Broken Dreams Stories

Chapter 95

mskipped a

The shrill ring of Evelyn’s phone shattered the quiet of her office, palling her out of her reverie. She glanced at the screen, and her heart så

beat Susan.

She had been dreading this call all day since her encounter with Derek’s Mom, a call she thought

might come but still hoped it wouldn’t

For a moment, she considered not answering it, letting it ring until it stopped, but that would only delay the inevitable. With a deep breath, she siriped so answer and brought the phone to her ear, hoping that she was wrong; and Susan was only calling to find out her plans for Derek’s Intendew that week.

“Hello, Susan,” she said, trying to keep her voice calm despite the anxiety bubbling inside her.

“Evelyn,” her boss’s voice came through, uncharacteristically seilt, and Evelyn inurediately knew something was wrong. “T. I’m sorry to do is over. the phone. You’re a great employer, and if it were up to just me, this wouldn’t be happening, but unfortunately, the board has made their decision.” Evelyn sat up straight, her pulse quickening. “What decision?” she asked, though a part of her already knew

to let you go

Susan passed before she spoke again, and that brief hesitation felt like a hammer waiting to drop. “The board has decided to

The words hit Evelyn like a blow to the chest, but she didn’t react immediately. She sat frozen, her mind racing, trying to make sense of it. “Let me go?” she repeated slowly as if hearing the words again might change them. “Susan why are they doing this? Why am I being punished for doing my job?”

There was another pause. “I’m really sorry. Evelyn. This decision wasn’t mine. There’s nothing I can do. Wes will be stepping in to take over.”

hard work, the loyalty, the sacrifices, and this is how it ended? She

putting up with any of this? Why can’t an international brand like Empowered protect its employees? I did everything you asked of me, Susan I dedicated years to this company, and this is how I’m

do,” Susan’s voice wavered with guilt. “But my hands are tied. It’s out of my control. You know how these things work… once the

to hold back her frustration any longer. “This is unfair, Susan, and you

again, but Evelyn

thud. The silence that followed was deafening, but it didn’t last long. The anger swelled inside her, hot

seeing as the board had always wanted Wes here, and

wasn’t devastated. Instead, a calm realization began to creep in. Maybe this was exactly what she

anyway, hadn’t she? She had always known that one day, she would return to her family’s company and take her rightful place

way of pushing her out of her comfort zone and making her go there sooner

her desk. She gathered her personal items. Every movement felt deliberate and final. As she looked around the office one last time, she fel a surprising sense

long enough to be attached to it. And although Empowered Magazine had been her life for so long, in was time to

through the corridors, her steps felt ligler than expected. It was over. She was free. Now, they had nothing more to hold over her. No one

house was quiet, and Maya wasn’t in. She checked the time and realized

couch and headed straight for the kitchen to get a glass

of water. After taking a long

up and get

Chapter 95

of tension that clung to her body. She stood under the stream for a long

herself in her bathrobe and headed to the bedroom. She sank into her bed, the soft

everything that had happened in the past few days. Losing her job was the final push she needed to focus on herself, her family, and her future. She