I pointed at the bracelet on her wrist. "Just like this Tiffany piece I bought at an auction five years ago."
Her fingers instinctively rubbed the bracelet.
Her gaze wavered for a moment, then quickly returned to that lofty, composed air. "Raymond, be mature. In the workplace, it’s normal to reward capable subordinates. Didn’t you also often give gifts to your staff before?"
I didn’t bother wasting any more words with her, and in the end, we parted on bad terms.
After half an hour of smoking in silence, I returned to my office only to find my personal belongings scattered all over the floor.
The most jarring sight was my mother’s photograph. The glass frame was shattered, and a clear shoeprint marked its surface.
"Mr. Benneth, sorry about that." Brian jogged over, a false look of apology on his face. "Miss Wallace said this office needs to be vacated for the new director, so I had some people clear it out first."
I slowly turned around, blood surging until it roared in my ears.
"Who did this?" I pointed at the shoeprint on the photo, my voice low and dangerous.
Brian’s eyes flickered, his fingers twisting uneasily together. "Maybe the cleaning lady accidentally stepped on it while moving things…"
"Bullshit!" My eyes burned red as I kicked over the nearby trash bin, the metal slamming against the wall with a deafening clang.
Brian flinched in fright, his eyes instantly welling up, looking for all the world like a startled rabbit.
"What’s going on?"
Megan strode over quickly, and Brian immediately hid behind her.
"Miss Wallace, Mr. Benneth is upset that I had people clear the office ahead of time," Brian said.
Megan glanced at the mess on the floor, not even furrowing her brows.
"It’s just changing an office. Do you really need to get so worked up?" She didn’t even look at the dirt-stained photo. "If you don’t want to move, just put your things back."
I grabbed the photo, not even feeling the pain as shards of glass pierced my palm. "Megan, look closely! This is my mother’s memorial photo!"
Only then did she glance at it, her lips moving slightly.
Before she could speak, Brian cut in, "Miss Wallace, I really didn’t know this would happen! I never thought the cleaning lady would be so careless. But in the end, it’s my fault."
His tears came instantly, streaming down his cheeks.
"How about I visit your mother’s grave to apologize…"
"Shut up!" I couldn’t take it anymore.
Brian shrank into Megan’s arms like a startled quail.
She immediately glared at me. "Raymond! Are you out of your mind? Brian has already apologized—what more do you want? It’s not like he was the one who stepped on the photo!"
Brian instantly slipped into full drama mode, his tears falling even harder. "Mr. Benneth, I know you hate me, but I really didn’t mean it…"
Seeing my bloodshot eyes, Megan stepped in front of Brian. "Raymond, if you have a problem, take it out on me—don’t bully Brian!"
I hadn’t said a word.
The next second, Brian suddenly dropped to his knees without warning. His eyes were red, voice choked. "Mr. Benneth, it’s all my fault!"
With trembling hands, he took off the cufflinks and watch, holding them out to me. "I know you’re angry because Miss Wallace gave me these gifts. I’m just a kid from a poor family—completely unworthy of using these things. I shouldn’t have caused you to misunderstand and damaged the relationship between you and Miss Wallace."
I grabbed the cufflinks and watch in one swift motion. Right in front of him, I threw them straight into the nearby trash bin.
Brian’s shoulders suddenly shook, tears instantly welling up and streaming down his cheeks, looking like a bullied, pitiful victim.
