Chapter 117 Rumors
Hearing the gossip in the break room, Susan was fuming but knew arguing was pointless, so she just walked away.
Turning around, she noticed Maria awkwardly standing behind her. Susan frowned and walked to her office.
She plopped her cup on the desk and slumped into her chair.
Maria walked in, glanced at Susan, and closed the door.
"Miss Wilson, Fiona's just a big mouth. Don't take her seriously," Maria said, approaching the desk.
Susan, still upset, knew Maria was right. "I'm fine, don't worry," she replied.
Maria leaned in and whispered, "By the way, I found out about Fiona's background."
"What background?" Susan asked, looking up.
"Mr. Anderson had a girlfriend named Vivian Rogers, an artist who travels a lot and rarely comes back to Maple Valley. Fiona and Vivian are relatives. Fiona's been with the company for a while and is good at her job, but she sucks up to the powerful and steps on the weak. That's why Mr. Anderson didn't promote her to finance manager and hired someone from outside instead," Maria explained.
"I see. You can go back to work now," Susan said after a moment.
"Yes," Maria replied and left.
No wonder it was called George and Vivian Law Firm; it was named after them.
Even though Vivian never showed up, Susan knew she must be important to George, or he wouldn't have named the firm after her.
Fiona always clashed with Susan because she thought the finance manager job should've been hers, so she constantly opposed Susan.
Now, Fiona was spreading rumors about Susan and George. Fiona definitely had a plan.
Since Fiona and Vivian were relatives, they must be in contact. Maybe Fiona was trying to use the rumors to lure Vivian back and get Susan kicked out so she could secure the finance manager position.
Thinking about this, Susan felt even more annoyed. Fiona could definitely come up with such a plan, and even Susan, who wasn't good at office politics, could see it.
That afternoon, a frustrated Susan asked Isabella out for lunch.
After they sat down, Isabella frowned and said, "I knew you'd invite me out to comfort me."
"What happened to you?" Susan asked, feeling even more annoyed. She was the one who needed comforting today.
"It's Cynthia, always picking on me. I can't be late or distracted for a second, or she'll catch me slipping up. If I mess up again, I might lose my year-end bonus!" Isabella complained.
"Why are we both having such a hard time?" Susan said, staring at her food with no appetite.
"Aren't you doing well at George and Vivian Law Firm? Why are you having a hard time too?" Isabella asked, surprised.
Susan then told Isabella everything that had happened at the law firm over the past few days.
Isabella noticed the bruise on the corner of Susan's mouth and got angry. "That Amelia is everywhere. George should've slapped her a few more times and knocked her teeth out!"
"All this trouble started with those slaps. Plus, Amelia got over ten grand in medical expenses," Susan frowned.
"Amelia's just a minor nuisance. Fiona's the real problem instead; you can't let your guard down," Isabella reminded her.
"How can I guard against her? I'm out in the open, and she's in the shadows," Susan said, worried.
"So what are you going to do?" Isabella asked, concerned.
After poking at her food for a while, Susan finally said, "I'm thinking of quitting."
"Quitting? That's your solution?" Isabella's eyes widened.
"What else can I do? Fiona's spreading rumors about me and George. She'll probably bring George's girlfriend into this. Staying won't help either of us," Susan said, having thought it over.
"You're just going to give up such a good job? Your salary now is higher than at Prosperity Group. You have rent, living expenses, Catherine's costs, and Dorothy's college expenses. Even if you want to leave, find another job first. Good jobs are hard to find. A colleague left Prosperity Group six months ago and still hasn't found a suitable job," Isabella argued.
Isabella was right. Susan looked at her helplessly. "I told you the same thing before, and now you're saying it back to me."
"What can we do? We're poor. Poverty limits our imagination and takes away our dignity! Hey, I have an idea. Why don't you just go for it and seduce George? Solve both your job and love problems and become the boss lady of George and Vivian Law Firm. How about that for a practical solution?" Isabella teased.
"Get out of here and eat your food. If you're late again, you'll lose your year-end bonus!" Susan said, then started eating.
Isabella checked her watch and quickly started eating without another word.
That afternoon, Susan thought long and hard and finally decided to resign.
Whether intentionally or not, she had felt George's concern. Even though she wanted to keep her distance, the rumors were getting out of hand. Staying would only cause more trouble, so it was better to resign. She could find a less well-paying job first and then look for something better.
Having made up her mind, Susan quickly wrote a resignation letter.
Fearing she might change her mind, she put the letter in her pocket and walked out of her office.
As soon as she stepped out, Maria handed her a document. "Miss Wilson, could you please sign this?"
Just as Susan took the document, a tall woman walked in.
Wearing sunglasses and carrying a designer handbag, she held her head high, full of confidence. After scanning the room, she asked, "Which one of you is Miss Wilson?"