Chapter 51 Alexander, You've Crossed Me!
Leo responded, his voice tinged with both bitterness and a trace of a laugh, "What good is doing well if it all comes down to a single decision from the top? All of my efforts have been for nothing—they dismissed me just like that."
"Was it Alexander’s doing?" Lillian asked, reading between the lines and frowning in concern.
Leo didn't spell it out, but he gazed at her with a mixture of pity and affection. The girl who had once followed him around had become someone else's wife, and his hopes had faded.
"Lillian, I've come to terms with your marriage," Leo said with resignation. "I won't bother you about it anymore. I wish you happiness. Call me if you need help, just like when you were a kid running to me if someone picked on you. Hear me?"
Lillian nodded vigorously and assured him, "You’ll be fine too, and I'm sure you'll find a job that’s right for you."
"That means a lot," Leo said with a smile, raising his hand to her head as he had done so often in the past. "Get back to work now. I’m leaving."
"Leo, I’m sorry," she called out after him.
Leo walked away with a heavy gait, lifting his hand in the air and waving it twice.
Lillian stood motionless, silently watching him. She felt quite distressed inside; his being fired had something to do with her.
In the office, Taylor noticed her return and furrowed his brow, asking sternly, "Where have you been? Don't you know it's working hours right now? We were all waiting for you to start the meeting."
"I'm sorry, Ms. Reed, I wasn't feeling well. I went to the restroom," Lillian hastily replied as she hurried back to her desk.
Taylor glared at her briefly, then addressed the group, "These are the regular tasks for now. Also, Ms. Hill, as of today, you will be temporarily assigned to work in the marketing department."
"Why? What am I going to do in marketing?" Lillian asked, puzzled.
“You’ll continue your secretarial duties. Listen to Eric Lee for specific assignments,” Taylor closed her folder and told everyone, “That concludes our meeting for today, everyone back to work.”
Lillian couldn't shake the feeling that Leo’s firing and her reassignment to marketing were too coincidental.
"Why would they suddenly transfer you? It's so odd," Dora couldn’t wrap her head around the idea that even if the marketing department was busy, they wouldn’t just borrow someone from the executive office.
Fuming, Lillian gripped her pen so tightly it was as if she could snap it with a bit of force. She exhaled deeply, slowly rising from her chair, and left the office.
Taylor saw her heading toward the president's office and quickly called out to her, "Ms. Hill, where are you going?"
"I need to speak with Mr. Sinclair about something."
"What is it? You can tell me," Taylor said, not looking up from her work.
Exasperated and unguarded with her language, Lillian retorted, “This matter, I can only discuss with Mr. Sinclair." Without waiting any longer, she knocked on Alexander's office door.
"Lillian!" Taylor hurried over, grabbing her arm and speaking in a somber tone, “What do you need to talk to Mr. Sinclair about? I’ll relay the message for you.”
"Come in," came Alexander’s indifferent voice from within.
Lillian pulled her arm away from Taylor, “I can speak for myself.”
Taylor was taken aback as Lillian was unrecognizably forthright today.
Stepping into the office, Lillian approached the desk with a serious facade and asked him directly, "Mr. Sinclair, why am I being transferred to the marketing department? Did I do something wrong in my current position?"
Alexander, propping his forehead with one hand while reading documents, asked indifferently, "What do you mean?"
"I just want to know, why am I suddenly being moved to marketing!" Lillian’s tone intensified with severity.
"What? Do the upper management's decisions need to be explained to you?" Alexander lifted his gaze to meet hers, his annoyance palpable.
Lillian locked eyes with him and pressed again, "Why did you fire Leo?"
Alexander glared coldly at her and with a slap, tossed the folder onto the desk, angrily retorting, "Who are you questioning? Do I need your approval to fire someone?"
"You're just settling personal scores!" Lillian slammed her hands on the desk, bending forward to face him with fury in her eyes, "What are you trying to tell me by transferring me to the marketing department? Is this a warning or just to disgust me? I've said it before, Leo and I are just friends. Is that not allowed? You fired him just because of that? You're so petty!"
Enraged, Alexander stood up towering over her and bellowed, "Lillian, say that one more time!"
"Isn't it the case?" Lillian, resolutely standing her ground, stared back defiantly with a mix of sarcasm and scorn, "I thought, as someone in a high position, you'd have the breadth of mind to tolerate what others can't. Yet, I never expected that you couldn't even tolerate a person who poses no threat to you. Aren't you being narrow-minded?"
"Lillian, it's not your place to judge me! Get out!" Alexander's face turned dark with anger as he shouted at her.
"I won't leave! Today, you have to give me a reasonable explanation. What did Leo do wrong to get fired?"
She knew that as the president, Alexander didn't owe her, a rank-and-file employee, any explanations. However, she just wanted to challenge him, to go against him, to shout all her frustrations at him!
Maybe it was the strain of the recent days getting to her.
"And who are you throwing a tantrum with here?" Alexander, without mercy, grabbed her arm and dragged her towards the door, continuing to berate her, "Lillian, have I been too kind to you? You eat on my dime, live at my expense, and still have the nerve to anger me every day! What's wrong with firing Leo? You're unhappy with it? Fine, then I'll give you something to be more unhappy about. Don't bother coming back to the executive office and just stay in the marketing department!"
"Let go of me, I quit, okay? I won't stay in this lousy company!" Lillian struggled fiercely, shouting at him.
Alexander paused, asking mockingly, "Are you really ready to quit? Leo pulled strings for you, and you repay him like this? His efforts would be wasted then."
Hearing this, Lillian's eyes widened in disbelief, "What are you saying? I got this job because Leo pulled strings?"
"You sure play the part well," Alexander scoffed.
"I'm not pretending!" Lillian was hysterical, "Don't lie to me. He's just a regular guy in marketing. How could he have pulled strings?"
"He's more capable than you think!" Alexander gritted his teeth, then pulled her again toward the exit, "Lillian, let me tell you, I don't have the patience for others. The day I truly can't stand you anymore, watch how I'll deal with you and your entire family!"
"Come on, I'm not afraid!" Lillian yelled in anger, "Alexander, let me tell you, you've really gotten on my last nerve!"
