The entirepany''s decision-making power rested in Aurora''s hands. Although Gemma didn''t like Aurora, she had to admit that, judging from Aurora''s attitude over the past few months, Aurora hadn''t deliberately made her work life difficult.


    This showed that Aurora wasn''t as petty as people might assume. Perhaps seeking her forgiveness could still work.


    "Miss Montgomery, I don''t want to be fired. Please, considering that we went to the same school, forgive me this once. I really want to stay with thepany. If my parents find out I was fired, they''ll kill me," Gemma pleaded, her voice trembling.


    Aurora turned her gaze to Gemma, whose face was filled with nervous tension. This was probably the first time Aurora had seen Gemma look so panicked since knowing her.


    From the things Gemma had done in the past, Aurora already knew the kind of person she was dealing with. She had encountered many people like Gemma-two-faced and skilled at hiding their true intentions.


    "If you knew the consequences of your actions, why did you do it in the first ce?" Aurora asked coldly, her expression indifferent.


    "I... I wasn''t thinking straight. At the time, I was just jealous of how much Candy liked Heather. I wanted to teach her a lesson-I didn''t have any other intentions," Gemma replied in a pitiful tone, her eyes glistening.


    Aurora found itughable. "Gemma, I think you''d make an excellent actress."


    "Miss Montgomery, what do you mean by that?" Gemma''s eyes widened as she stared at Aurora.


    Heather and a young girl entered the room just then. Neither spoke as they observed the scene before them. The young girl looked at the woman seated on the leather chair and was taken aback. Aurora was so young-much younger than she had expected.


    The girl had watched the livestream of the perfumeunch before, but seeing Aurora in person was surreal. She couldn''t believe that the founder of thepany was someone so close to her own age. Yet, the aura Aurora exuded wasmanding, almost imperial. Even though Aurora hadn''t directed her attention toward her, the girl felt a sense of unease.


    Aurora ignored the two neers entirely. Originally, she hadn''t nned to deal with Gemma''s actions, but the fact that Gemma had the audacity toe and plead her case was something Aurora couldn''t tolerate.


    "Gemma, you say you weren''t thinking straight. You say it was a moment of weakness. But you knew how much pressure the entirepany was under these past two weeks. Everyone has been working tirelessly to prepare for theunch in such a short timeframe.


    Take Ian and Leonard, for example. In this freezing weather, after several heavy snowfalls, they spent their nights nning and their days running around on-site. Meanwhile, you sat in a cozy office with the air conditioning running,pletely unaffected.


    I didn''t want to dwell on this, but because of your selfishness, you almost ruined the entireunch.


    You knew exactly what the consequences of your actions would be, Gemma. It''s precisely because you knew that you did it. You wanted to use this as a way to harm me-mess up theunch, offend Candy, and throw thepany into chaos.


    If you have an issue with me, you can leave. Thepany doesn''t depend on you to survive.


    But what you did didn''t just harm me. It harmed the entire team. Everyone who worked so hard, who stayedte to ensure everything was perfect-you nearly destroyed all of their efforts.


    You''ve worked alongside these colleagues for so long. Do you really feel no connection to them? Did you really need to resort to such malicious tactics to get your way?"


    Aurora''s voice was cold and unyielding.


    Heather and the young girl didn''t dare breathe too loudly. The aura Aurora emanated was so overwhelming that, despite the room being heated, they felt an icy chill.


    Gemma was left speechless, stammering, "I... I didn''t think it through."


    "It doesn''t matter whether you thought it through or not. I''m not interested in your excuses. If you still have a shred of dignity, leave," Aurora said without hesitation.


    If you''re loving the book, nel5s is where the adventure continues. Join us for theplete experience all for free. The next chapter is eagerly waiting for you! "Miss Montgomery, please give me one more chance. This time, I promise I''ll do my job well. I don''t want to leave thepany!" Gemma begged desperately.


    "It''s toote. Actions have consequences, and you must face them," Aurora said coldly. Gemma''s frustration boiled over. She turned her anger toward Heather. "So it''s all my fault, is it? What about her? Are you saying she''spletely meless? We joined thepany at the same time, yet you favor her in everything and can''t tolerate me.


    Is it because of what happened back in school? Are you using your power for personal revenge? I''m smarter, prettier, and better at socializing than Heather. If you had given me more opportunities, I would never have done such a thing!"


    By the end of her tirade, Gemma had twisted the situation to make it seem as though Aurora was the one in the wrong. Even the young girl, who had been silent until now, couldn''t stand it anymore.


    "Miss, have you no shame? I don''t know exactly what happened in yourpany, but based on what I heard earlier in the office, your character seems highly questionable.


    You tried to pin the me on me first. Lucky for me, I remembered exactly what you ordered; otherwise, I would have taken the fall for you.


    When that didn''t work, you tried to frame thisdy. Now you''re even using Miss Montgomery of being unfair. Do you really think the whole world revolves around you? You''re acting like a spoiled princess, but without the credentials to back it up. Even as an outsider, I can''t stand watching this."


    "You... you''re just a lowly waitress! What gives you the right to speak to me like that?" Gemma snapped, enraged. Since when had small fry like this dared to insult her?


    "I''m not part of yourpany, so I have nothing to fear. The fact is, you were wrong. You tried to use me to sabotage yourpany.


    Even though things turned out okay, you still made a mistake. And instead of owning up to it, you''re ming everyone else.


    If you''re loving the book, nel5s is where the adventure continues. Join us for theplete experience-all for free. The next chapter is eagerly waiting for you!


    I''ve met many people in my life, but I''ve never seen anyone as shameless as you," the young girl retorted, arms akimbo.


    Aurora chuckled softly. This girl was amusing-bold enough to say such things.


    Earlier, Gemma''s words had left Heather fuming. Now the tables had turned, and it was Gemma''s turn to be livid.


    Gemma''s face turned red with anger as she pointed a trembling finger at the young girl. "Who are you? I''m going to report you! Let''s see how you feel about losing your


    job!"


    "Go ahead. My name is Willow Shore. If I lose this job, I''ll just find another. No big deal," Willow shot back,pletely unbothered.


    "Willow, you mentioned earlier that you have a good memory?" Aurora suddenly asked.


    "Yes, Miss Montgomery. Otherwise, I wouldn''t have remembered what she ordered," Willow replied confidently.


    "Good. Then tell me, in the office you just came from, how many pens were in the pen holder on the desk?"


    "Six," Willow answered without hesitation.


    "How many of them were yellow?"


    "There weren''t any yellow pens. There were three ck pens, two red pens, and one pencil," Willow responded firmly.


    "Excellent. Starting now, you''ll take over her position," Aurora said calmly, her words leaving everyone in the room stunned.