The Billionaire's Unexpected Proposal by Samantha

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."

her. Her grip tightened around the phone as she hit back her initial response. After all the hard work, the loyalty, the sacrifices, and this is how it ended? She wasn't even worth a

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 repaid? Fired for

my hands are tied. It's out of my control. You know how

back her frustration any longer. "This is unfair,

Susan whispered again, but Evelyn had

call, dropping her phone on the desk with a sharp thud. The silence that followed was deafening, but it didn't last long. The

shouldn't have been so surprising, seeing as the board had always wanted Wes here, and she had

was no sorrow. She wasn't devastated. Instead, a calm realization began to creep in. Maybe this was exactly what

planned to leave Empowered after resolving things with her father anyway, hadn't she? She had always known that one day, she would return to her family's company and take her rightful place there. This this was just life's way of pushing her out of her comfort zone and making her go there sooner than

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 of closure. Thankfully, she hadn't worked in this office long enough to be attached to it. And although Empowered Magazine had been her life for so long, in was time to let it

steps felt ligler than expected. It was over. She was free. Now, they had nothing more to hold over her. No one would exercise such control

and Maya wasn't in. She checked the time and realized that Maya had already left to pick Samantha up

and headed straight for the kitchen to

long sap from it,

up and get some

Chapter 95

She stood under the stream for a long time, letting the

closed her eyes for a moment, thinking about 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 was going to make sure Sandra regretted

sound of the doorbell startled her. She frowned, wondering why Maya would be ringing the bell instead of

way to the front door. When