Chapter 53 An Unpleasant Encounter
"Could you please check again? I was underpaid by a full $3,000 last month, and that's not a small amount!" Lanny raised her voice and yelled at Anna, the head of the HR department.
On the surface, it would seem as if Lanny was there to check her salary, but in reality, she had an ulterior motive.
Edward was hiding many secrets, and as his ex-wife, Lanny felt like she had an obligation to learn more about him and discover his secrets. The most direct way to do that was to find his file in the company's official records.
Lanny had been pestering Anna for half an hour already, and Anna-that bitch-had an uncompromising attitude, not giving her a chance.
"I've told you a million times that the president instructed me to cut your pay last week. There's nothing I can do. An order is an order. I have other work to do, so please leave," Anna said impatiently.
"But I know nothing about this! Please show me the president's instructions before I'm convinced," Lanny said and was about to grab Anna's mouse, but her hand was pushed away.
Lanny pretended to be dejected, looking hopeless. Her shoulders fell, and her gaze dropped to her belly as she gently caressed it.
"Anna, please..." Lanny then looked at Anna again. "I am five months pregnant now, and I need to save more money for the baby."
Hearing that, Anna immediately connected with Lanny, forgetting that she was the company director's wife. She was a two-year-old girl's mother, and it was hard not to show sympathy. She could not help but agree to Lanny's request.
"The president sent an email last week informing us to give you a pay cut," Anna said after a heavy sigh. "Wait a minute. I'll find the email and show it to you."
As Anna hovered her mouse to open her inbox, Lanny suddenly smelled a familiar odor, and she immediately recognized the disgusting stench which belonged to her sister. She then looked up and saw Bella approaching with two people beside her.
Lanny glanced down at Anna, carefully searching for the mail, and felt a pang of joy as she stole her attention with hidden intentions. "Look! Who's that handsome guy next to Bella? How come I've never seen him before."
Curiosity killed the cat. Anna quickly looked up and saw Bella, Jenny, and a strange young man passing by. Remembering that Helen had reminded her to make sure she paid extra attention to Bella, she rushed to greet them.
While Anna was still preoccupied, Lanny took the opportunity to click on the company's personnel file and jotted down the URL before returning the computer desktop to its original form.
After Lanny got what she wanted, she planned to leave as soon as possible, but seeing how Anna gave Bella so much respect and courtesy, she could not help but spoil the mood.
Lanny had no intention of letting Bella go. She squeezed out a fake smile and yelled, "Bella, who's that handsome guy next to you? How come I've never seen him before?"
However, to her dismay, Bella ignored her question. Instead, Jenny was the one who replied, "This is the president's new junior secretary, Kelvin Tyler."
Lanny chuckled without humor. She walked up to Bella and scrutinized her with a taunting gaze. "If I remember correctly, you've been working here for only less than a month. How come the president is looking for a new secretary again?" she asked, obviously mocking Bella. "Oh, I think I know why! This must be because of your poor performance at work."
Faced with such an unreasonable accusation, Bella clenched her fist to suppress her anger.
"Please don't accuse Bella wrongly!" Jenny defended Bella. "The president only recruited a new junior secretary to assist her and reduce her workload. She's not being replaced nor fired if that's what you're thinking."
Lanny narrowed her eyes as she was not entirely convinced. However, she did not really care if it was true or not; she just wanted to embarrass Bella. So instead of pressing the matters, she shifted her attention to the handsome and tall new junior secretary.
Lanny pointed at Kelvin and grinned at Bella with some nasty thoughts in mind. "I see that you were able to convince the president to hire a young, handsome, and strong man," she said, then raised a brow. "Assistant during the day and your fuck buddy at night, is that right?"
Bella's face turned red in anger and embarrassment, which brought an unexplainable satisfaction to Lanny. Her words also caught the other employees' attention. Seeing that she had the upper hand, she decided to go all out and seize the moment.
"To make it easier for everyone to understand, let me explain." Lanny cleared her throat and smiled widely. "My poor sister, Bella, has a disabled husband who can't satisfy her in bed. That's why she needs a strong and young man to satisfy her, just like Kelvin here."
Their colleagues broke into laughter. Some even began whispering to each other while looking at Bella with disgust and insulting stares.
Lanny was satisfied with all the reactions. The corners of her mouth rose in triumph. However, it did not last long as Bella rushed up and raised her hand to hit her.
Fortunately, Lanny was a Beta. Her reaction speed was way faster than Bella's. She easily dodged the slap with just a turn, leaving Bella pouncing in the air.
Knowing that it would be impossible to win over her sister, Bella did not argue with Lanny anymore. She tried to take Kelvin away from the area to save themselves from more humiliation.
However, Kelvin was a newcomer to the workplace after all. He did not know how domineering Lanny was, and he was not willing to be bullied by a crazy woman on his first day at work.
"I don't care who you are or what position you hold in the company, but in my eyes, you and I are just equal. You don't have the right to slander Miss Bella and me. Please show some respect," Kelvin argued righteously.
Many colleagues silently commended Kelvin's courage, especially Jenny, who looked at him with admiration.
On the other hand, Lanny stared at him with disdain. "No, Kelvin. You are the one who should show me respect," she confidently said. "If you don't want my husband, the company director, to fire you on your first day at work, you should follow my advice and be a good boy."
Hearing those words, Kelvin's face instantly turned white. He saw everyone looking at him with sympathetic eyes, and that was when he knew he fucked up.
Anna witnessed everything quietly from the side. She could no longer stand by and continue watching, so even if it would take her a lot of risks, she braced herself to stand in front of Lanny.
"Ms. Lanny," Anna called her attention. Her voice was loud enough for everyone to hear. "Last week, you disappointed the president, who personally ordered a pay cut for you. If you don't want the same thing to happen again, I humbly ask you to leave now. But if you are still unhappy with his decision, please go and appeal to the president directly."
The office was again filled with laughter, and the target of gossip had clearly shifted from Bella to Lanny.
As it was her turn to become a laughing stock, Lanny felt a sudden wave of discomfort in her abdomen, and she hurriedly turned away and walked out of the office to escape humiliation.