Chapter 7 The Devil's Mercy?
1183 Words
The morning after receiving the money, Emily immediately called Mae, the former maid of the Kyte family.
Mae had been looking after her since she was very young and was like family to her. Even when Emily moved abroad, Mae frequently called to check in on her and update her on things back home.
Upon Emily's return, Mae provided a lot of assistance and even offered to help take care of her three children.
However, Emily knew Mae's life wasn't easy, so she insisted on paying her a salary. Now, she and this beloved maid could be family again.
Mae was very experienced in taking care of children. With Emily's help, she quickly gained the trust of the three little ones. After dropping the kids off at kindergarten together, Emily headed to work.
Fortunately, she wasn't late.
As a new employee, Emily was bound to face a busy adjustment period, especially since she had offended someone on her first day.
Eason called her at least a dozen times that morning, assigning her tasks from handling documents to fetching coffee.
"Emily, shred all these documents."
"Emily, coordinate with the operations department."
"Emily, bring me a cup of coffee."
Emily, Emily, Emily...
Even during lunch, Eason didn't seem to let up, and Emily was thoroughly fed up with his voice.
Taking advantage of a moment when no one was around, she lowered her voice and said, "You're going too far. Don't you think?"
Eason smirked triumphantly. "You newbies need to toughen up. If you can't handle it, well, beg. Maybe I'll cut you some slack."
"In your dreams!"
His mean attitude made Emily despise him.
And her pride only made him angrier.
Why should she, a mere employee, act like a princess and refuse to bow her head in front of him?
He needed to put her in her place!
Eason bit his lip and came up with a devious plan.
He called out to Emily as she was about to leave and deliberately said loudly, "Emily, I know you used to be the Kyte Group heiress, but Kyte Group has gone bankrupt. You've become a laughingstock among socialites for your reckless behavior. Tone down your princess attitude and do your job."
It sounded like he was trying to give earnest advice to a spoiled heiress, but his precise and vicious words immediately caught the attention of their colleagues.
"What? Emily is the Kyte family heiress?"
"Oh, my god, I remember now! I used to follow all her gossip in college and nearly failed an exam because of it!"
"Oh!! Is she the one who hung out with a gigolo so much she drove her father to his grave?"
The color drained from Emily's face, and her chest tightened with pain.
Even after four years, her father's death remained an unresolved heartache for her.
But she never wanted to show her bleeding heart to others.
Around the corner, James' gaze darkened as he stared at Eason.
To publicly slander Emily with such obscene rumors? This sales manager was truly shameless.
Emily seemed to be in a bad state. After all, he was somewhat involved in the events of that year. James straightened his sleeves, ready to step forward and help Emily out, but then he heard her chuckle.
He stopped and looked over, seeing Emily with an indifferent smile on her face.
Emily indeed didn't care about these filthy words. She had grown mature enough to live with them.
Since the fall of the Kyte family, she had seen the worst of human nature and was long used to it.
She raised her eyes mockingly. "I didn't expect someone who seems so upright to be interested in spreading rumors and gossip."
Her words were sharp, but Eason assumed she was putting on a brave front after being hit where it hurt. He snorted dismissively.
Emily turned and stared directly at her gossiping colleagues, continuing, "Those sensational stories were fabricated by the media for attention. We were a couple in love. What's wrong with falling in love?"
Her colleagues, embarrassed, avoided her gaze.
It wasn't like they had caught her sleeping with the gigolo, and that gigolo's identity had never been officially revealed. Their relationship was whatever Emily said it was.
Unwilling to back down, Eason prepared to argue, but Emily cut him off as if suddenly recalling something. "Oh! I get it. You harassed me and got kicked out of the Kyte family. Then I caught you working as a gigolo, and now you're worried I'll spill your secret, so you're trying to discredit me first?"
"You... That's not true! When did I ever work as a gigolo?"
Eason's face turned red. Her accusations were half-true, making it hard for him to explain.
The crowd's excitement surged again, their eyes shifting from Emily to Eason, eager to watch the drama unfold.
"Oh, god, a gigolo? Eason?"
"You know, with his looks, he actually fits the bill."
"I can't even look at him now."
Watching from the corner, James smiled.
He remembered how Emily had demanded compensation from him last night. She was sharp and calculating, never letting herself be shortchanged.
This Emily was entirely different from the arrogant, pampered heiress she used to be. What had she gone through in the past few years to change so much?
Eason, humiliated in front of everyone, was furious but couldn't openly use force in the office.
He forced a smile and said, "Emily, please remember this is a workplace. Let's keep personal matters out of it."
Emily rolled her eyes. Who started this in the first place?
But she had no intention of arguing with him. She picked up the contract, ready to leave.
"Wait!"
Eason suddenly called out to her. As Emily turned around, he subtly opened the lid of his coffee cup.
In the next second, a figure brushed past, bumping into Eason's shoulder.
He staggered back, the coffee splashing all over his face and body, not a drop spared.
"Geez!"
The colleagues burst into laughter, and even Emily couldn't hold back her amusement.
Eason wiped his face, angrily cursing, "Who the fuck..."
Before he could finish, he met a pair of cold, sharp eyes.
James stood behind him, his expression icy.
Emily's breath caught. There was that strange sense of familiarity again.
Did James bump into Eason on purpose?
How could he have bumped into him with such a wide path? Was he helping her?
As soon as the thought crossed her mind, she shook her head.
Someone as cold and ruthless as James had no reason to help a mere employee like her.
Eason, on the other hand, was sweating profusely.
"Did you just use the F word with Mr. Downton?" John demanded.
Eason quickly denied it, "No, no. I was using it on myself. I mean... what the 'f**k' is wrong with me to have been blind enough to get in Mr. Downton's way."
Emily smirked. Eason's instant submission made him look like a bluffing lapdog.
James gave Eason a once-over and then left a curt "Clean this up," before walking away.
- Writer
