?Chapter 31:


    Haley was caught off guard. She didn’t understand why Marc wanted her out. Still, she stood her ground. “I’m staying. Unless there’s something you’re hiding from me?”


    Marc shot her a bored look, not interested in arguing. Instead of replying, he turned his attention to a new message on his phone. It said Ste had gone up the mountain about an hour earlier and had lingered by the wish tree, apparently writing something again.


    He instantly recognized the location. They’d been there together once. But why was she recing her que now?


    His thoughts tangled into a knot.


    Something didn’t sit right, but he couldn’t put his finger on it.


    The only option that made sense to him was tracking down Ste and figuring out what was really going on.


    He stood abruptly, snatched his coat from the rack, and headed for the door. Before stepping out, he picked up the officendline and contacted the legal department, instructing them to revise the contracts.


    He spoke loud enough for Haley to hear, and the message hit its mark—her face flushed with embarrassment. Seeing Marc heading for the door without a second nce only fueled her irritation.


    “Marc, where are you going? What’s wrong with the contracts? Did I mess something up?” She reached out, trying to stop him, arms spread to block the door.


    Marc walked right past her without acknowledging her presence.


    “Marc!” she called after him, ring as his figure disappeared down the hall. She stomped her foot, furious. He didn’t even pause. He waspletely ignoring her!


    Momentster, the head of legal arrived, informed by colleagues that Marc had called. He took one look at Haley’s stormy expression and silently grabbed the documents from her desk, choosing not to say a word.


    Haley, still fuming, chased after him. “Hold on! I spent hours on those contracts! Why are you taking them back? You’re nothing but a useless leech!”


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    The supervisor looked fed up. He hadn’t even pointed out how disorganized and unusable the contracts were, yet Haley was already bragging about how carefully she had prepared them. How clueless could she be?


    Saying nothing, the supervisor simply observed as Haley’s eyes darted around the room until they locked onto Allegra.


    Haley suddenly recalled that Allegra had some sort of connection to Ste. “You! Yes, you! Aren’t you in legal? Didn’t you see the effort I poured into those contracts? You just sit there like a statue while I do all the real work. What does thispany even pay you for—decoration? People like you are dragging us down. Effective immediately, forget about getting a year-end bonus.”


    Everyone knew Haley was out to provoke someone.


    Allegra slowly rose from her seat and walked over, her expression unreadable. She had always been quiet, someone who kept her head down to maintain her position. But things had shifted.


    After talking with Ste, she realized there was no point enduring a dead-end job just to say she had one.


    A fancy office meant nothing if the one running it had no clue what they were doing. With a boss like that, her future would be stuck in ce.


    “Ms. Smith,” she began calmly, “have you actually looked at those ‘contracts’ you’re so proud of? They don’t even follow thepany’s basic formatting standards. You call that detailed work? It’sughable. Everyone knows you’re from the Smith family, but who would’ve guessed your abilities would be this embarrassing? Honestly, a kid with half a brain could’ve done better.”


    The room went silent. People stared at Allegra like they were seeing her for the first time. She’d always kept her voice low. Where had this version of here from?


    “You! Who do you think you are, talking to me like that? I’ll have Marc fire you on the spot!”


    But Allegra only chuckled. “Toote. My resignation’s already been submitted. If you’re hoping to kick me out, you’ve missed your chance. And since we’re being honest, I can’t stomach people who climb with favors and destroy families in the process. You tick both boxes. Also—newssh—waving your foreign passport around doesn’t make you special. Trash from abroad is still trash.”


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