Chapter 4

What’s going on? What’s going on? Why are they completely ignoring me? A cold shiver ran down my spine. Something didn’t feel right. This situation, this silence, it was suffocating. “Sit down,” Edi’s voice cut through the thick air, sharp and commanding. I sat, my heart pounding, my breath coming in shallow gasps. It felt like the walls were closing in around me. “We’ve discussed the actions we need to take regarding yesterday’s events,” Edi’s voice was clinical, devoid of any empathy. “With a heavy heart, we’ve decided to terminate your position here at the company.” My chest tightened. “Wait, what? Terminate? Why the hell should I be fired? I didn’t do anything wrong!” My voice cracked with frustration, but it only seemed to make Edi colder. “Monica, the decision has already been made by the management. Considering your otherwise good performance, we’ve decided to allow you to resign. We’ll even write a recommendation for you,” Hitomi added, her tone cautious, as if trying to pacify me. I froze, my mind struggling to process the words. They were just… letting me go? Without a fight, without even listening to me? This wasn’t happening. This couldn’t be real. “Edi, Hitomi, please! You have to believe me! I didn’t do it! Someone set me up, this is all a trap!” I pleaded, my voice trembling with desperation. Hitomi’s eyes flickered with something unreadable... Pity, helplessness? She couldn’t do anything. She was just as trapped as I was. But Edi… Edi was different. He was standing now, his posture rigid. His arms crossed tightly over his chest, his face twisted into something almost unrecognizable, no longer the polite HR manager I once knew. His gaze was cold, like a predator circling its prey. “The decision is final,” Edi spat, each word like a slap to my face. “You should be thankful we’re even willing to write you a recommendation letter. After all, we’re talking about a person who’s capable of ruining a marriage without batting an eye.” The words hit me like a punch in the gut. I never expected Edi, of all people, to say something like this. He was supposed to be the one who stood for fairness, for justice. But this? This was… unreasonable. “How many times do I have to say it? I didn’t do it! Someone framed me, someone’s trying to destroy me! You should be interrogating Rizal, bring him in here, and we’ll figure this out together!” I almost shouted, my hands shaking with frustration. Edi’s eyebrow arched with a mocking sneer. “What did you say? You want to bring Rizal here?” “Do you even understand what you’re saying? Rizal doesn’t have time for this petty drama. He’s one of the company’s most valuable assets. He wins tenders like it’s nothing. You can’t even begin to compare yourself to him,” Edi sneered, his voice dripping with contempt. I was speechless. My mind was racing, but no words came. How had everything—everything I knew, everything I had—just… shattered in an instant? “The evidence from Sisca is clear. You might as well just admit it, Monica. You’re nothing more than Rizal’s mistress,” Edi said with a cruel laugh. “Tch…” He clicked his tongue, as if it was the final, damning verdict. “Even though my position isn’t high and I don’t make as much money as he does, I will never degrade myself to become a mistress. I accept the management’s decision, and I will submit my resignation letter. But I won’t accept being called a mistress,” I said, my voice seething with rage, barely able to contain my boiling frustration. “Do you even have a brain? The evidence is clear!” Edi snapped, his voice like a whip. “Investigate! You’re the one who’s stupid! If you were accused of corruption when you didn’t do it, would you just accept it?” I shot back, every word dripping with fury. Corruption alone could make someone a scapegoat with a meticulously planned setup. A w******p profile picture, a name, a chat message, all these could be forged so easily. The truth could be manipulated, and they knew it. “Why the hell would we investigate something this insignificant? Keep you in this company? What the hell for?” Edi spat, his face twisted with anger. He slammed his fist onto the table, the sound sharp like thunder. In that instant, everything became clear. They weren’t going to help me. This company, the one I had dreamed of working for, wasn’t the place I thought it was. I had worked so hard to get here, believed in it. But now? It felt like it was slipping through my fingers. I had once admired this company’s courage to always stand for the truth, no matter the cost. I watched their press conferences where they didn’t fear the damage to their image from scandals or corruption. They’d clean house, remove the rot, to ensure the work environment stayed healthy. But the reality slapped me harder than anything. Harder than I ever could have imagined. “Fine, I’ll write my resignation letter,” I said, my voice cold but firm, forcing back the knot in my throat. I was fighting to keep the last shred of my dignity in front of them, the ones who had once been my colleagues, my supposed allies. Arguing with them was pointless now. I turned, walking towards the door, each step heavy with the weight of what had just happened. “Tch… She’ll live comfortably without working.” Edi’s voice followed me, his words dripping with venom. I froze mid-step, my heart hammering in my chest. “What do you mean by that?” I asked, turning sharply, my eyes narrowing. “You’ll live comfortably without working. Rizal will definitely support you. He likes you so much. All you have to do is act spoiled and serve him,” Edi sneered, his eyes filled with something dark, something twisted. His gaze was disgusting, like a predator sizing up its prey. A cold, sickening feeling crawled up my spine. I couldn’t hold back the surge of anger that flooded my veins. How dare he? I stormed back toward him, my blood boiling, and before I even realized it, my hand was already in the air. The slap echoed through the room. Loud, sharp, full of fury. “You! How dare you!” Edi shouted, his face contorted with rage, his hand raised to retaliate. But before he could strike, Hitomi intervened, her hand grabbing his arm with surprising strength. “Mr. Edi… Stop, please, stop…” she pleaded, her voice shaking, but there was something in her eyes, something I couldn’t quite read. Was it fear? Sympathy? Or was she just as trapped as I was? “Slap me… Go ahead, hit me…” I provoked him, my voice low, almost a whisper, but full of malice. I turned my cheek to him, daring him to do it, to make this moment even darker, to bring the nightmare to its peak. “You!!” Edi, now seething with rage, lunged again, his hand raised to strike. But Hitomi, visibly agitated, stepped between us. “Monica! Enough! Just get out of here! Don’t make any more trouble! Enough!!!” she screamed, holding Edi back with a struggle, her face flushed with frustration. I just smiled coldly, turning on my heels and walking out of the room. A strange sense of satisfaction surged through me. I had slapped that man, and as I walked away, I raised my middle finger behind my back. What was the point of a handsome face if your mouth was nothing but garbage? “What did HR say?” Eric asked when I returned to my desk. I remembered briefly telling him that I’d received an email from HRD about my situation. I shook my head, too drained to say much. “They told me to resign,” I replied lazily, barely sparing him a glance as I focused on my work. “What?” “Yeah, that’s the deal. I’ll submit my resignation letter today, and I’ll be gone from the company next month,” I answered, my voice flat, as though I had already accepted it all. “But Mon, are you sure you’re not Rizal’s mistress?” Eric asked cautiously, his voice almost a whisper as if afraid to touch the topic. “Of course not.” “Then why are you just accepting this?” “They don’t intend to keep me, Eric. They’re giving me a recommendation letter because I won Employee of the Year. My position doesn’t matter more than Rizal’s. That’s the harsh truth I have to accept,” I explained, my words cold, almost robotic. But inside, I felt the weight of each one. "I really felt tired and frustrated. However, before I could hear Eric's response, my phone rang. A w******p message came in saying, "You should’ve stood up to Edi and asked for a layoff instead. You could’ve gotten severance pay."