Chapter 303
Chapter 303
Chapter 303
Kendall was the victim, so she had the sole right to determine the outcome of this matter.
"President Parker, I ask that Cameron and Karen apologize to me in front of the whole company," Kendall thought carefully before answering. She did not have the full confidence that Cameron would be sentenced to prison for slandering her had she decided to go through proper legal procedures without using Dylan's power in dealing with the matter. After all, Cameron's behavior had not caused her severe and irreparable damage.
"This is a must," Adam agreed since Kendall's request was reasonable.
"Also, they must leave Parker Corporation after making the apology. Vice President Parker can choose whether to dismiss them or have them resign." Cameron was Kelly's spy and her most important ally in the company. If Kendall wanted to fight against Kelly, the first thing Kendall had to do was to remove Cameron from the equation. This was the perfect opportunity to drive Cameron out of Parker Corporation so that she could no longer assist Kelly in future affairs.
The two secretaries turned pale after hearing that, but they could not defend themselves; they knew well that they couldn't continue working in the company after the incident ballooned. They could only hope that Kendall would not oppress them after they left the company. After all, they still had a long way to go in life and had to continue looking for job opportunities to pay their bills.
"Kendall, Cameron really regrets—" Kelly wanted to put up one last struggle, but she gave up defending Cameron under her father's gaze. So, she took a deep breath before playing up her persona as a fair and just leader by assuring Kendall, "Don't worry, Kendall. I will definitely give you a satisfactory result."
Kendall's expression finally softened after receiving the assurance she wanted from her sister. "Sure. I believe you will deliver it satisfactorily. Actually, I am also doing this for your sake, Vice President. If you continue to have Cameron by your side, one day, I am convinced that she will cause you more trouble. I mean, today, she can spread baseless rumors to smear me. Nothing's stopping her from leaking the company's secrets in the future. By that time, you won't be able to bear the serious consequences."
Even though Kelly utterly despised Kendall for making her fire one of her best subordinates, she had to pretend that she agreed with Kendall's words. "You're right. What Cameron did… was unforgivable." Kelly knew the outcome was a foregone conclusion; Cameron must leave the company.
When Adam saw that his two daughters seemed to have come to an agreement for this whole fiasco, he said solemnly, "Kelly, since your secretary stirred this matter up, I'll leave her to you. Nonetheless, the two must apologize to Kendall as per Kendall's request. Also, remember to deal with those who like to talk nonsense behind others' backs." Of course, Adam was referring to the women from the HR department.
Kendall promptly replied, "I will handle the matter and give Miss Parker a satisfactory outcome."
"That'll be it. Go back to work." Adam waved his hands and motioned for everyone to leave his office, so the group left the office one after another.
As soon as Kelly left the office, she gave Kendall a vicious glare and left without saying a word. On the other hand, Kendall, who won the battle, returned to Jessie's office and started working at her desk.
While Kendall was unaffected and indifferent, the same could not be said about Kelly, as Kelly nearly fainted with rage after losing to a person she had deemed beneath her. As soon as she returned to her
vice president's office, she looked at Cameron, who was standing in front of her desk with red and swollen cheeks. Kelly thought of venting out her anger at Cameron by scolding and even slapping Cameron, yet, she could not bring herself to do that. After all, Cameron had been working for her for several years, and most of the time, Cameron excelled at work. But this time…
"Vice President Parker, I will resign," Cameron said softly as her eyes turned red-rimmed. It was difficult for her to let go of everything she had built in the company in such a sudden turn of events.
She joined the Parker Corporation right after graduating from college, and she was valued by Kelly and became Kelly's secretary. After she had worked under Kelly for a few years, she became familiar with the working environment. She was reluctant to leave this company suddenly because she had poured out her sweat and tears to finally reach where she was.
"You must remember today's lesson; don't ever repeat it," Kelly sighed and advised. "It's not wrong to protect your boss, but you must do it through appropriate and legal channels—not through spreading rumors. Fortunately, the rumor is only known within the company. Imagine if everyone on the street knows it and Kendall commits suicide because of it; there'll be no turning back from that point. What awaits you by then is jail time."
"Vice President, I understand the consequences of my actions. I'm truly sorry that my actions have implicated you." Cameron had been by Kelly's side for many years, so she understood how much President Parker valued Kelly, but she clearly saw his disappointment toward Kelly in his eyes just now.
"You're not the only one to blame." Kelly sighed again. She was also too impatient when she tried to oust Kendall, even though Kendall was still underqualified to be her enemy. Instead, she made immature moves toward Kendall, which gave Kendall the perfect opportunity to get back at her.
"Do as Kendall said—publicly apologize to her, and then... hand in your resignation letter. I will deduct your bonus this month but still give you your basic salary."
"Thank you, Vice President Parker," thanked Cameron. She hesitated a bit before continuing, "Can I ask a favor from you? After I leave the company, can you ask Miss Parker not to retaliate and oppress me?" Cameron was fearful of this.
After being silent for a moment, Kelly replied, "I will try my best, but I can't guarantee that she'll agree to it."
"Thank you, Vice President Parker."
Kelly fell into silence again before she spoke, "After you leave the company, make sure you keep your mouth shut, stop talking about this matter, and stop interacting with me. If you do this, she might not hound after you. After all, her enemy is me, not you." Cameron acted too recklessly, which gave Kendall the leverage to kick her out of the company.
Well, Cameron was indeed reckless, and so was Kelly. Both of them did not realize that Kendall was a different person and should have been treated differently. Ever since Kendall married Master Dylan, she became more and more shrewd. Kelly would not believe it if Kendall said that Master Dylan was not pulling strings behind the scenes. But Kelly was wrong this time.
Contrary to Kelly's belief, Kendall actually never told Dylan anything. If Dylan even learned about the matter, it was because he heard it from other channels.
"Vice President Parker, your ability is outstanding, and the company's top management recognizes you. It'll be difficult for Miss Parker to surpass you. If only she didn't have Master Dylan as her
patron…" Cameron did not finish her sentence but what she wanted to convey was as bright as day.
"Go back to work, Cameron. There's nothing else we can do in this situation. The battle between me and her will only get worse from here." The only way to stop the infighting was to split the company into two, so each sister could be in charge of one company. Unfortunately, it was implausible that Adam would agree to that.
After Cameron left the office, Kelly looked at the cup of cold coffee on her desk. Just as she wanted to put the cup near her lips to drink it, she remembered that she was pregnant and should not be drinking coffee. So, she rose to her feet, went into the bathroom, and emptied the cup into the sink.
Kelly looked at herself in the mirror after vomiting for a while—the person in the mirror looked a little haggard and was no longer the high-spirited person she once was. Despite that, she lowered her head, looked at her belly, and gently caressed it. She would not have felt a baby growing in her belly if it were not for the early pregnancy reaction.
"My baby, you came at an ungodly time," Kelly whispered. As soon as those words left her lips, she firmly decided to get an abortion.