The Ex-Wife They Begged To Keep - Chapter 151: Chapter 151

All the employees around them were staring now, and even Winnie felt embarrassed.
"Just let me in. Can't we talk inside?" Winnie bit her lip, clearly flustered, but James still shook his head firmly. "Sorry, Mr. Brannon is busy right now and doesn't have time to see you."
Just as James finished speaking, the elevator nearby opened and Serena stepped out, walking straight toward Keith's office.
"Serena." James' expression softened the moment he saw her.
Serena nodded at James and said gently, "I need to go in. Is Mr. Brannon busy?"
"Go right ahead," James said.
James didn't even need to ask. He knew Keith would never turn Serena away. As Keith's closest work assistant, he was well aware of their relationship.
But Winnie completely lost it.
Winnie grabbed Serena's arm and yelled at James, "Why is Keith always busy when I want to see him, but suddenly free when Serena shows up? You're all just picking on me!"
James sighed, "Ms. Banks, don't you get it? I speak for Mr. Brannon. He doesn't want to see you outside of work, and he wants you to focus on your job when you're here, not other things."
This was the bluntest rejection possible. Nobody could handle Winnie's constant harassment anymore.
Serena frowned and freed her arm, while Winnie's face turned red with anger. She pointed at James, then at Serena.
Winnie yelled, "Fine! You're all ganging up on me. Now I finally see what's going on. Keith's no better than the rest of you, leading this workplace bullying against me!"
Serena had been keeping her temper in check, but seeing Winnie act like a victim pushed her over the edge. "You think you're being bullied? But how much trouble have you caused since you got here?"
Seeing even the usually sweet-tempered Serena snap at Winnie like this, James stayed quiet and watched her handle it.
"What trouble did I cause?" Winnie asked.
"You standing here is trouble enough," Serena sneered.
Winnie pointed her finger at Serena, getting more worked up by the second. Serena didn't hesitate to slap her hand away, her eyes turning ice-cold.
Serena said coldly, "If nobody's ever told you this before, let me teach you—pointing at people is rude and shows bad manners."
Winnie was so angry she couldn't find words. Her lips trembled, and after a long moment, she pulled out her phone and dialed a number.
She cried, "Dad! Someone's bullying me at Brannon Creative Group."
Nobody expected Winnie to call her parents the second things didn't go her way. Serena caught James' eye and frowned.
Winnie whined into the phone for a while, then hung up with a smug look on her face. She crossed her arms. "My dad's gonna text Keith and warn him. Ha! You think you can mess with me?"
'This could get messy.' Serena thought. She took a deep breath, trying to stay calm. "I'm the one who called you out, not the whole company. You can't take it out on everyone else."
Winnie looked incredibly pleased with herself.
"Too late to suck up to me now!" Winnie reached out and poked Serena's shoulder, like she was deliberately picking a fight. "I'm gonna make Keith fire you."
Right in the middle of Winnie's tirade, the office door behind them suddenly opened. Keith walked out, his face stone cold. "Fire who?"
Winnie's face darkened. Keith should have gotten her father's call by now, but he still wouldn't back down. She stomped her foot in frustration. "Serena, of course. Keith, I just don't get it. What's so special about that woman that you keep protecting her?"
Keith said, "Your father did call me just now."
Winnie's father had been bossy and demanding on the phone, lecturing Keith about how he should be accommodating Winnie. He'd gone on and on, but Keith had given him just one response.
"I'm telling you what I told your father now. Brannon Creative Group can terminate our contract with your company anytime. But if you want to walk away first, you'll pay the hefty penalty fees. It's all spelled out in black and white."
Keith's unmoved expression hit Winnie like a lightning bolt. She couldn't believe what she was hearing. "You're going to break our contract?"
Serena hadn't expected this turn of events, but she knew this wasn't the time to speak up. She stayed quiet.
"Ms. Banks, you can go home now. Since you're not here to actually work, stop bothering everyone else." Keith turned to James without missing a beat. "Show her out."
The whole scene was incredibly satisfying. Everyone looked relieved, while Winnie stood there stunned as James escorted her out.
Serena followed Keith into the office, but didn't feel great about things. "Won't ending the contract like this hurt our company somehow?"
Keith saw the worried look on her face and couldn't help finding her a little cute. He reached out and gently pinched her cheek.
He said, "We're the ones calling the shots in this partnership. We only gave Winnie's father face to make things run smoother, but now they've got everything backwards. We don't need to put up with this."
'That made sense.' Serena nodded and felt a lot better about it. A spoiled rich girl hanging around the design department was giving everyone headaches anyway. She didn't need to worry if it wouldn't hurt the company's profit.
Serena said, "By the way, here's the design I just finished. Take a look. If it's good, we can send it straight to Tims Group."
Keith smiled, "Sure, I'll check it now."
Serena and Keith sat in the quiet office, enjoying a rare moment of peace together.
Keith looked over the design once and was already impressed. He sent it off to Tims Group right away.
They got an immediate response—the boss loved it and said they could start production soon.
With one big problem solved and such good news coming in, Serena couldn't help but smile.