Chapter 87

I stood there calmly and repeated what I'd just said, "You can fire me, but the company has to give me proper compensation."

Seeing me keep emphasizing the compensation, Charlotte snorted coldly, "You just want money, don't you? Fine, here's your money. Now get out of my family's company right this instant!"

Since Charlotte was willing to compensate me, I was, of course happy to leave.

Dealing with Charlotte every day left me no time to work properly. There was no point staying anyway - I'd thought about quitting several times already.

Now I could even get severance pay. Even better.

I smiled slightly, "Then I won't be polite with you, Miss Charlotte. Goodbye."

I went straight to the finance department to settle my wages without hesitation.

I was afraid Charlotte might change her mind and keep me at the company so she could continue making trouble for me whenever she wanted. If that happened, I'd probably quit on my own, and then there'd be no severance pay.

Seeing me remain so calm and composed even when being fired made Charlotte very angry. She felt completely fooled by me and rolled her eyes in frustration.

The paperwork went quickly. I got my wages and compensation.

On my way back to the planning department to pack my things, I happened to run into Emily.

Emily was coming out of the restroom.

I walked toward Emily, and as soon as I got close, I immediately smelled gasoline on her, even though she seemed to have already washed her hands.

"Emily, are you okay? You look terrible."

Emily's eyes darted away, "I'm fine, just a bit of an upset stomach. I'll be okay after resting for a bit."

I wanted to ask more, but Emily had already hurried into the elevator.

What was wrong with her?

I looked back toward the restroom area and walked over. I found the gasoline smell seemed even stronger near the fire escape. I pushed open the door but found nothing.

Where was this gasoline smell coming from?

"Susan." A colleague came over, scratching her head awkwardly, "Miss Charlotte told me to watch you pack your things. She said, Don't let you take anything that doesn't belong to you."

I was speechless.

But that was so Charlotte.

I went back to pack my things, put everything in a cardboard box, and let my colleague inspect it all to avoid giving Charlotte any excuse to make trouble later.

Time to start job hunting again.

I had just walked out of Blue Sky Corporation when a black car pulled up beside me. The back window rolled down, revealing a well-dressed, elegant-looking lady.

But her face was cold, and she clearly wasn't easy to get along with.

I asked uncertainly, "Hello, are you looking for me?"

"I'm Clair's mother." Zoey said coldly, ordering, "Get in the car. I need to talk to you."

From Zoey's manner, I understood her intention - it was what I'd been afraid and worried about all along. But what had to be faced, had to be faced.

No matter how low-key Clair and I tried to be, if his family wanted to know, they could definitely find out.

As soon as I got in the car, Zoey immediately looked at me. Her gaze was probing and examining, as if she wanted to dissect me completely.

It made me feel very pressured.

But then I slowly calmed down.

Clair and I were in a perfectly normal relationship. I wasn't after his money. I had nothing to hide, so why should I be afraid?

Thinking this way, I felt more at ease.

Seeing me stay silent, Zoey's expression changed, "How long have you been with my son?"

My eyebrows twitched. I had to admit, this scene was just like those TV dramas where the wealthy mother-in-law looks down on her son's girlfriend. Next, she'd probably try to pay me off.

I said calmly, "About a month."

Three days short of a full month, actually.

Zoey snorted disdainfully, "I have to say, you do have some tricks. Clair basically never gets close to women, but you managed to catch him."

Hearing this, my eyes brightened for a moment, but I quickly returned to normal.

Zoey didn't notice. She didn't want to look at me anyway - in her eyes, I wasn't worthy. "What good is being pretty? No one stays eighteen forever, but there's always someone who is eighteen. Clair likes you now, but tomorrow he can go for younger, prettier women."

"More importantly, families like ours care about being well-matched in social status."

"My son is just infatuated for now. Once he's had his fun, he'll naturally abandon you."

Even though I knew what kind of things Zoey would say to humiliate me and had prepared myself mentally, hearing it in person still felt very uncomfortable.

I didn't argue with Zoey. What she said was all true.

I believed not just Zoey thought this way - everyone in the world thought this way.

I took a deep breath and met Zoey's eyes, "I understand what you mean, and I know my status doesn't match Clair's. But please rest assured, I've never been someone who likes to daydream."

From the moment I agreed to be with Clair, I'd thought everything through clearly.

I didn't expect forever, just to have had it once.

The result wasn't important - the process was what mattered.

"Haha, you certainly know how to talk, but do you think I'll believe you? You'll probably get out of this car and run right back to cling to my son. I've seen too many money-hungry women like you. You're not the first, and you won't be the last." Zoey took out her limited edition Hermès bag and pulled out a checkbook. "Name your price. How much money will it take for you to leave my son and never appear in front of him again?"

"Consider it payment for buying my son a toy to play with."

That last sentence was extremely insulting.

Anger flared up in my heart.

But what caught my attention even more was Zoey saying 'you're not the first' - who was the woman before me? But Clair had said I was his first woman.

Sure enough, men's words couldn't be completely trusted.

"How much do you want? Just say it. Do you need to think that long?" Zoey urged impatiently.

I wasn't stupid. I definitely couldn't ask for money like in TV dramas - Zoey might turn around and accuse me of extortion and kick me into jail.

I steadied myself and put on a smile.

"Maybe you just don't understand how young people interact these days. Clair and I are just having fun - who's taking it seriously? So I can't take your money. Otherwise I'd be breaking the rules and acting dishonorably."

Zoey seemed surprised I would say this and froze for a moment.

She had expected me to profess my deep love for Clair with tears in my eyes, then take the opportunity to demand a huge sum, or just take the check and leave.

Who knew I was just playing around with Clair.

Zoey's face immediately darkened, "You've really opened my eyes. Are all young women nowadays as shameless as you? I'm going to tell Clair exactly what you said, so he knows your true colors!"

I laughed out loud, "Men can play with women, but women can't play with men?"

Zoey hadn't expected me to talk back. If it were any other young lady who knew she was Clair's mother, they would be flattering and fawning over her!

"Good, very good! Just wait until my son gets tired of you and throws you away. Men don't lose anything, but as a woman, you'll lose too much."

"Besides, only Charlotte is worthy of Clair. Our two families have had an engagement arrangement for a long time."