Upon hearing the word “resign,” Heather panicked immediately.
“Manager, this really wasn’t my fault, please believe me!”
“I’m not interested in the details or the process, I only care about the results, and the results are that your work has deeply embarrassed the president. It nearly caused trouble for everyone in the company. A mistake is a mistake, no matter the reason behind it, and I don’t want to hear your excuses.”
Heather knew Aurora was a stickler for details, but only at this moment did she truly understand the chilling nature of her coldness.
Exhausted from a sleepless night, she now felt as though she had fallen into an ice cellar. She couldn’t believe these words were coming from Aurora.
“Manager, are you asking me to resign?”
“According to company policy, there really is no need for you to stay. Everyone must pay for their actions,” Aurora stated flatly, looking down at her from her position of authority.
Heather didn’t cry or make a scene; she simply let go, saying indifferently, “Alright, I understand. I’ll prepare my resignation letter now.”
Aurora didn’t respond and turned back to her work, leaving the office in shock at her coldness. Everyone had thought she valued Heather greatly, likely sharing a close relationship, but Aurora didn’t speak a word in her defense or even listen to her explanations.
Was this woman too indifferent? The others began to doubt their previous impressions; Aurora clearly never cared much for Heather.
Regardless of what others thought, Ivy was quite pleased; Heather had slapped her once, and now she was getting her due punishment.
Watching Heather type her resignation letter, tears fell on the keyboard with each keystroke.
She couldn’t understand it; Aurora had taught her to change, and now Aurora was the one driving her away.
After printing her resignation, she dried her tears and approached Mrs. Lyman, “Mrs. Lyman, be careful walking at night-you might encounter ghosts.”
Mrs. Lyman had thought it would take more effort to drive Heather away, but Aurora had made it easy, showing that Heather was not as important to her as she thought.
Thus, Heather became expendable. Seeing Heather with red eyes, Mrs. Lyman felt a twinge of guilt; in the corporate world, such maneuvers were common, yet they hurt those who, unlike some, truly needed their jobs.
Mrs. Lyman didn’t even glance at her as Heather, holding her resignation letter, walked step by step toward Aurora’s office.
She had been to this glass office countless times, especially after Aurora became the manager, visiting even more frequently.
But never had she felt like this; it was hard to articulate her emotions.
The woman inside, working diligently as ever, appeared as calm and heartless as when Heather first met her, seemingly unaffected by the situation.
Indeed, Heather was just an ordinary employee; her departure was insignificant, like an ant leaving no trace in her heart.
She knocked on the glass door, hearing the familiar cold voice inside: “Come in.”
Heather pushed the door open and stepped closer to Aurora, wondering if she really was that heartless, unwilling even to glance her way as she kept her eyes fixed on the computer screen.
Heather’s voice was tinged with bitterness: “Manager, this is my resignation letter.”
Aurora then took the resignation letter, her eyes devoid of emotion. She glanced over the content and promptly signed her name.
“Please coordinate the handover of your tasks with Ivy and then proceed to the finance department to settle this month’s salary before you leave,” Aurora’s voice was cool and distant.
“Yes…”
Heather’s voice was hoarse as she turned around, lost in thought. What was she hoping for, really? That she would be comforted, or asked to stay?
In the end, she meant nothing to Aurora.
“Wait.”
Aurora called out from behind her. Heather turned around, filled with hope, even a single word on her behalf would have been enough to make sense of it all.
Aurora, seemingly oblivious to the hope on Heather’s face, said indifferently, “Also, tell her she can have your seat from now on.”
That hurt even more. Aurora had once fought to secure that window seat for her, and now, before she even left, it was being reassigned to Ivy.
Heather had been hurt countless times throughout her life, but none stung like today; it felt as if someone was piercing her heart with a needle.
All she could reply was, “Yes, manager, any further instructions? If not, I will leave.”
“Go on.”
Aurora watched her tremble as she turned away, the desolate figure retreating. She knew well what must be going through Heather’s mind at that moment.
Heather dumped a pile of unfinished reports on Ivy, who was idly munching on sunflower seeds and binge-watching a series.
Seeing her desk suddenly cluttered with documents, Ivy immediately frowned and snapped, “Are you out of your mind? What is this?”
“The manager said you’re taking over my duties; these are the reports I didn’t finish.”
“What? You want me to do these reports?” Ivy tossed aside her bag of chips, having had no intention of doing grunt work at the company, especially when confronted with such a thick stack of documents.
“It’s not me who wants you to do the reports, you need to understand, it’s the manager’s orders. After I leave, you can move to my seat.”
Heather said and then left directly.
Ivy glanced at the pile of documents and files in front of her, the thought of doing the reports was unthinkable.
Heather returned to her desk to pack up her belongings; with each item, she remembered the joy of first joining the company.
Her eyes were so blurred with tears that she didn’t even notice when she pricked her hand on a cactus. Some colleagues could hardly bear to watch.
“Heather, are you okay?”
Heather ignored the question. If only they had spoken up for her earlier, she would have appreciated it, but no one had stood by her side. She felt abandoned by the whole world.
Having packed everything, she went to the finance department to settle her salary for the month, straightened her back, and left the place that had brought her so much sorrow.
Alone and desolate, she walked out of the company. As she was descending the stairs, she accidentally fell, scattering her belongings across the ground.
Passersby watched the disheveled figure, yet no one offered to help in such a cold-hearted world.
Until a pair of elegant designer black high heels appeared in her sight, and a fair hand picked up the cactus pot.
“Manager…”
At that moment, her tears fell like rain.