Chapter 161 Canaler's Disappointment Strikes Again!
After that, Sarah Johnson and Ryder Clark decisively turned and left the large conference room. Everything had been decided. Staying any longer was pointless.
They had barely stepped out when, at the corner of the hallway, someone abruptly appeared, blocking their path.
Klay!
Ever since he was stripped of all his company duties, Klay had been relegated to scrubbing toilets. And honestly, during his bathroom-cleaning stint, the guy had been pretty compliant.
But beneath that compliant exterior lurked the heart of a schemer, ready to bare his fangs at the first sign of weakness in the SR Group.
Although Ryder Clark had been tipped off about Klay's back-door dealings from Thelma, he feigned ignorance: "Well, if it isn't our dear Canaler! Long time no see. You're looking rather well, I must say."
At those words, Klay's pupils shrank. The nickname 'Canaler' had been a thorn in his side ever since he'd been defeated by Ryder Clark and forced to sing ‘The Love of a Canaler’ in a KTV in front of a crowd. It was the same nickname that led to his current role as a toilet cleaner.
Employees who had once been dissatisfied with him now mockingly called him Canaler whenever they saw him, a name that always sent him into a rage.
He snorted coldly, " Clark, cut the crap! You and Sarah Johnson are going down. Everyone knows SR Group is doomed. Back to square one for you two! Heh, from the moment you took over the company as President, bet you never saw this coming. Well, guess what? You had it coming for crossing me!"
Ryder Clark curled his lip, unimpressed, "You really think you're the mastermind behind our recent troubles? Just focus on keeping those toilets clean. We were generous enough not to hold you accountable for your past actions and even gave you a job. You should be grateful."
"Grateful my ass!" Klay cursed, obviously pissed. "You and Sarah Johnson never learn until it's too late. Well, today you're going to see what real despair looks like."
Clapping his hands—
Employees began to emerge from other parts of the hallway and their workstations, around a hundred of them congregating.
They glared at Ryder Clark and Sarah Johnson, anger written across their faces, as they brandished banners they had prepared:
"Sarah Johnson withholds employees' severance compensation! Pay us by the law!"
"Sarah Johnson shirks company responsibility! Get out of the building materials industry!"
"Compensate! Compensate! Compensate! Important things must be said three times!"
"…"
Klay adjusted his collar with an air of confidence and declared, "See that? This is exactly what the SR Group employees are thinking! You, Sarah Johnson, irresponsibly abandoned the company and caused its bankruptcy. Now, you have to shoulder the responsibility of compensating the employees for their layoffs!"
With that, he gestured emphatically.
The employees behind him chorused in unison, "Sarah Johnson! Compensate! Sarah Johnson! Compensate!"
Witnessing the uproar, Ryder Clark sighed in resignation and muttered under his breath, "This is unbelievable, these folks are missing out even on the 'freshness' of a bad idea."
At that moment, Sarah Johnson's expression turned serious.
Over a hundred employees—that was already more than 20% of the company's workforce!
It was evident that despite no longer being the head of the marketing department, Klay's influence was still vast.
On the flip side, this also revealed to her the extent of his connections within the company.
Stepping forward with a composed demeanor, Sarah Johnson addressed the crowd, "You all demand severance pay, but tell me, has any of you actually received an official notice of termination from the company?"
The employees started clamoring in response:
"Cut the crap! The company's going under. If we're not unemployed, what do you expect? You to go hustle and make money to support us?"
"You talk without a care! No wonder the company went bankrupt. Serves it right!"
"Johnson! Stop trying to wriggle your way out. We've all signed a joint complaint! If you don't Compensate, we'll take you to labor arbitration and get your name on the major defaulter list!"
"Don't think you can sit pretty just because you've made some money and got yourself a stay-at-home son-in-law! You owe us that compensation, or else I'll be at your doorstep every day!"
"..."
"Well said!"
Just then, Ryder Clark cut in to silence them.
With a sly smirk, he turned to Emily beside him and said, "Emily, would you kindly explain the company policy to everyone?"
In sync with Ryder Clark, Emily nodded and faced the group with an unflinching stance: "Per company policy, before any official announcement is made, anyone who participates in spreading rumors about the company or its leadership, who engages in strikes or other actions that negatively impact the company, will be dismissed without severance, and their actions will be recorded in their personnel file."
Hearing this, Klay dismissed her words with a wave of his hand, "Brothers, don't listen to her! Paul and those builders will be out shortly. Once they announce SR Group's bankruptcy, let's see what excuses they come up with!"
Not long after he spoke, the builders and Paul emerged from the large conference room.
However, instead of the arrogant air they carried before, their heads hung low in defeat.
Especially upon seeing Ryder Clark and Sarah Johnson, fear was evident in their eyes.
Noticing their demeanor, Klay had a sinking feeling that something was amiss, so he hurried over and blocked Paul's path, asking, "Hey, Paul! Got the results yet? When are you taking over all of SR Group's shares?"
"Out of my way!" Paul, his brow furrowed in clear annoyance, barked.
Klay didn't move and pressed on, "Come on, Paul, what the hell happened? Tell me!"
"Damn you and your meddling! It’s all your fault… I'm out, and now we've taken a huge hit!" Paul lashed out, his hand flying out to deliver a stinging slap across Klay's face.
Smack!
The impact spun Klay around twice, his world whirling.
"Hmph!" With a glare thrown at Klay, Paul strode off with several executives, muttering about how he’d draft his resignation letter.
As for the developers, a few of them stood in front of Sarah Johnson, all smiles and ingratiating, "Miss Johnson, we really dropped the ball this time; didn’t recognize a good thing when we saw it. We hope you won't hold it against us. We should definitely strengthen our partnership moving forward! And… about the money for the building materials, we'll do our best to settle it today!"
Sarah Johnson simply nodded, wordless.
Meanwhile, Elena and Abigail Johnson, usually quick to talk tough, left with their tails between their legs.
Once everyone had left, the employees who were demanding severance pay stood petrified, their banners now starkly conspicuous.
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