Sophia was momentarily taken aback. Then, however, she followed along with the crowd, eager to see what was happening.As soon as she stepped out of the lift, she heard someone crying in the lobby. "Why are you firing me? I've been dedicated to serving the Kane family for almost twenty years. And now you're letting me go without any compensation. This is going to ruin my life! I'm going to take legal action against you!"The HR manager downstairs explained, "Ms. Lane, we tried to reach you multiple times yesterday and explained the situation. But you refused to listen and hung up on us. You didn't come to handle the procedures, nor did you come to work. So we had to mark it as an unexcused absence. If you're not satisfied, you can apply for labor arbitration. It won't help to create a disturbance here.""You're the ones who didn't want me to come here, so how can this be considered an unexcused absence? You're bullying me! I demand to speak with Mr. Kane! I want to see Keegan Kane!"
"I went to an art exhibition with Ariel. She liked a painting, so I bought it. Unfortunately, it cost a few million. So I had to borrow money from friends."Dahlia frowned, "Did Ariel accept it?""No, Ariel said it was too valuable. And I couldn't return it, so I stored it."Dahlia's mouth twitched. "Stay away from Marshall from now on.""Why?" Aurora protested. "Didn't you support me dating Marshall?""That was based on the condition that Marshall was interested in you too. Didn't you see how he avoided you at the jewelry exhibition? Now you're chasing after him. Don't you understand that?""I'll go after him no matter what it takes. There's no other woman in his life, and I'm not bad-looking. Plus, we've been friends since childhood, and Ariel likes me. So it's just a matter of time before we start dating.""If Marshall isn't interested in you, marrying him would make you miserable.""Well, dad didn't seem to like you very much at first. But you're doing fine now, aren't you?
Stella finally had a free day. After dealing with those annoying matters online, she ate something and went downstairs to read the script.Although her role was important in the entire drama series, the screen time was short. Most of her scenes were in the latter half of the series.The queen's character was less likable than the concubine's. If she followed the conventional acting methods, the impact would only be mediocre.Actors portraying antagonists often appear one-dimensional, failing to make a deep impression on the audience. Stella knew that if she wanted to use this drama series as a stepping stone for her career in showbiz, she could not afford to give a mediocre performance.She kept reviewing the classic works of those experienced actors in showbiz and repeatedly pondered the character development, gradually coming up with some ideas.Before she could savor her thoughts, Aldor's call interrupted her."Madam, Mr. Kane left a document at home, and it's urgently needed
Keegan descended the stairs and found a sizable crowd gathered downstairs. Maya sat outside the railing on the second floor, crying and pleading to the onlookers. Some snapped pictures while others chattered away.Sophia first spotted Keegan, and she promptly called out, "Mr. Kane!" Instantly, the crowd hushed and parted to make way for him.Jackson, who had someone bring him a chair to the second floor for a better view, was sitting there, sipping his coffee. When he saw Keegan, he paused and smirked. "Keegan, you finally showed up."Keegan glanced at Jackson and looked around. He said in a cold and authoritative voice, "Everyone, get back to your work!"Those few words exuded an overwhelming sense of intimidation. Then, seeing the crowd begin to disperse, Jackson spoke up, "Keegan, Maya has served our family for a long time. If you don't handle this matter fairly and transparently, even if it's resolved, people will think our company is using its power to suppress others."Maya
Keegan's face darkened.Maya thought she had the upper hand and continued to speak out, "I worked for the Kane family for sixteen years. They not only fired me but also refused to give me any compensation. I have a family to support; my husband is unemployed. They are pushing us all to the brink."Jackson chimed in, "Keegan, you are too heartless. Isn't it ruthless to treat an employee serving us for over a decade this way?"Keegan's eyes narrowed, and he spoke coldly to Maya, "I followed the contract, and I don't see anything wrong with how I handled the situation. If you're dissatisfied, you can apply for labor arbitration. Threatening me here won't change anything, and I can even sue you for slandering the company's reputation!"As Keegan spoke, he turned to Aldor and ordered, "Call the police!"Maya's arm trembled, and she began to feel anxious. Dahlia had told her to take a couple of days off and promised to talk to Keegan when he was calmer.But just one day later, Maya rec
Maya was, after all, Dahlia's person; she felt more confident with Dahlia around. Dahlia's words almost convinced her to come down.'If Maya comes down, how is this show supposed to carry on?' Jackson calmly said, "Dahlia, if they could talk this out, Maya wouldn't have risked her life sitting here."Maya was immediately alert. 'Dahlia wouldn't have shown up if I didn't make a scene. If I come down now, how am I supposed to negotiate? Dahlia is Keegan's birth mother, and she will naturally take his side.'With that in mind, Maya sat back down and said, "I've already put my reputation on the line today. I'm not afraid of being laughed at anymore! All these years, I've worked hard for the Kane family. But Mr. Kane decided to fire me because of a single word from Mrs. Kane. He even falsely accused me of skipping work and did not plan to compensate me. In our line of work, reputation is everything. Mr. Kane has ruined my career by firing me! I'll jump off the Vinci Rivera Group building
Originally, everyone was just whispering to each other. But Sophia's words shifted the blame to Stella, making everyone point fingers at her."Stella, Maya has been caring for you and Keegan for many years. So why don't you just let it slide?" said Dahlia while thinking, 'As long as Stella bears the blame, Keegan's reputation in the company will be safe.'Stella finally understood why Aldor had called her over. She cursed inwardly, "The hell they need me to deliver that document! They just want me to be the scapegoat for Keegan because they're too damn scared the incident will smear his precious reputation among the employees!"She shot Keegan and Aldor a cold glare. Aldor averted her gaze, feeling guilty.Keegan frowned and pursed his lips before he said, "Mom, this is not a matter we can privately negotiate anymore. If I set a precedent today, what if someone else gets laid off and makes a scene like this? Should I just turn a blind eye to it? Is our company some kind of charity?
"She's been in a similar situation in the past; maybe that's why she wants others to go through worse."...Sophia smiled when she heard their words. She said, "Stella, dad has always taught us to be forgiving. Maya's already apologized, so you should give her a smaller punishment if you're still angry. Think of it as giving her a small punishment to prevent her from doing something worse. Besides, so many people are around. It'll look bad if you keep this up."Stella glanced at Sophia icily.'If I back down and let the matter rest, I'll surely be labeled as someone who's inhumane and oppresses the elderly,' she thought.Stella pursed her lips. Suddenly, she said, "Maya, you said I'm dismissing you because of Keegan. Then, tell everyone specifically why and let them decide if my punishment for you is too harsh.Maya was startled.'What am I supposed to say? That I purposefully placed the contraceptive she had thrown away at an obvious place so that Dahlia and the old lady would