Chapter 52 Leo was fired by Alexander
"I don't want to spend your money, live in your house, and I don't anger you every day. You don't like me and think everything I do is wrong, and that's why you get angry. These have nothing to do with me, but you blame me for all of it! Do you think I want to live like this? Every day I see you unhappy, and I have to be careful with what I say, afraid that I'll set you off and you'll scold me again. I hate living like this!"
Lillian let out all her frustrations, and instantly felt the weight lift off her chest, feeling a sense of relief.
"Lillian! Don't forget how you ended up living this way!" Alexander raged, "You talk of hardships in front of me? What right do you have? This is the path your family directed you to and that you chose yourself. No one forced you!"
Alexander's eyes widened, his teeth clenched – Lillian was good for nothing except stirring up trouble!
Lillian took a deep breath. Alexander was right. It was her own choice, even if she despised it, who else could she blame?
Her anger subsiding, tears welled up in her eyes, her lips trembled, and her voice was choked yet defiant, "Just because I have no right, this is how you treat me? Alexander, you're being too harsh!"
"...too harsh, stay away from me..." A distant voice seemed to echo in Alexander's ears, causing him heartache.
Alexander stood rigid, his eyes red with anger, gripping Lillian's arm even tighter.
"Ouch! Let go of me!" Lillian struggled, attempting to shake off Alexander's hold.
Hearing her protest, Alexander released Lillian's arm and loosened his tie, speaking swiftly and sternly, "Lillian, this is my final warning. You'd better behave in front of me, live out this year quietly and put away your grievances and dissatisfaction. No one's feeling sorry for you!"
Lillian glared at Alexander with clenched teeth, "I hope you do the same, and stop picking on me on purpose!"
"Get out! If I didn't tell you to come back, stay in the marketing department!" Alexander turned and walked to his desk.
Lillian flung the door open forcefully, then slammed it shut with a loud bang. The noise startled Taylor, who looked at Lillian in disbelief. Had Lillian blown a fuse? How dare she slam the door of the CEO's office?
The sound of the door also shocked the staff in the CEO's secretarial office, prompting them to come out and look. Seeing Lillian leave the CEO's office with a face full of anger, they didn't dare speak another word.
"What's going on? Did you have a fight with Mr. Sinclair?" Dora watched Lillian start to pack her things and whispered, "Are you really heading to the marketing department?"
"Yeah," Lillian replied softly. "I don't know when I'll be able to come back."
Dora gave a thoughtful "hmm" and didn't ask any further questions.
Lillian quickly finished packing her things, hugged Dora, and said, "I'm going to miss you. If you miss me, come and visit me in the marketing department."
"I will. And don't forget, you owe me a meal," Dora said playfully.
Lillian took the elevator to the marketing department on the 19th floor. Thanks to Leo, she was acquainted with almost all of her colleagues there, though they weren't close. She reported to the director's office, where Eric assigned Lillian a desk on the side. Her work in the Marketing Department wasn't greatly different from her job in the President's secretarial office.
After organizing her desk, Lillian looked at the area where Leo had worked so hard and struggled to describe her feeling at that moment. Colleagues who knew Lillian came to greet her and casually asked, "Did you know Leo quit today?"
"I know, he told me," Lillian managed a weak smile.
"Do you know why? Leo was about to be promoted to supervisor, why would he suddenly resign?"
"Who knows?"
Lillian sighed deeply, thinking about what Alexander had said. Could it be true that her opportunity to join the company was because of Leo? Had Alexander fired Leo because of that?
What had Leo really done?
The marketing department was busy and meticulous, and Lillian handled various details all by herself until the end of the day. She gathered her things and left the office with her bag slung over her shoulder.
Without Kelly at home, it was Lillian's turn to make dinner tonight. On the subway, she downloaded a cooking app. Not knowing Alexander's preferences, she carefully chose a few simple recipes and saved them in her favorites.
Lucas was on winter break, and with no one at home to take care of him during the day, Alexander had sent him to a tutoring school. With morning lessons in advanced math and French, and afternoon sessions in piano and exercise, Lucas felt more exhausted than a regular school day.
Lillian got home to find that Alexander and Lucas had just arrived not long before, sitting on the couch, one scrolling through his phone, the other playing on a tablet.
"Lillian, you're finally back, I'm starving!" Lucas complained.
"Aren't they serving three meals a day at school? Didn't you eat enough?" Lillian asked as she passed by Lucas.
"It's terrible, just awful," Lucas declared discontentedly. "I want the food Kelly makes!"
"Kelly's not around, so Lillian is making dinner," Alexander told Lucas.
"I sure hope it's not too terrible," muttered Lucas, his chin resting on his interlaced fingers.
Aside from spaghetti, every other dish Lillian attempted could only be described as nearly inedible. She looked proficient in the kitchen, whether she was frying or broiling, giving the impression of a capable cook. However, the taste of the completed dishes was often less than smile-inducing.
"Dinner's ready!" announced Lillian from the dining room, neatly arranging the plates and cutlery before calling out to Lucas and Alexander in the living room.
"Oh, time to eat!" Lucas said excitedly, quickly hopping up to wash his hands in the restroom before dashing into the dining room.
"Lillian, what's all this..." said Lucas, frowning as he pointed at his plate while settling into his chair.
Sauntering slowly into the dining room, Alexander joined them.
"That's a fried egg for you," Lillian explained to Lucas after catching his glance.
"But why's it look all burnt, and the eggs are all broken?" Lucas complained, picking out a small piece to examine closer. "Lillian, is this eggshell?"
"Ah, that," Lillian replied, nonchalantly tossing aside the small piece of eggshell. "It might have fallen in when I cracked the egg. It's still fine to eat."
Alexander, pulling out a chair to sit down, gestured with his chin towards another dish, "And what's this supposed to be?"
"Salmon with butter," Lillian admitted, scratching her head. "The heat was too high, and I overcooked it."
"Alexander, take me out to eat. I don't want this," Lucas pleaded, tugging at Alexander's arm.
Alexander barely mustered the energy to ask about the other two dishes, intuitively knowing they wouldn't be appetizing.
Glancing at the clock, Alexander said to Lucas, "You haven't eaten well all day. We're not going out."
Then he turned to Lillian and instructed, "You'll eat all of this, no waste allowed. As for our dinner, make it again—spaghetti like last time. It was decent, just lay off the parsley."
