Chapter 483

Sterling Corporation's executive lounge.

Victoria Ashford sat frozen in her seat, her face drained of color. The termination notice hadn't been officially announced yet, but the writing was on the wall.

Reginald Ashford had pulled countless strings to secure her position at Sterling Corp. Victoria couldn't bear imagining his reaction when he discovered she'd ruined everything.

She'd clawed her way up from being the illegitimate daughter, nearly escaping her past demons. Now she teetered on the edge of an abyss - one misstep away from complete destruction.

"Ms. Ashford." Bennett's voice snapped her back to reality. She jumped to her feet, pulse racing.

"Madam Sinclair has back-to-back meetings today with no available openings." Bennett's professional tone offered no comfort. "You should leave now."

Victoria's hands trembled. "This makes no sense. Why am I being fired without warning?" A desperate hope flickered that her misdeeds remained undiscovered.

Yesterday's humiliation by Nathan Blackwood still burned fresh. But as long as she remained at Sterling Corp, there was still a chance. She refused to surrender.

Bennett's lips curved into a humorless smile. "Perhaps you should reflect on what you did to offend Madam Sinclair."

He didn't need explanations. Evelyn Sinclair's wrath spoke volumes, and Bennett knew exactly how to handle troublesome individuals. Victoria's face turned ghostly pale.

Her stomach dropped. How had Evelyn uncovered everything so quickly? Victoria bit her lip hard enough to draw blood. "I demand to see Madam Sinclair personally. Whatever grievances she has, I'll make amends."

She adopted the perfect wounded expression - the picture of unjust persecution. Bennett remained impassive. "No apologies necessary, Ms. Ashford. Your punishment is termination."

"Return to being the Ashford heiress. Madam Sinclair runs an empire - she hasn't the patience for petty employee disputes."

Panic set in. "My father is Reginald Ashford! Is this how Evelyn treats the Ashford family?"

Bennett's gaze turned glacial. "Then by all means, have Chairman Ashford take this up with Madam Sinclair." He signaled nearby security. "Escort Ms. Ashford out."

The humiliation burned like acid. In that moment, Victoria understood the brutal truth - she was merely the daughter of Ashford Group's chairman, while Evelyn Sinclair commanded an entire corporate kingdom.

They existed in different stratospheres. Evelyn didn't even deem her worthy of a confrontation.

Outside Sterling Tower's gleaming facade, the midday sun offered no warmth. An icy dread crept up Victoria's spine as she realized - Evelyn hadn't bothered with explanations because she already knew everything.

No theatrics. No dramatic confrontation. Just swift, merciless execution.

Collapsing onto the plaza steps, Victoria stared up at the monolithic skyscraper - a cold, unfeeling beast that had spat her out. The message was clear: she never belonged there in the first place.