The Ex-Wife They Begged To Keep - Chapter 22: Chapter 22

Just then, the conference room door opened, and Stacey walked in, heels clicking against the floor.
Seeing the tense atmosphere inside, she frowned slightly. "What's going on here? What are you yapping about?"
Erika immediately switched to a pitiful expression. "Ms. Mosher, I only asked Serena to organize the materials for the meeting. But not only did she fail to get it done, now she's making excuses."
Stacey waved her hand impatiently. "Serena, what's your problem? You can't even handle something this simple?"
Serena looked Stacey straight in the eye, unafraid. "Ms. Mosher, I already organized the materials this morning and saved them on my computer. But now they're gone. Someone must've accessed my computer."
"Who would touch your computer? You're just making excuses." Stacey stared at Serena with obvious disdain, thinking she was nothing but trouble.
Serena replied, "Ms. Mosher, if you don't believe me, then please pull the surveillance footage. Security footage doesn't lie."
As soon as she said that, Erika's face went pale. "Pull the footage? That's not necessary, is it? It's just a small issue. No need to make it a big deal," Erika said, watching Stacey's expression as she spoke.
"Ms. Mosher, I'm not trying to dodge responsibility. I just want to clear my name," Serena spoke. Then her tone turned sharper. "If a company can't even protect its employees' basic rights, how can anyone feel secure working here?"
Stacey rubbed her temples, clearly annoyed. She hated getting dragged into petty disputes like this. She thought, 'Serena got in through connections and she's been nothing but trouble from the start. I can't stand the sight of her.'
Stacey grumbled, "Alright, that's enough. Serena, if you're just stirring things up and end up delaying the meeting, can you take responsibility for that?"
"Ms. Mosher, if this really was my mistake, I'm willing to take full responsibility." Serena's tone turned mocking. "Or is it that the company's afraid the truth might come out?"
Stacey was momentarily caught off guard, her expression darkening. She thought, 'Serena really has a sharp tongue.' She cursed inwardly, but she had to admit Serena had a point. If Stacey refused to check the footage, it would only make the company look guilty.
"Fine. Pull the footage," Stacey said through gritted teeth. "Erika, go talk to security. Get the surveillance video."
Erika's face turned even paler. She quickly said, "Ms. Mosher, there's really no need. It's such a small thing—"
"Shut up," Stacey cut in sharply. "Just do what you're told. Cut the crap."
Erika didn't dare say another word. She slunk away to contact security.
In the surveillance room, the footage clearly showed that during the lunch break, everyone else had left the office.
Only Erika had snuck back, crept up to Serena's computer, and quickly deleted the files before walking away like nothing happened.
Once the truth was out, the entire conference room broke into a commotion.
Erika's face was ghostly pale, her whole body trembling. Stacey's face was stone cold as she shot Erika a fierce glare. Everything in the footage had confirmed Serena's earlier claim.
"Erika, do you have anything to say for yourself now?" Stacey demanded.
Erika's lips trembled, but she couldn't say a single word.
Stacey turned to Serena. "Serena, this was Erika's personal conduct. It doesn't represent the company. We'll deal with this matter seriously."
Serena lowered her gaze slightly, concealing the ridicule in her eyes. "Ms. Mosher, I expect the company to handle this fairly, provide a proper explanation, and compensate me for the damage to my reputation."
Stacey's face went pale, her features slightly contorted. She pressed her lips together tightly, trying to hold onto the last bit of dignity, but the muscles at the corner of her eyes twitched uncontrollably.
Meanwhile, at Powell Villa, Oliver was sitting on the couch, holding a game console. He said without even looking up, "Leon, you're up. There's bread and milk in the kitchen. Go eat."
Eliza saw Leon still standing there and urged him impatiently, "Leon, what are you dawdling for? Hurry up and eat. We still have to get to preschool."
Hearing the impatience in her voice, Leon pouted and held his stomach. "Ellie, my tummy hurts. My mom said I shouldn't eat cold food. Can you heat the milk for me?"
Eliza frowned and glanced at her watch. "Oh, we're gonna be late. Just make do with what's there." With that, she grabbed her bag and started pulling Oliver and Leon toward the door.
Tears welled up in Leon's eyes until he couldn't hold them back anymore. He clutched the doorframe tightly, his face turning red. "I don't want to go to preschool. I want Mommy. I want a warm breakfast."
Eliza was getting annoyed by his crying. She yanked his arm and her tone grew sharp. "Leon, stop it. Let's go. If we don't leave now, we really will be late."
"I'm not going. I don't want to," Leon screamed through his sobs, his voice turning hoarse, each word tugging at the heart.
When Serena was around, she always made him a warm breakfast in the morning and gently reminded him to pace himself when he ate. But now, Leon was left all alone to face cold milk and bread.
Victor was about to head out for work when he heard Leon crying. He strode into the living room, saying, "What's with the crying first thing in the morning?"
The moment Leon saw Victor, he dug his heels into the floor and refused to budge.
Eliza saw Victor and quickly explained, "Vic, we're about to be late, and Leon's throwing a tantrum, refusing to go to preschool."
Victor glanced at Leon impatiently and then checked the time. They really were running late.
Eliza looked at Leon's tear-streaked face, and a wave of irritation rose in her chest. But with Victor standing right there, she couldn't show it too clearly.
She said, "Be good, Leon. Let's go to preschool first, okay? I'll get you something tasty after school." Then she pulled Leon away from the doorframe. He was so small his feet barely touched the ground, stumbling as she dragged him along.
Eliza shoved Leon into the car and slammed the door shut. The window slowly rolled up, sealing off the sound of Leon's desperate crying.
Victor watched the car drive off and let out a long sigh. He never imagined there'd come a day when something this trivial could wear him down. When Serena was around, everything just seemed to fall into place without him needing to lift a finger.
After entering the office building, Victor headed straight for his office and ordered, "Kevin, get me Serena's current contact info."
"Yes, Mr. Powell. I'll look it up right away," Kevin replied.
As soon as Victor received Serena's number, he took out his phone and dialed without hesitation.
"Hello? Who's this?" Serena's voice came through the line.
Victor snapped, "Serena, have you caused enough trouble yet? When are you coming back?"
"Victor?"
"Don't push it. I'm giving you a chance here."
Serena paused, then scoffed, her tone edged with disdain, "Victor, do you seriously think you get to decide how I live my life?"
She was still laughing as she added, "You want me to come back? What gives you the right?"
Victor fell silent, caught off guard by her words. But Serena had no intention of waiting for his response.
"And another thing, Victor—I'm warning you. Don't ever call me again." With that, she hung up.