Chapter 39 Set An Example
Nancy stared at Rachel in shock, trying to calm her down. "Rachel, calm down. Don't do anything rash. Stargaze Gallery really needs people right now. We can't afford to fire anyone. You know how good Ashley is. She might've said something dumb, but she didn't mean any harm."
Rachel cut her off coldly. "And what do you call harmful? She made nasty assumptions about me, and you're defending her. Of course, you wouldn't see the problem."
"I'm being reasonable! I can't trust someone who doesn't respect me to follow my instructions. I don't need two-faced employees here."
With that, Rachel turned on her heel and walked away, her face set in a stern expression.
Nancy stood there, stunned.
Her heart raced, and her hands clenched into fists at her sides.
What did Rachel mean by that?
Her last words sounded like a warning.
Was it about what happened yesterday morning?
Did Rachel really know?
Everyone at Stargaze Gallery knew how close she and Ashley were.
Now Rachel wanted to blow a small issue out of proportion and fire Ashley. Wasn't that just a way to humiliate Nancy?
She felt a mix of anxiety and unease.
Meanwhile, Ashley was still reeling from Rachel's words. Even after Rachel left, she couldn't process what had happened.
She never expected Rachel to overhear those comments and then decide to fire her.
Yesterday during lunch, she had found Nancy crying in the restroom and had comforted her, listening to her grievances.
At that moment, she genuinely thought Rachel had gone too far.
She had only vented about it to others this morning.
Nancy came over, holding her hand with a sympathetic look. "Ashley, don't worry. I'll talk to Rachel again. She might just be angry right now. If she insists on firing you, I'll make it up to you since this started because of me."
Ashley was starting to calm down, but fear and panic still lingered, and tears kept falling.
Rachel didn't concern herself with how Nancy was comforting Ashley. She called Carol over and instructed her to notify the management team for a walkthrough of the four exhibition areas in ten minutes.
Nancy was part of the walkthrough but couldn't find a moment to speak to Rachel alone.
After the tour, Rachel returned to her office.
Suddenly, her phone buzzed with a text notification.
[Nancy is inciting Ashley to cause trouble during the peak hours of the exhibition to pressure you for compensation.]
Rachel frowned deeply.
Nancy was really going all out to sabotage this exhibition and Stargaze Gallery.
Just as she was thinking about it, Carol knocked and entered, handing over two documents that needed Rachel's signature. Rachel quickly signed them after a brief review.
"Go to HR and check Ashley's contract. See how many months are left. Have finance prepare her remaining base salary and make sure she signs a compensation agreement."
Carol was a bit surprised but nodded. "Alright, I'll head over soon."
Ashley was probably already brainwashed by Nancy. Calling her in for a talk would be pointless, and Rachel didn't want to waste any more time on it.
Paying her a few months' salary to leave was just a way to solve the problem with money.
Rachel added, "Also, have someone keep an eye on Ashley until she leaves Stargaze Gallery."
Carol understood and nodded, leaving the office with the documents.
At that moment, Ashley's emotions were being fueled by Nancy's regretful and sympathetic words. She felt more justified in her actions, thinking Rachel was narrow-minded.
Just as she was about to cause a scene, she received a call from the finance department asking her to come over.
Nancy frowned, sensing her plan might be falling apart.
A wave of frustration rose within her, reducing her patience with Ashley. Though her expression remained calm, she said coldly, "Go on. It might be good news. Rachel is always thorough and won't leave any loose ends."
Ashley didn't notice the change in Nancy's tone. Filled with anger and injustice, she replied, "Okay," and headed to the finance department.
When she saw the compensation agreement, she was stunned.
Rachel felt a sense of relief knowing Ashley would leave Stargaze Gallery with compensation.
Thinking about Steven's excited and hopeful expression that morning, she glanced down at her flat stomach, feeling a bit empty inside.
She picked up her phone and ordered two pregnancy tests along with some cold medicine and band-aids from a delivery app.
During lunch, she nervously used both pregnancy tests. The minutes of waiting felt endless.
The results surprised her. One test was negative, indicating she wasn't pregnant.
But the second test was positive, showing she was.
She was staring at the positive test in a daze when there was a knock on her office door. Before she could respond, Nancy walked in with two takeout meals.
"Rachel, let's eat. I noticed you didn't have lunch, so I ordered your favorite BBQ ribs. I heard this place has great food. Come and try it."
Rachel was taken aback.
Despite everything that had happened between them, Nancy acted as if nothing was wrong.
Rachel frowned slightly. "Why are you here?"
Nancy paused, placing the takeout on the desk. Her eyes showed a hint of hurt and sadness.
She bit her lip gently and spoke softly, "Rachel, is there some misunderstanding between us? We've known each other for so long. If there's an issue, let's just talk it out. I didn't expect Ashley to think that way about you. If I had known, I would have stopped her."
As she got closer to the desk, she noticed the test in Rachel's hand, and her words suddenly stopped. Her eyes widened.
"Rachel, are you pregnant?"