their partners.

He didn't explode in front of everyone. Instead, in a tone so calm it sent chills down spines, he said to Aiden beside him, "Get her out."

Then he turned to the stunned partners, inclining his head slightly, his voice steady and commanding. "My apologies. This oversight resulted from inadequate preparation on my team's part. Regarding the technical support terms, I can personally recite the latest consensus we reached."

Aiden half-escorted, half-carried Emma from the conference room. Only when the heavy door closed behind her, shutting out Sebastian's measured voice, did she feel every ounce of strength drain from her body. She collapsed against the wall.

She knew with absolute clarity—she had destroyed everything.

After what felt like an eternity, the door opened again.

Sebastian emerged, his face betraying no emotion. "Aiden will book you on the earliest flight back to Empire City. HR will send your termination notice to your email tomorrow."

The words "termination notice" hit her like a sledgehammer, shattering her last shred of hope.

She snapped back to awareness and desperately grabbed Sebastian's sleeve. "Mr. Carter, I was wrong—I was so wrong! Please give me one more chance. I was just nervous and grabbed the wrong file. I didn't mean to..."

Tears streamed down her cheeks—her most reliable weapon.

But Sebastian merely stopped, looked down at her hand clutching his sleeve, disgust thick in his eyes. He peeled her fingers away one by one, the motion gentle yet utterly final.

"I don't need deadweight on my team who can't even manage basic documents."

He walked away without a backward glance, leaving only Aiden standing there, his tone coolly professional. "Ms. Roberts, please."

Meanwhile, Sophie sat in her office reviewing follow-up data from the departmental integration when her phone began buzzing insistently.

She answered to Emma's voice, raw and breaking with tears. "Sophie... I've been fired... He actually fired me..."

"What happened?" Sophie's brow furrowed.

"I just... brought the wrong document to a meeting. One tiny mistake, and he's throwing me out!" Emma's voice brimmed with grievance and fury. "Sophie, we've been friends for years—you can't abandon me! You're the only one who can help now. Could you talk to Mr. Carter? He values you so much—he'll listen to you!"

Hearing that familiar crying voice, Sophie's emotions tangled into knots.

"Sophie, please... I can't lose this job... I'm begging you..."

"I understand." Sophie finally relented, exhaustion weighing down her agreement.

The day after Sebastian returned to Empire City, the entire branch office was shrouded in oppressive tension.

Sophie clutched a file and lingered outside the CEO's office for a long time before gathering the courage to knock.

"Come in."

Sebastian was reviewing documents, head down, not looking up.

Sophie placed the file on his desk, her voice slightly strained. "Mr. Carter, this is the final version of the integration proposal. Also... about Emma, I wanted to..."

"You're here to plead her case?" Sebastian finally raised his head, those ice-blue eyes boring straight into her, carrying a hint of mockery.

"It was just one oversight. Could you... give her another chance?" Sophie forced the words out.

Sebastian leaned back in his chair, his long fingers tapping lightly on the desktop. Each soft tap felt like a hammer blow to Sophie's chest.

"One oversight?" He laughed coldly. "That outdated agreement she submitted made our partners think we were negotiating in bad faith. They nearly terminated the entire deal. I spent two full days and sacrificed an additional three percent of our profit margin to rebuild their trust."

He stood and approached Sophie, looking down at her from his full height, his voice cold as winter. "Sophie, tell me—can this direct economic loss of over a hundred million dollars, plus the nearly incalculable reputational damage, be erased by what you call 'one oversight'?"

Sophie's face went ashen. She hadn't imagined the consequences could be this severe.

Against such staggering figures and brutal reality, any plea seemed powerless.

"I... I didn't know it was that bad..." she murmured, feeling hollowed out.

"Now you do." Sebastian returned to his desk, his tone brooking no argument. "This matter is closed. I don't want to hear any further discussion about her."

Sophie stumbled out of the office in a daze and called Emma. She relayed Sebastian's words verbatim, and Emma completely fell apart on the other end.

"How can this be happening... I'm finished..."

Listening to Emma's desperate sobbing, Sophie's thoughts churned in chaos, unsure how to offer comfort.

She desperately searched for solutions when a thought suddenly struck her.

"Emma, stop crying! What about your boyfriend? You said he's so capable—with losses this big, could he help cover part of it? Or maybe, since he's so influential, he could talk to Mr. Carter?"

It was the only way out she could imagine.

In her mind, this mysterious 'boyfriend' who could casually provide Emma with a villa must have the resources to resolve the current crisis.

But the line went eerily silent.

After a moment, Emma's voice came back sharp and furious. "Why are you bringing him up! This is my problem—it has nothing to do with him!"

"How can it have nothing to do with him? He's your boyfriend!" Sophie's urgency mounted. "Emma, you're in this situation—why won't you ask him for help? What are you so worried about?"

"I said it's none of your business!" Emma's reaction bordered on hysteria. "Are you just trying to watch me fail? Watch me get dumped by a man so you can gloat?"

The baseless accusation sparked anger in Sophie's chest, but more than that, profound sadness.

Looking at this friend drowning in crisis yet clinging to false hope, she felt equal parts fury and heartbreak.

"Emma, you need to calm down! I'm trying to help you! You can't even explain who this man is. He painted you this picture of a perfect future, but now that you're in trouble, he won't even show his face. Can't you see it? There's a very real chance that from the beginning, you've been caught in a con!"