Chapter 24 Losing a Job
Jennifer slowly walked into the alley. The car behind her didn't leave but kept its headlights on to light up the path ahead.
Such a car looked completely out of place among the old district's buildings, drawing many prying eyes. Jennifer knew the gap between her and Francis was as huge as the difference between these near-collapsing shabby houses and the shiny new luxury car. She couldn't expect anything more.
To accompany Francis to the banquet, she had taken time off from her restaurant part-time job. The restaurant manager asked her to make up the hours on her next day off, and Jennifer naturally agreed—she really needed the money.
After this night, everything related to Francis would just be treated as a dream. Jennifer quickly threw herself back into her busy work and part-time jobs.
Over the following days, Francis would message her intermittently. His words carried a subtle undertone of flirtation.
One night at 2 a.m., as Jennifer lay awake in bed, her phone lit up with a message from him. The photo showed a glass of red wine beside a candle, held by a hand with long, well-groomed fingers
[Having some wine to help me sleep. Is Ms. Brown already in bed?]
Jennifer's fingers hesitated over the reply box. She didn't want him to know she was still awake. Contact between a single man and woman in the middle of the night could too easily drift into ambiguous territory.
She muted her phone, flipped it over, and pressed it against her chest until her heartbeat finally steadied.
It wasn't until the next morning that she replied: [Sorry, Dr. Carter, I fell asleep last night. I hope everything is alright.]
Francis just smiled when he saw her reply, and continued to occasionally share his moods or photos with her. He liked Jennifer's tone in her replies—gentle and cautious, like a soft and warm little cat.
At the hospital, Francis asked for David's medical records. Thaddeus asked with a smile. "Is Dr. Carter planning to operate himself? I don't see anything special about this case—unless it's the person who's special?"
Francis shook his head without speaking. David's condition wasn't critical, so he planned to leave it to Thaddeus.
Someone online contacted Jennifer to custom-make jewelry. This client wanted a pair of pearl earrings but didn't like ordinary designs. Jennifer's prices weren't high, so she decided to give her a try.
Unexpectedly, Jennifer's design skills were quite good, and she was very good at listening to the client's requirements, quickly producing a unique design. She designed the client's zodiac sign, Pisces, as a three-dimensional gold wire pattern wrapped around the pearls. This way, the pearls' integrity could be perfectly preserved while being more three-dimensional than a setting.
To better showcase this design, she specially selected double-sided pearls with different colors—one side with a pinkish luster, the other side purplish. The client was very pleasantly surprised after seeing the design and immediately paid the deposit.
Jennifer met Kimberly Lee at a quiet café to deliver the earrings. Kimberly was pleased and tried them on, asking for Jennifer's opinion. Jennifer complimented her, and Kimberly paid the balance, promising to come back for future orders. Jennifer accepted the envelope with her three-thousand-dollar design fee.
However, this scene fell into the eyes of Layla, who happened to pass by. She hid to the side and watched Jennifer receive the envelope with money inside.
Everyone at the company knew Jennifer's family had problems and she really needed money lately, but she hadn't applied for overtime and left right after work every day.
Layla had long suspected she was working a side job but had no evidence. So she blocked Jennifer at the door and asked with ill intent. "Jennifer, what are you doing here? I saw someone give you an envelope. What's inside?"
Jennifer's eyes flickered a bit. She bit her lip and said, "Nothing, just a letter my friend brought me."
Layla smiled and didn't press further. Jennifer thought her excuse had fooled her.
But unexpectedly, Layla caught up with Kimberly and asked very enthusiastically. "Ma'am, your earrings are beautiful. Can you tell me where you bought them?"
Although Kimberly didn't know Layla, she appreciated the compliment and told her about the website where Jennifer took orders, even praising Jennifer for being excellent despite charging low fees.
Layla was very disdainful in her heart but agreed outwardly. She took screenshots to save evidence of Jennifer taking side jobs and immediately sent them to their supervisor. The company didn't allow employees to take private work, and anyone caught would be fired.
Supervisor Sandra White had always appreciated Jennifer and had once said in the office that Jennifer was the most talented among their batch of designers. She wanted to see if Sandra would break company rules for Jennifer this time.
The next day when Jennifer went to work, she found the atmosphere a bit off. Her colleagues looked at her with complex expressions.
Clio, who had a good relationship with her, pulled her aside with sympathetic eyes and said, "Someone reported that you're doing side work outside, and apparently there's evidence. If you had difficulties, why didn't you tell us instead of going out to work side jobs?"
Jennifer's breath caught. Could it be Layla? Layla hadn't been fooled by her yesterday after all.
At that moment, Sandra's secretary called out. "Jennifer, you're here. Ms. White wants you in her office."
Jennifer had to jog over. Before knocking, she took several deep breaths. "Ms. White, it's me, Jennifer."
"Come in." Sandra said calmly, revealing no emotion. But when Jennifer entered, her expression was very serious. She adjusted her black-framed glasses and said, "Jennifer, someone reported that you're working side jobs. Do you admit it?"
Jennifer lowered her head. "I'm sorry, Ms. White. I did take side jobs outside of work hours, but I haven't affected my main job. Could you be lenient with me this once? I'm really having some financial difficulties lately." She explained in a small voice, her tone somewhat choked up.
Sandra looked at her with some reluctance, but she still said, "Jennifer, company policy is clear. And between us, I've always seen a chief designer in you. But with your side gig now public knowledge, my hands are tied. Submit your resignation by tomorrow. It'll look better for everyone."" Being fired in this industry makes it hard to find work afterward—she didn't want to completely ruin Jennifer.
Jennifer pinched the work badge on her chest. She used to be so proud of her job, but now she could only leave. She said softly, "Thank you, Ms. White."
Coming out of the office, Layla was waiting at the door, looking at her smugly. "Ms. Brown, why are your eyes all red?"
Jennifer glared at her. "Layla, I'll be leaving the company today. Are you satisfied? How exactly did I offend you?"
Layla snorted coldly, "You violated company rules, so you should be fired. That's not my fault." Her first friend in Golden Harbor was Jennifer, who always showed off her money and things. She'd envied Jennifer for years, so seeing her fall now made her secretly glad.
Jennifer bit her lip and didn't argue with her—she really was in the wrong in this matter. She packed up her things and walked out of the company, but in the hallway she heard Layla's voice coming from inside.