My Colleague’s Karma After His Vicious Bullying

What's the matter? Was wearing a turtleneck in winter a crime?

Reading through the entire post, it seemed she had been scrutinizing me from head to toe almost every day. Her attention to me was even more ridiculous than my own mother's.

My husband advised me to quit from that office. He said that even though Valerie didn't have real power, she could still make my life difficult in small ways. He feared that with such a person secretly watching me, my days at work would be tough.

I thought about it but didn't agree. My life motto had never been to avoid conflict. I had to vent this anger.

Part 2

The next day at work, my colleagues' strange looks felt like sparks hitting me. Several people glanced at me and then whispered to each other. As soon as I walked over, they scattered. I had a bad feeling. Could Valerie have told my colleagues about my situation?

Just as I thought this, Reagan Russell came to the break room with a coffee cup, looking hesitant. He had once pursued me but later married Valerie. He asked, "Elena, did you reject me back then because you thought I wasn't rich enough?"

I was stunned. I had rejected him purely because I didn't have feelings for him and had made that clear at the time. Reagan frowned deeper, struggling with whether to speak.

"You can't walk far on the path of trading youth for money. It's better to stop in time and find an honest man to marry. I'm saying this for your own good," he said.

After issuing this 'good person' card, Reagan left with a look of half sympathy and half disappointment in me, leaving me standing there, laughing in anger.

That wasn't enough. As soon as the lunch break ended, Anita from HR called me over. She looked at me disdainfully, barely hiding her contempt.

"Elena, the company plans to terminate you, citing your chaotic personal life," she said sarcastically.

I let out a genuine confusion, "Huh? What did you say?" After nearly ten years of diligent work, they wanted to fire me? Was this chaotic personal life just because of Valerie's rumors?

I demanded Anita produce evidence of my chaotic personal life while discreetly starting to record the conversation on my phone. I started to ask her, "Are you sure you want to fire me? I haven't violated any company employment regulations or labor laws. You claim my personal life is chaotic but can't provide evidence. How much compensation does the company plan to give me if it fires me?"

I almost smiled. I was hesitant to resign and now they were giving me a layoff package. How kind.

Anita looked at me with genuine disgust. I remembered her husband had divorced her because of his infidelity and keeping a mistress and Valerie usually fawned over her. No wonder.

She said coldly, "Elena, let me be frank. Your chaotic personal life has had a very negative impact on the company. Moreover, your team leader reported that your work is often not up to par, yet you earn more than other colleagues. This is unfair to them. You should resign voluntarily, so it won't affect your background check for your next job."

I smiled slightly at her. Threatening me with a background check wouldn't work.

So I said, "Miss Becker, first, I will not resign voluntarily. I like this company and plan to continue working here for a long time. If the company insists on firing me, I'm not afraid. I've worked here for many years without violating any company regulations. If you insist on firing me, it would be illegal and the number of layoffs doesn't meet the criteria for an economic layoff. Please follow the regulations and provide me with employee compensation. Consider whether you want to give me a written notice of termination."