Chapter 169
“Stephanie, I’m really okay. Don’t worry about me. The IV helped with the headache, it’s just that I lost my job…”
Molly lay weakly in bed, trying to sound optimistic, but her voice was muffled with helplessness. It was impossible to pretend she didn’t care.
She had gone on a business trip with her boss and inexplicably lost her job. How was she going to pay her mortgage and car loan next month? Without money, everything became a major problem.
“I’m going to talk to Dominick…” Stephanie, her face dark with anger. She turned to leave and confronted the person responsible.
A wave of anger washed over her as she thought of her best friend. It was simply unfair.
“The client made things difficult on purpose. You have ended up in the hospital, and now they want you to resign just to save Hayley’s sales and orders? Are you kidding me!”
“Don’t go, Stephanie.”
Molly knew her temper well. She quickly grabbed her coat and gave a bitter smile. “Haven’t you taken the blame for others before? That’s just how life is. There were always too many things out of our control.”
Stephanie stood there, her jaw clenched, fighting the urge to storm next door and give everyone a piece of her mind. It was just…so frustrating. Indeed, everyone had been screwed over or thrown under the bus when they were just starting out in the working world.
Back when Stephanie was working part–time and studying, she’d seen it all before. Coworkers sucking up to the boss, snagging the easy gigs with the best pay, then throwing newbies under the bus when things went south.
Molly, always easygoing, wasn’t too disheartened. She had a little savings in her account and figured she could easily find another job. She wouldn’t
starve.
“Whatever,” she chuckled lightly. “If they don’t want me here, there’s plenty of other places that will.”
Looking up at Stephanie’s furrowed brow, she teased, “You think everyone can be like you, marrying Dominick and living the high life as the lady of the Wellington family…”
But then her tone softened. “Actually, you know, Dominick’s got a tough job. You should appreciate him more, Stephanie. Making money and providing for a family isn’t easy. There’s a lot of sharks out there, way more people want to see Dominick fail than some nobody like me.”
Stephanie raised an eyebrow at the good–natured Molly, “Seriously? The company’s about to fire you, and you’re still speaking well of him.”
Molly was always the considerate one, thinking of others first and working patiently through any task. It was no wonder people took advantage of her good nature.
Stephanie, on the other hand, wasn’t one to hold back her feelings. If she was pissed, they would know.
Molly couldn’t help but chuckle at her friend’s exasperation.
Stephanie might be a bit rough around the edges, but she was as real as they come.
Around Stephanie, there was no need for pretense or formalities.
She was always quicker to anger than Molly herself, but it came from a place of genuine concern, not sugary words but raw emotion.
Losing a job sucked, but having a friend who had her back made it a bit easier to swallow.
“Forget it, a new job might be better anyway. Last time I saw Chloe fooling around with a stranger in Flaming Bar. Sharon thought I was badmouthing her cousin and decided she didn’t like me. Hayley probably just went along with her friend to get me out of there. There’s no point in staying…” Molly’s tone was much lighter, almost chipper.
“Hayley…” Stephanie repeated the name, a pensive look crossing her face.
Hayley met with a big client this time. Although the client deliberately made things difficult, she not only didn’t hold them accountable but took all the blame on her own employees, giving Hugo a graceful way out.
Hugo wasn’t stupid. He knew he couldn’t directly confront the Innovate Group if things escalated.
In the end, he had to sign the contract. Hayley had swooped in and saved the company’s biggest project, silencing all the higher–ups who’d doubted her and also earning a favor from Hugo.
“No wonder she’s Dominick’s right–hand woman.”
Stephanie muttered under her breath, gritting her teeth slightly. She didn’t care what tricks Hayley liked to play, but making Molly a scapegoat was crossing the line. Suddenly, it felt like Hayley was targeting her.
“Molly, get some rest…”
It was getting late, and Molly had a weak tolerance for alcohol. She must have been feeling miserable after drinking so much. Stephanie didn’t want to disturb her rest, spoke softly, and turned to leave.
