Chapter 54 – Returning to Her Not-So-Poor Family

Filed To Story: Returning to Her Not-So-Poor Family

After Dean left, Mirabella leaned back in her chair, checking previous company reports. Her phone vibrated a few times. Messages from Romeo and her parents, before she could reply, there was a knock on the door.

“Ms. Bennett, Director Linda from HR wants to see you.” Dean’s voice came from outside, sounding a bit concerned.

“Let her in.” Mirabella said.

Mirabella put down her phone, looked up at the woman standing in front of her. She looked no older than her twenties, but she radiated authority, “Ms. Bennett, playing the tough boss on your first day, huh?”

Linda stormed over to Mirabella, slamming her fist on the desk, “I was sent here by the head office when the company was founded, now you just want to fire me? So, you think you own the place? Do you even care about the head office’s decision?”

She said this, glaring angrily at Mirabella, clearly unhappy with Mirabella’s decisions.

The sneaky employees peeking from outside were startled, they thought, “Is Ms. Bennett’s desk something she can just bang on? How dare she make eye contact with Ms. Bennett!”

Mirabella knew the office door was wide open, and many pairs of eyes were watching her. Dean wanted to shoo them away, but they loved a good drama, eager to see what would happen next. So none of them would leave.

Mirabella’s gaze landed on the woman in front of her. She said calmly, “The one who doesn’t care about the head office’s decision is you, Director Linda. I’ve seen your attendance record. Do you have anything to say for yourself?”

“So, Ms. Bennett, you’ve already checked my attendance record. You should know I’ve been working my butt off all year round, never been late nor left early! I’m always the first one in and the last one out every day! My hard work is all reflected in that record! However, you fired me for no good reason! You better believe I’ll raise hell about this, make a complaint to headquarters, and make things hard for you here!” Linda said.

People outside the office were flabbergasted. Director Linda sure had a big mouth, daring to talk to Ms. Bennett like that. She was just bullying Ms. Bennett cause she was young!

They wonder if Ms. Bennett got scared.

Mirabella looked at her casually, and slowly said, “Do you really believe what you just said?”

“You!” Linda immediately felt pissed, “What do you mean by that!”

“Why not ask those people outside, how many days were you actually at the company this past year?” Mirabella said.

“What, Ms. Bennett, are you trying to gang up with them to set me up?” Linda sneered, “I’ll report everything that happened today to the head office. I’ll let you know what it costs to fire people randomly! You want me out? Ha, you’d better think about how to keep your own job!”

Just as Linda was about to leave after throwing out those harsh words, Mirabella’s voice emerged, “Hold on.”

Mirabella looked at her back with interest, like a high and mighty queen, “This matter indeed needs to be reported to the head office. Otherwise, they wouldn’t know how much resources you, the termite, have wasted in the company for the past year.”

“You, what do you mean?” Linda turned back, glaring at her angrily, “Don’t make things up!”

“I checked the attendance system and found records that had been altered.” Mirabella said.

Mirabella turned the computer screen towards her, tapping a few keys with her slender fingers.

“You’re the head of HR, so you have the right to log into the attendance system to make alterations. Even though you tried to erase the alteration records, they can be restored quickly with special formulas and a series of program codes.” Mirabella said.

Mirabella restored the attendance record for the whole year, smiling, “Here’s your real attendance. Out of 365 days, you only worked for 78 days.” Everyone outside was shocked! Although they had noticed Linda missing work many times, they didn’t expect her attendance to be so low! Only 78 days! “You’ve taken a whole year’s salary and perfect attendance rewards, plus year–end bonuses, adding up to over half a million. This could constitute a criminal offense.” Mirabella said.

“You’re slandering me.” Linda went pale, couldn’t believe this girl could restore her actual attendance! But regardless, that was all in the past. As long as she firmly denied it, what could the company do? Could this girl’s restored attendance record prove anything? She was good at coding, maybe she manipulated the attendance record herself! Her aim was just to smear us old staff.

“Oh, by the way, I’ve extracted all the surveillance videos related to you over the past year. The number of days you showed up at the company is exactly 78 days. Whether you’re the one slandering us, the police will figure it out when we get to the police station.” Mirabella said.

“You, what are you trying to do,” Linda said.

“Of course, turn these pieces of evidence over to the police. Arguing about right and wrong here is pointless, the police will sort it out soon enough.” Mirabella said.

“You!” Linda yelled.

Mirabella shot a casual glance at Dean and said, “Dean, call the cops.”

