“Slap!” The sound of a loud slap resonated across the office, prompting everyone who had been deeply engrossed in their work to look up.
Ivy stood tall and haughty in front of Heather, who was covering her face, though she was from a very ordinary family and had never been slapped before.
“What do you think you are, daring to challenge me? Have you not seen where you are? This is the Montgomery family’s company. My father is the president of Montgomery Group; every tile you step on belongs to my family! Get out of here, I want this place.”
Ivy strutted around like a proud hen that had just laid an egg, as if she wanted the whole world to know her.
Heather, hand on her face, clenched her other fist tightly. She tried to hold back her tears but couldn’t suppress the sorrow welling up inside her, and tears began to roll down.
“What are you still doing here? How thick-skinned can you be? I told you to get out, did you not hear me?” Ivy poked Heather’s head as she spoke.
With her vision blurred by tears, each drop fell onto the report lying in front of her. As she slowly got up to gather her things, someone grabbed her hand.
“Who said you could leave?” Aurora’s icy voice rang in Heather’s ears.
Heather looked up into Aurora’s cold eyes, feeling even more aggrieved.
Originally, Aurora had only intended to curb Ivy’s arrogance and make her realize her place.
Heather, despite her limited work experience, had caught Aurora’s eye through her diligence and eagerness to learn, and Aurora had marked her for special attention.
Aurora had previously seen the area being cleaned up and had kindly suggested Heather move over, but it seemed her good intentions had backfired.
She hadn’t anticipated Ivy’s audacity, her complete lack of restraint, and her disgraceful behavior.
Madness could not be reasoned with in ordinary terms-if she hadn’t looked up just then, she might still be unaware of Ivy’s brazen audacity.
“Manager,” Heather said with a look of distress, but Aurora’s gaze did not soften.
“Forgot what I said before?” Aurora spoke coldly. Heather sniffled, reminding herself of the time she was bullied by Alison in the same way.
She wiped away her tears; crying was a sign of weakness and served no purpose.
“What are you waiting for? I said I want to be here, now leave,” Ivy’s nagging voice erupted again.
Heather coolly returned her gaze, “I will move, but only if the manager says so.”
“That bitch still talks back.”
Ivy swung her hand again toward Heather’s face, but this time Aurora caught her hand before it could land.
“Aurora, what are you doing? I’m just disciplining a stinking nobody, and you interfere in this too?”
“First, I’ve told you many times to call me ‘manager’ in the company like everyone else, second, your place is over there, and third, I want you to apologize to her right now,” Aurora said, each word deliberate.
“She’s just a dog our family keeps; I’m her master. A slap is nothing. Apologize to her? Absolutely not,” Ivy scoffed.
Previously, Aurora had thought Ivy was simply capricious and willful, but now she realized it wasn’t just that-Ivy’s emotional intelligence was severely lacking!
Heather was referred to as a dog, which implied that the Montgomery Group belonged to the Montgomery family, and she was the master. If Heather was indeed a dog, did that not suggest that everyone present was a dog raised by the Montgomery family? Was the speaker truly foolish, thinking with their rear end to utter such disrespectful words? That statement undoubtedly offended everyone in the office.
Originally, there had been plans to teach Ivy a lesson, but it seemed unnecessary now. Who among those present wasn’t a seasoned player in the corporate field? While they might flatter you to your face, who knew what tricks they could pull behind your back?
“Fine, if you don’t apologize, Heather, slap her,” Aurora said coldly.
Heather, along with everyone else, couldn’t believe Aurora would actually suggest for Heather to slap Ivy.
“Slap me? Ha! Who does she think she is? If she dares to touch me, I’ll have her fired on the spot,” Ivy boasted, arms crossed over her chest.
“In this world, no one is above or below anyone else; everyone has their dignity. If you hurt someone’s dignity and refuse to apologize, then you deserve the same treatment. Heather, I gave you a chance, now it’s up to you,” Aurora’s gaze shifted to Heather.
Heather looked at her hand, undecided, while Ivy smirked more confidently.
“Aurora, you know what? Self-esteem has levels, and someone as lowly as her doesn’t possess such a thing. They-ah!”
Before she could finish, Heather slapped her across the face, a slap that felt like it hit everyone present. They were stunned.
She had actually slapped Ivy. Known for her wild and impulsive nature, Heather had just made herself a target by slapping Ivy, who was already a thorn in her side.
Heather’s fists unclenched.
“I too have dignity, Miss Montgomery, no matter how high and mighty you think you are, you should respect others. Didn’t your mother teach you that?”
“How dare you hit me? And lecture me? Someone, beat her up!” Ivy commanded the bodyguard who hadn’t yet left the door.
Everyone panicked; the situation was escalating. Ivy’s status meant that conflicts with her should not be overt; couldn’t these matters be handled discreetly?
Was Heather foolish for striking Ivy just because she was told to? Didn’t she realize Ivy’s status?
That was the general consensus, that Heather had been set up. As the bodyguard approached step by step, the tension rose.
“Let’s see who dares to touch her,” Aurora said, her cold gaze sending a chill down the spines of the two bodyguards.
“I want you to kill that wretch now!” Ivy stamped her foot in anger.
“Slap.”
Another slap was heard, this time from Aurora.
“Calling someone a wretch over and over, you truly lack upbringing. If Genevieve didn’t teach you, I will. I’m warning you one last time, if you want to stay at the company then behave properly; otherwise, leave now.”
“Aurora, you’ll regret this!” Ivy, unable to confront Aurora directly, remembered the humiliation vividly.
She ran out, holding her face, while Aurora glanced at the two bodyguards, “Get rid of the trash she brought in.”