Molly did have stomach acid and a throbbing headache, but seeing Stephanie like this, she was really worried Stephanie would cause trouble when she went back.
After a beat, she called out to Stephanie’s retreating figure, “Dominick came barging into our private room because he was looking for you…
“He figured if anything went south at the dinner, I’d definitely call you, and he was worried you’d be in over your head.”
Stephanie paused slightly. She didn’t say much but quietly closed the door behind her.
“That Dominick, the big lug, didn’t even mention it,” she murmured as she headed towards the next hospital room, a hint of a smile touching her lips.
She pushed open the door and found that Dominick wasn’t in the room.
“Dominick is downstairs,” Vincent said as he saw her, pausing before raising a sly smile. “Stephanie, are you upset that Dominick left you again? Don’t worry. He’s still waiting for you downstairs.”
Stephanie thought Vincent was truly annoying. She didn’t even bother to reply to him as she turned to head downstairs.
But then she paused
at
the door, turning back to glance at the woman in the hospital bed with a thoughtful expression.
Hayley was sitting up against the headboard, looking a bit embarrassed under her gaze. “Stephanie, do you have something to say to me?”
“Stephanie, Hayley is sick right now. Don’t think you can bully her just because of Dominick.” Vincent approached her and lowered his voice to warn her.
Stephanie retorted, “What do you think I’m going to say? I don’t interfere in company matters.
“Vincent, didn’t you say Hayley’s been a senior executive for years? She doesn’t usually take newbies on business trips. Molly got lucky this time, tagging along to gain some experience. I just wanted to thank her for my friend, that’s all!”
Her voice was even emotionless, but she bit down particularly hard on the word “thank you“, making its meaning ambiguous.
Vincent was stunned. He glanced at the hospital bed, his mind racing.
Hayley sider se v red of misunderstanding here…”
a
due to her sickness, and she anxiously asked, “Stephanie, is there some kind
Vincent couldn’t bear to see her in this state. The room needed to be quiet, and Hayley needed rest.
“Stephanie, stop overthinking. Go downstairs now,” Vincent said, quickly dragging her out of the room.
Stephanie fet herself be pulled along, fuming at the thought of Molly being used as a pawn in someone else’s business schemes.
“Hey, get off me! I can walk myself.”
Just outside the door, she glared at Vincent. “Keep protecting your precious friends, why don’t you? None of you are any good…” Stephanie was still
very angry.
“Stephanie, you need to understand that business is business. We have to pursue our own interests… Hayley didn’t do anything wrong. Don’t drag Dominick into this…” Vincent, a seasoned businessman, knew Molly was just collateral damage.
Ignoring his reasoning, Stephanie stepped into the elevator, her footsteps heavy with frustration.
“Right, Hayley is blameless, and Dominick agrees. It’s all my fault. I’ve dragged Molly into this mess. There’s nothing I can do about it now, and I’m just so angry and guilty, okay!”
She hadn’t dealt with such a complex business circle before, but she understood the interests involved. Why chose Molly out of all the newcomers? Hayley, a rational person, wouldn’t go through all this trouble just for a friend’s personal matter. This was clearly a power move against her.
“Stephanie, you’re reading too much into this. Don’t go making a fuss with Dominick.”
“Okay, I’m overreacting. I must have a persecution complex now!”
Stephanie glared at him in frustration. After a moment, she calmed down and turned serious. “Vincent, can I ask you something? Is Hayley Oscar’s girlfriend?”
They stepped into the elevator, which started to descend. Vincent didn’t quite understand why she suddenly asked this question. It seemed a bit strange.
“Yes, they are a couple.” Vincent observed her expression and curiously asked, “Stephanie, do you know Oscar?”
The elevator reached the lobby on the first floor with a ding sound.
With a blank expression, Stephanie stepped out of the elevator. Suddenly, she felt like laughing, but instead, she bit her lip and spoke in a low, heavy tone. “Oscar? Yes, I know him. I’ve known him for a very, very long time.”
Indeed…she had known Oscar for a very long time.