Hearing this, Linda immediately went as pale as a sheet. She was all high and mighty just now. But in front of Mirabella, she was helpless, clutching the table and begging for mercy.

‘No, please.” Linda’s voice was shaking, “Ms. Bennett, we can sit down and talk this out.”

“I was originally planning to let you off the hook, but you just had to pick a fight with me.” Mirabella said.

Mirabella raised an eyebrow, looking somewhat helpless, “I wasn’t planning on making you pay for the company’s loss, or making you go to jail. But you insisted on reporting this to the headquarters, blowing things out of proportion.”

Linda was so regretful she could kick herself, “Ms. Bennett, it’s all my fault! I shouldn’t have tampered with the attendance record, scamming my monthly salary and perfect attendance! I shouldn’t have gone against my conscience to accept the company’s annual reward. I was wrong! I really was wrong! Can I apologize to you?”

“Is this the only thing you did wrong?” Mirabella’s gaze fell on her, filled with intensity.

“Wha what else…” Linda’s tears were welling up in her eyes. And in her panic, she couldn’t think of anything else that gave Ms. Bennett leverage.

Linda seemed to realize something, but she wasn’t sure. She asked timidly, “What is it?”

“It’s the complaint letters from the people who left the company this past year! There are a total of sixty–three letters complaining about you.” Mirabella said.

Linda was stunned, so were the colleagues outside. That many?

Clearly, Linda had been bullying quite a few people.

“You abused your power, covered for your colleagues who did wrong with you. And those upright people who refused to cooperate with you were all forced out by you! The company can’t retain talents, and it’s all because of you!” Mirabella said.

“Ms. Bennett, let me explain, those people didn’t follow the company’s rules.” Linda said.

Before Linda could finish, Mirabella’s gaze turned colder, “At this point, you still want to frame them?”

She really wouldn’t repent until her deathbed!

“Ms. Bennett, I’m sorry! Please give me another chance!” Linda begged, “Those people that I forced out, I’ll personally go and apologize to each of them!” Seeing that Mirabella wasn’t responding, Linda added in a choked voice, “The twelve months of salary and bonus that the company gave me, I’ll return it all within three days! Please don’t call the police! If you do, I’m finished! My life will be ruined!”

Mirabella looked her in the eye, and said word for word, “When you forced them out, did you ever consider that their lives might also be ruined by you?” “Ms. Bennett.” Linda said.

“When you slandered them, did you ever consider their feelings?” Mirabella said.

Mirabella stared coldly at the woman in front of her, “I also saw in the complaint letters that you threatened your colleagues with their personal matters, and some of them even transferred money to you to settle the matter. The amount wasn’t small. If you’re charged with all of these, you’ll at least serve two years in prison.”

“Ms. Bennett.” Linda was terrified, tears streaming down her face, “I made a mistake! I’m sorry.”

“It’s too late for regrets now.” Mirabella said.

Dean had already called the police, and a few officers had arrived. They asked about the situation and were ready to take Linda away.

“Ms. Bennett, please have mercy, say something.” Linda didn’t want to be arrested, and she pinned all her hopes on Mirabella, crying out without any sense of self–respect, “Please give me another chance. I promise I’ll mend my ways, start afresh!”

“I already gave you a chance, but you didn’t cherish it.” Mirabella said.

“Ms. Bennett.” Linda said.

As Linda was led away by the police, the people outside were all whispering about it.

“I can’t believe Director Linda is like this.”

“She’s even accepting bribes on the side.”

People are just so unpredictable.”

“Had enough fun watching?” Mirabella’s voice suddenly broke the silence.

People outside scattered at once, apparently not daring to linger. Clearly, this new CEO was not one to be trifucked with.

Seeing that the crowd had dispersed, Dean couldn’t help but approach, offering a cup of coffee, “Ms. Bennett, if Linda doesn’t come to you on her own, were you just gonna let her slide?”

Mirabella took a sip of her coffee, as Dean muttered to himself, “She’s done so much crap, if you just let her off the hook like this, wouldn’t that be letting her off too easy?”

“Of course not.” Confidence sparkled in Mirabella’s eyes, “She’ll definitely come to me.”

How do you know?” Dean asked.

I’ve seen the previous complaint letters, she dared to stand up to Mr. Oscar over petty things, which means she’s got a short fuse and can’t tolerate any dissatisfaction. I fired her, she’ll feel humiliated, and she’ll definitely come knocking.” Mirabella said.

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