255 You're Fired

Nathanial Reed had always maintained a facade of friendliness around Evelyn.

But his tone now was sharp and filled with contempt.

A cold dread washed over Evelyn as she registered the complete shift in his attitude.

She confronted him directly. "Nathanial, you gave me your word you would handle the online rumors. I provided all the evidence. Why is my name still not cleared? You've just let the slander spread unchecked!"

Nathanial had been expecting this call.

He had no intention of admitting anything. He adopted a confused tone, a false smile in his voice. "Evelyn, I have no idea what you're talking about. Your plagiarism scandal has nothing to do with me."

His response left her momentarily speechless.

She quickly found her voice again. "Nathanial, what are you saying? You promised to help me. You even advised me to take time off and rest at home these past few days..."

He let out a harsh, scornful laugh. "Evelyn, your naivety is truly astonishing. Did you honestly believe I would stick my neck out for someone like you? Did you think defying Beatrice Sterling's direct order would earn you any favor here?"

Evelyn was shocked. "That was never my intention!"

Before she could explain further, he cut her off coldly. "Let me make this perfectly clear, Evelyn. You're fired. With a plagiarism scandal attached to your name, finding another respectable position in this industry will be impossible. Consider yourself lucky I'm not pursuing further action. You should be grateful."

The full weight of his betrayal crashed down on her.

Her fists clenched tightly. "Why did you lie to me?" she demanded.

Nathanial chuckled, the sound dripping with mockery. "You're really asking me that? You've severely damaged the company's reputation. Not taking legal action is a mercy. You should be thanking me."

He paused, then added with another dismissive chuckle. "Face reality, Evelyn. You've made powerful enemies. It's in your best interest to disappear quietly. Unless you want this situation to get much, much worse for you."

The line went dead as he ended the call.

Nathanial felt not a shred of guilt over Evelyn's predicament.

To him, betraying her was a necessary step, a strategic move for his own advancement.

A promotion and a significant raise were now practically within his grasp.

Humming a tune, he returned to the private room, ready to celebrate his impending success. He was completely unaware that the moment he decided to sacrifice Evelyn, he had signed his own professional death warrant.

On the other end of the line, Evelyn stood frozen, her jaw clenched in fury as the dial tone buzzed in her ear.