Chapter 637 - 633: Get Ready, We’re Leaving in a Day or Two

Before long, the heavyset manager from the sales department was shoved, stumbling into the meeting room.

"Apologize!"

Jared Fletcher snapped, following close behind.

The heavyset man seemed to have realized what was happening. His earlier arrogance had completely vanished. He stood hunched over, his portly frame bent at the waist, and avoided looking directly at Cecilia Sterling and Brendan Harris.

"I’m sorry, you two. I was wrong. I was really wrong."

Brendan Harris glared at him. Cecilia Sterling said nothing, simply looking down and playing with her phone.

Jared Fletcher could tell they weren’t satisfied. He snapped at the manager again, "What exactly were you wrong about?"

The manager’s face was a mask of misery. He forced himself to answer, "I... I shouldn’t have swindled people against my conscience. I shouldn’t have made that dirty money. I shouldn’t..."

He trailed off, unable to continue. ’After all, the company made me do it. The entire company does this sort of thing, and the chairman is standing right over there! How is this any different from cursing out the chairman?’

"Why don’t you just hit me!" The heavyset man looked at Cecilia Sterling, a pitiful expression on his face.

’Getting hit would be a relief.’

Cecilia Sterling snorted softly.

’What was it I said just now?’

’"Soon, you’ll be begging me to hit you."’

’And here we are.’

"Uncle, if you want to hit him, go ahead. Just don’t hit him too hard."

Brendan Harris scoffed in disgust. "Forget it. I’d feel dirty laying a hand on his kind."

The heavyset man looked to the chairman for help. Chairman Fletcher saw his expression and asked, "Well then, Miss Sterling, what else do you require of him? Just say the word, and we’ll do anything you ask."

"Then fire him," Cecilia Sterling said nonchalantly.

The heavyset man started, looking at the chairman in a panic.

Even Jared Fletcher looked surprised. "Huh?"

Cecilia Sterling looked at the two of them, her expression calm as she said, "What? You can’t do it?"

"Chair-Chairman..." The heavyset man grew frantic, his face flushing crimson. "But I did it for the company! You..."

Jared Fletcher couldn’t possibly agree right away. This was Morgan Young, the head of the sales department. He was upper management; you couldn’t just fire him at a moment’s notice.

He needed to smooth things over.

"What’s the use of begging me?" Jared Fletcher shot the heavyset man a look.

The heavyset man understood immediately and quickly switched his target to Cecilia Sterling. "Beauty—no, miss—no, Miss Sterling! I really know I was wrong! I was just blinded by greed for a moment. I’m so, so sorry for causing you all this trouble. Please, forgive me, give me one more chance. I really can’t get fired! I’ve got a wife, a kid, and four elderly parents to support! Please, be the bigger person..."

His apology was far more sincere and desperate now than it had been a moment ago.

But Cecilia Sterling felt not an ounce of pity for his kind.

"My magnanimity doesn’t extend to people like you. When you were swindling and ruining others, did you ever stop to think about their families or the rest of their lives?"

Cecilia Sterling sneered and shook her head, answering for him. "Of course not. All you think about is how big your commission will be. To people like you, the suffering of others is utterly worthless."

After she finished, Cecilia Sterling turned back to Jared Fletcher, her tone calm. "I have no other demands. Whether you fire him or not is entirely up to you. I have no right to interfere with or force personnel changes at your company. Besides, if it’s not a genuine decision, you could just reinstate him the moment I leave. There’s no point in putting on an act for my benefit. I don’t need it!"

’People like him... if there’s any justice in the world, they’ll get what they deserve eventually.’

’Her time was too precious to waste here.’

"Yes, of course." Jared Fletcher breathed a sigh of relief. Since Cecilia Sterling had put it that way, there was no need to keep up the act. He shot the heavyset man a glare. "What are you still doing here? Get lost!"

The man looked as if he’d been granted amnesty. He bowed and apologized repeatedly as he backed out, his bulky frame even bumping into the door. It was a comical sight.

Watching the man’s pathetic retreat, Brendan Harris finally felt a sense of satisfaction. Still, he couldn’t resist muttering, "Guys like that will end up in jail sooner or later."

About forty minutes later, the secretary finally returned, having handled everything.

"Miss Sterling, per your instructions, all the procedures have been completed. This card contains the down payment your family made for the shop, a total of exactly 64 dollars. As for the 185-dollar bank loan, we have already applied to the bank on our end to pay it off in full under Mr. Brendan Harris’s name."

"As for the trouble and damages this whole affair has caused you and your family, please accept this small token of our sincerity."

The secretary handed the documents to Cecilia Sterling with both hands. On top of the stack was a red envelope, which was evidently the "token of our sincerity" he had just mentioned.

"It’s only five dollars, so please don’t look down on it. Think of it as our apology."

After taking the documents, Cecilia Sterling, without batting an eye, tossed the five-dollar red envelope onto the table, then called to her uncle, "Uncle, let’s go."

’An apology? Please. Who knows which poor soul’s life savings this money came from. It felt dirty, like it would only bring bad luck.’

’She would never take such dirty money!’

The two of them had already reached the elevator when Jared Fletcher chased after them. "Miss Sterling, about this matter, I’m truly sorry..."

"You don’t need to say anything." Cecilia Sterling raised a hand, signaling him to be quiet, then said contemptuously, "Like I said, my reach doesn’t extend that far, so I have no interest in meddling in your company’s dirty business. And I can’t be bothered to mention it to Mr. Jennings. It would only dirty his ears."

Hearing Cecilia Sterling say this, Jared Fletcher breathed a sigh of relief. The one he feared most was Randall Jennings.

"But heaven is always watching. You’ll face retribution sooner or later for getting rich off this kind of ill-gotten gain." Cecilia didn’t spare him, her words carrying the clear tone of a curse.

Jared Fletcher didn’t dare say another word, offering only a guilty, awkward smile. After Cecilia Sterling entered the elevator, he frantically pressed the close-door button. He didn’t let out a long sigh of relief until the doors had closed and the elevator began its descent.

’Finally, that powerhouse was gone.’

Yvonne Sterling hadn’t left the house all morning. Too anxious to even think about preparing lunch, she just waited at home for news. ’If they actually solve this, we’ll go out to celebrate. If they can’t, we’ll go out to eat anyway. Good news or bad, a good meal is a must.’

There was a sound at the door. Yvonne Sterling rushed to open it. The moment the door opened, before she could even see clearly, Brendan Harris rushed forward and swept her into a hug. "We got it back! We got our money back!"

He was so excited he even planted a kiss on Yvonne Sterling’s cheek.

Yvonne Sterling was both happy and embarrassed. She gave him a light punch. "You’re so annoying! Cecilia is still here!"

Cecilia smiled without saying a word, following her uncle into the house to change her shoes.

"You got it all back?"

Brendan Harris nodded. "It’s all thanks to Cecilia. You should have seen it! The chairman of that real estate company didn’t dare to even breathe too loudly in front of Cecilia. And that Supervisor Young who tricked me into buying the shop? Today he practically knelt before me to apologize."

Yvonne Sterling was stunned, her eyes wide with disbelief as she listened.

But Cecilia Sterling just looked at her aunt and uncle and said calmly, "Alright, the matter is settled. You two get ready. We’ll be leaving in the next day or two."