Chapter 464 Are You the Boss or Are You Rich?
"Whether you can be fired or not, the employee contract doesn't decide that," Connie said firmly.
Katniss smirked. "Are you the boss, or do you have the money? Just pay me the penalty for breaking the contract, and I'll leave right now."
Connie's throat tightened, and she couldn't say a word.
"Intentionally increasing the workload for interns to make it harder is something no company should do. I could expose you for this," Katniss said, her tone polite.
But the underlying message was clear: they wanted to fire her but couldn't find a legitimate reason, so they were making things difficult on purpose.
Connie hadn't expected Katniss to be so tough. She glanced around at her colleagues, who all seemed to be pretending to work but were clearly listening in.
This wasn't just about whether they could fire Katniss anymore; it was about saving face.
"Ms. Wall, if you're done talking, please leave. I need to get back to work. But I'll say it again: if I can't finish, you can think about how to punish me, but it can't involve personal attacks."
Katniss pulled out a chair, sat down, and started working through the documents one by one. For her, handling these files was easy, but the sheer volume meant she couldn't finish in a day.
At lunchtime, Katniss declined Tristan's offer to join her and told him to pick her up after 8 PM.
Tristan didn't reply, and she guessed he was probably upset.
She planned to take some work home tonight, hoping to avoid any further trouble.
Upstairs, Dwayne's head started to ache when he heard how Katniss had skillfully countered Connie.
"Uncle Dwayne, how does she know so much?" Atticus asked, puzzled.
Dwayne thought for a moment before saying, "She's from Velvet City. I guess she's heard a lot about office politics. She's probably just trying to scare us. But since she dared to say that, we can't openly retaliate. We'll have to create a loophole in her work and fire her that way."
This meant they needed to find another opportunity, so Katniss would have to stay at Banks Far Company for a few more days.
Thinking about this made Dwayne's head throb. She looked at Atticus and said, "Why don't you take a few days off and go home? See if your mom can come up with a way to get her to leave."
"Alright, I'll head home after work tonight," Atticus agreed. He hesitated before adding, "Jia Jia is coming back tonight."
Dwayne's frown deepened. "Tell her not to come to the office."
"Her phone is off, probably because she's on a flight. I don't know which one. I've already texted her not to come," Atticus said, sending a voice message on his phone.
"Keep an eye on her. If she doesn't see the message and comes, stop her at the door and send her home to wait for me."
Dwayne took a sip of water to clear her throat, but she couldn't shake the chaotic feeling inside.
At 3 PM, Katniss had finished about a quarter of her work. Her arms were sore, so she got up to stretch and walk around.
But as soon as she stood up, everyone in the admin department looked at her, as if she was about to run away.
Katniss was taken aback, staring back at them.
Finally, a young woman, probably in her early twenties, quickly walked over and whispered, "Follow me," leading her to the break room at the end of the hallway.
"You were amazing just now," the young woman said. Her name tag read Marigold Walsh, indicating she was an intern. "I've only been here a week, and Ms. Wall has been working me to death. I don't even dare to speak up."
"Why were they all looking at me like that?" Katniss asked, feeling uncomfortable with their stares.
Marigold chuckled softly. "They probably think you're really tough. They were probably worried you were going to storm into the supervisor's office and beat her up!"
Katniss's mouth twitched, unsure how to respond to their bizarre thoughts.
She suddenly wondered if Ryan had felt the same way when she and Tristan had been tough on him.
"I have a lot of work, or I'd help you out," Marigold said with a smile, extending her hand. "We're the only two interns here, so let's look out for each other."
Katniss hesitated for a moment before shaking her hand. It had been a long time since she'd navigated workplace relationships, and she felt a bit awkward.
"Just call me Marigold," Marigold added, glancing at Katniss's name tag. "Katniss, your name is really pretty."
Katniss smiled back, poured herself some water, and rested for about seven or eight minutes before heading back.
On her way, she passed the elevator just as the doors opened, and someone stepped out.
Inside the elevator, Atticus was talking to a young woman in her twenties, dressed adorably like a doll.
The elevator doors closed quickly, but Katniss caught a snippet of their conversation.
"Why didn't he come down to meet me? He has no heart. I missed him so much."
As the doors closed, Atticus seemed to notice Katniss, a look of panic flashing across his face.
Katniss couldn't hear the rest of their conversation.
"Who was that girl with Atticus?" Katniss asked Marigold.
Marigold gasped and quickly covered her mouth. "That's Mr. Banks! How can you just call him by his name?"
Katniss corrected herself. "Who was the girl with Mr. Banks?"
Marigold shook her head. "That girl comes to the office every now and then, but she's not here for Mr. Banks. She's here for Mr. Larson."
Dwayne! He was in his fifties, and this girl was so young!
"How long has she known Mr. Larson?" Katniss asked.
Marigold held up one finger. "One week."
Katniss was shocked. "Only a week?"
Did he change them that often?
"I mean, I've only been here a week. How would I know all this?" Marigold laughed. "But I've heard that she's listed as a director here, just for show. She doesn't have an office and just hangs out in Mr. Larson's office."
So blatantly giving her a title and a salary for nothing.
Maybe they thought Charlotte couldn't leave the house, so they let this situation continue openly, despite the rumors.
"You two, can one of you take this file to Mr. Larson's office on the top floor?" A senior admin staffer, clutching his stomach, handed them a file. "My stomach hurts. Can you run this errand for me?"
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