Quit Job — HR Demanded $200K

“Playing tricks?” I pulled the corner of my mouth into a bitter smile.

“I’m stuck here with you. What tricks could I possibly pull?”

“I’m just an ordinary employee. Seven hundred thousand isn’t pocket change. Of course I need to figure out how to raise the money.”

Her lackeys chimed in to reassure her.

“Director, she wouldn’t dare. Let her make the call—we’ll be listening.”

“Yeah, she can’t run from this anyway.”

Chloe Reed considered it for a moment, then nodded.

“Fine. Make the call.” She jerked her chin and ordered, “Put it on speaker! I want to hear everything. If you try anything…”

Her vicious glance slid toward the two guards, the threat clear as day.

I calmly pulled out my phone and, right in front of her, dialed the head of security, Mark Thompson.

The moment he picked up, I shouted,

“Mark! I’m trapped in HR—bring the team and get me out!”

Chloe’s face drained of color as she realized she’d been played.

“You dare trick me!” she screamed, lunging at me with claws outstretched, hand raised to strike.

But just before she could touch me, the office door was kicked open from the outside.

Mark stormed in, leading over a dozen bodyguards in black suits.

The man at the front moved like lightning, delivering a sharp kick that sent Chloe crashing into a file cabinet.

She slumped to the ground, snarling in fury.

“You bitch! You’ll pay for this—I’ll never forgive you!”

I glanced at my phone—the New York Headquarters meeting had already started.

I had no time to waste on her, but I wasn’t about to let this slide either.

At the doorway, I turned back to Mark.

“Make her return every penny she extorted from me. Not a cent missing. And since she loves blackmail so much—break her hands. Let her learn what it feels like.”

Chloe’s cronies were pale with fear, whispering nervously among themselves.

“Wait… isn’t that Mark Thompson, the CEO’s head of security?”

“Oh my god, so many bodyguards… who is this woman really?”

I stepped into the private elevator to the conference floor, pulling out Ethan Carter’s phone.

The lock screen password used to be my birthday.

I tried four times—wrong every time. Only one attempt remained.

On impulse, I typed in Chloe’s birthday.

The phone unlocked instantly.

A cold smile tugged at my lips as I opened the green chat app.

At the top was a pinned chat, the avatar none other than Chloe’s selfie.

One tap, and the screen filled with filthy, explicit messages and nauseating flirtations.

Scrolling upward revealed a year’s worth of hotel bookings, receipts for their secret rendezvous, and dozens of graphic videos they had filmed themselves.

My nails dug deep crescents into my palm as I gripped the phone.

So I was the fool in the dark all along.

Just then, a new message notification popped up—from Chloe.

[Honey, why aren’t you answering my calls? You have no idea how arrogant that old hag trying to resign is. You have to teach her a lesson for me!]

Attached was a photo of her arm, bruised where she had been shoved.

[See? She hurt me so badly. It hurts so much, darling. Please come make it right…]

Swallowing my disgust, I typed back in Ethan’s voice:

[Don’t cry, baby. Come up to the top floor CEO’s office. I’ll make it up to you.]