Chapter 30 Resignations and Retaliations
Claudia didn’t think much of it. She unlocked the door and stepped into the studio.
Lately, whenever she had time, she buried herself in portfolio work here and often spent the night. The space had all the necessities–basic amenities and a change of clothes.
After a shower and slipping into soft, fluffy pajamas, Claudia headed straight for the workspace.
Her thick portfolio lay open–design inspirations, conceptual drafts, visual sketches, and the stories and meanings behind each piece were carefully annotated throughout. Some pages even had her hand–drawn anthropomorphic illustrations of the designs. Around the photos of the finished products, she’d pasted fabric swatches and small samples of scents–replicas for display purposes.
It was nearly complete.
Doing what she loved was pure enjoyment. Claudia ended up pulling an all–nighter.
In the following days, she continued to shuttle between her company and the studio- wrapping up job duties while finishing the portfolio. Each day was a whirlwind.
And of course, the divorce didn’t stall either.
Private mediation had clearly failed. Her lawyer and longtime friend, Gloria, had already helped her file the case in court.
Two days later, storm clouds loomed over the director’s office at Moore Corp.
Alan held the court summons in his hand.
It stated that Claudia, as plaintiff, was formally suing for divorce and demanding a division of three percent of Moore Corp’s shares, in addition to full retention of her savings and real
estate assets.
He stared at the document for a long time before letting out a cold laugh.
His dear wife really didn’t waste any time. Filing for divorce just like that–and making these kinds of demands? What a lovely dream.
“Nathan.”
Alan tossed the summons onto the desk.
“Sir,” Nathan replied, stepping forward.
“Has any firm taken the case yet?”
“All the top law firms in the Capital backed out once they knew it involved you,” Nathan said after a slight pause. “But a lawyer named Gloria from Holland Corp accepted it.”
Someone in the capital still dared to take a case involving him? That caught Alan off guard.
“Gloria?”
The name rang a bell.
Nathan added helpfully, “She was the one with Madam when she followed you and took photos a while ago. They were college friends. She’s also the daughter of Mr. Guan from the Guan family. Their company, Hairui, relocated from Black City in the northeast a few years ago and has been running well.”
“Good friend, huh…”
Alan tapped his fingers on the desk, eyes narrowing slightly. His tone was casual. “If I recall correctly, Holland Corp has business dealings with us, don’t they?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Tell the secretarial team to arrange a meeting with Holland Corp. And get Mr. Guan from Hairui on the calendar too.”
Glory Corp, Technical Department
“Ma’am, can’t you please stay? We’ll never find another manager like you.”
“Yeah, Ma’am, this is too sudden!”
“You really have to leave…?”
Claudia had just wrapped up a meeting when several colleagues–ones she was particularly close with–swarmed her with questions about her resignation.
Though she was strict and serious at work, she wasn’t harsh. Any scolding was strictly professional. She often sent bonuses or treated her team to meals or gifts after finishing
projects, and she always advocated for leniency in time–off policies when work was done well. The atmosphere in her department was relaxed, and her high level of technical skill earned everyone’s respect.
Naturally, people were sad to see her go.
“Don’t worry. I personally vetted the new lead. He’s solid.”
Her duties handed over and the final meeting concluded, Claudia relaxed her usual stern .demeanor. She even smiled more than usual.
She was beautiful to begin with–and when she smiled, it was dazzling, like sunlight piercing through clouds. People couldn’t look away.
The mostly male tech team let out a collective groan.
“Just seeing your goddess–level.face every day gave me the strength to debug code! Now you’re leaving–I’ve lost all motivation!”
A few of the girls joined in the teasing too.
Claudia feigned a stern face. “So, all of you only listen to me because of my face?”
“No, ma’am! Never!” everyone chorused.
Years of being their manager gave her a commanding presence. Once she got serious, no one dared keep joking.
Looking around at the colleagues she had worked with for so long, Claudia felt a wave of emotion–bittersweet and heavy. Even if computer science wasn’t her true passion, her time and effort here had been real.
She smiled. “Alright, alright. Tonight, I’ll treat you all one last time. Now get back to work.”
“No way! You always paid before. This time it’s our turn!”
“Yeah, it’s on us!”
“Boss, you’re not stealing the check again tonight, okay?”
Claudia laughed and nodded. When everyone finally dispersed, she noticed a missed call on her phone–Gloria.
It must’ve rung during the chaos. She hadn’t heard it.
