My Husband Left for a Rich Woman, but Her Father Works for Me

Well, if that was the case, then I did not mind settling this score with the Stanford Family once and for all.

Meanwhile, Anne was still laughing, doubling over as she smoothed the wrinkles at the corners of her eyes.

"This is the funniest joke I've ever heard!" she sneered.

I could not be bothered to waste another word on them. Without another glance, I picked up my bag and walked out.

However, just as I was about to leave, two employees suddenly got up and locked the conference room door.

They stood in front of it like a pair of stone-faced sentries.

I narrowed my eyes and spoke coldly, "What's the meaning of this?"

Anne finally finished laughing and strutted toward me in her high heels.

She crossed her arms, giving me a slow, condescending once-over. "Nicole, do you really think this company is your home? Coming and going whenever you please? There's a process for dismissal."

I lifted my gaze, unfazed. "I don't need to go through any process."

Anne's sharp nails dragged across my bag, scratching it twice as she smirked.

"Whether you need to or not isn't up to you."

"Open your bag. We need to check if you're taking company property. If you are, that's theft."

Before I could respond, she added with faux concern, "All of our projects involve highly classified information. If anything gets taken or recorded, the company could suffer major losses."

She flashed me a malicious smile. "Just standard procedure. Don't take it personally."

At her signal, two more employees stepped forward, closing in on me. I watched them with an unreadable expression.

At this moment, I was starting to think I'd been far too patient all this time.

My grandfather and father always taught me to be kind and to avoid unnecessary conflict.

Having grown up abroad, the last thing I ever wanted was to wield my status to suppress others. But in reality, all that ever did was give people like Anne the audacity to overstep.

"Anne, have you considered the consequences of this?"

She did not answer. Instead, she grabbed my bag and overturned its contents onto the floor for everyone to see.

"I'm a reliable assistant in this company. I enforce company policies and carry out Mr. Stanford's orders. What consequences could I possibly face?"

Anne nudged my scattered belongings with the tip of her shoe, casually kicking them aside before raising an eyebrow.

"Just because your bag is empty doesn't mean you don't have anything on you."

"Search her."

At her command, the employees in the conference room perked up, watching like they were being treated to a live spectacle.

Someone even let out a low whistle.

I frowned as the two employees guarding the door started moving toward me. So, I slapped their reaching hands away.

Then, I yelled with a cold tone, "Don't cross the line!"

"What right do you have to search me?"

All the tension in my body vanished in an instant.

The composed, soft-spoken version of me was nowhere to be found.

The sudden shift unsettled them. They hesitated, looking unsure of what to do next. Still, Anne scoffed and pushed past them.

"Nicole, who are you trying to intimidate?"