The next morning, when Stella stepped out of the elevator, the executive floor was quieter than usual. Every morning, there would be men talking about their travels or boat trips, showing off their new watches and pictures of their cars. While the women discussed the new fashion releases and the designer goods, they were able to get early. But now, there was none of that. Only the soft clicking of keyboards and occasional hushed footstep across the polished floors.
She looked toward the secretary workstations.
More than half of them had been cleared out.
The rich kids were gone.
The office was less crowded, but it finally felt like an office.
Stella walked past them with a small smile tugging at her lips as she headed to her office.
"Ms. Moore," they greeted.
She responded to each greeting with a nod.
Vivian walked into Kings that morning with her head held high. While things didn't go as planned the day before, after a trip to the spa, a shopping spree, and Clara's constant bootlicking, she was feeling better. She was Vivian Stone, the princess of the Stone family.
Stella might have embarrassed her yesterday, but today she would let her understand what it means to kick an iron plate.
"Hurry up," she told Clara, who scurried beside her. Clara stepped ahead to do their usual morning routine—swap both their employee cards at the access point.
Buzz.
The error sound echoed in the lobby.
Clara froze and tried again.
Buzz. Buzz. B.uzz.
Clara kept trying, but it still didn't open. What was going on? She was getting anxious. Vivian had just managed to enter a good mood again. If she got angry this morning…
Vivian looked up from her phone. "What's the holdup?"
Clara jumped in her skin.
"What's taking you so long?"
Clara hesitated. "Our cards…" she said shakily. "They aren't working."
"What?!" Vivian snapped.
She walked over, snatched her own card, and tried it herself.
Buzz.
"You over there. Bring me your employee card?" She barked at a receptionist
Meanwhile, Stella sat at her desk, reviewing files. Her thoughts kept drifting back to the day before. None of the corruption cases Liam had exposed were related to her parents' company. But some of them were connected to a few of the small and mid-sized firms she had been tracking for years. Their companies had declared bankruptcy, but the only deaths were ruled as suicides.
She had been following up with their cases since she was in Germany, but couldn't find evidence linking them to King's corporation. Yet Liam had found it. And in such a short time.
Her brows furrowed slightly.
It seemed the new heir wasn't as simple as she thought. She needed to be more careful moving forward.
She had just finished booting up her computer when the door slammed open. An angry Vivian stormed inside with Clara in tow.
"How did you do it?" Her eyes were bloodshot, and her hands trembled as she pointed at Stella.
"Do what?" Stella asked flatly. She wasn't in the mood to deal with a brainless dolt so early in the morning.
"How did you get me fired? You slut. You must've sweet-talked him, didn't you? Did some pillow talk to get me out of the way. Let me inform you now, I am Liam Carson's future fiance. Soon to be mistress of this company."
"Oh, so you no longer work here," Stella replied coolly.
She reached for the office phone and pressed a button.
"Security," she said calmly. "There's an authorized person in the President's office. Please come."
"You called me unauthorized?" Vivian shrieked. "You—you—!"
But before she could finish her rant, the door opened again. Six security guards in uniform filed into the office.
"Ms. Moore," their leader said with a nod. "Which ones?"
"Two of them."
"I am Vivian Stone."
The men stopped in their tracks, unsure.
"The CEO ordered their dismissal," Stella assured.
"Miss, please."
"I'm Vivian Stone!" she screamed. "My father won't let this slide—he'll make sure every last one of you regrets this!"
The men stepped towards her when she didn't move.
"Don't touch me!" she snapped. "I'll leave myself."
She stomped out of the office, Clara hot on her heels.
Security followed them out.
Liam arrived an hour later, holding a white box in his hands.
"Good morning," he said, setting it down on Stella's desk.
"Good morning." She looked up from her screen. "This is?"
"Compensation," he replied. "For yesterday. If you have any other requests, let me know. What happened was my oversight."
"Oh, you didn't have to," Stella replied, taking the box and opening it. Inside were six perfectly chocolate-frosted cupcakes. "Nothing really happened, I was able to get out in time, too. But thank you."
He looked at her in anticipation. She gave in, picked up one cupcake, and took a bite. It was soft, sweet, and moist.
"It's delicious."
He nodded once and disappeared into his office.
Later, when Stella went down to the lounge for a coffee refill, she overheard hushed voices from just behind the snack bar divider.
"I heard Vivian got fired because she offended Stella."
"Are you serious?"
"I don't think it's because of her," another voice said. "Think about it, she locked the CEO's secretary in the restroom during a board meeting. Imagine if Vivian had gone instead. She doesn't know a thing about being a secretary."
"Or if he had needed a file and there was no one to help him," the first voice quipped.
"That's true. But no matter the reason, it's best if we stay on her good side."
"It's good all of them are gone, though," someone else whispered. "I was walking on pins and needles the whole time. On my left was an executive's daughter, on my right the mayor's son. Across from me—some supplier's niece."
"Exactly, a coffee spill on the wrong person, and you'd have to pay about $10,000. How am I supposed to get that kind of money?"
At that moment, Stella stepped into view.
"Ms. Moore," they greeted in unison—before scrambling out of the room.
She quietly made her coffee, reached for a biscuit, and sat on a stool, sipping. She needed a chance to make Liam trust her more. While she was his secretary in name. All of the most important tasks were handled by John.
Just then, a man in a dark suit entered.
"Ms. Moore," he said smoothly.
Stella stood up. She recognized him. He was the Vice President's secretary. Liam's uncle.
"Mr. Carson would like to have a word."