Chapter 32

“What?!”

Charlotte thought she must have misheard him.

She shot up from the sofa so quickly that the coffee in her hand nearly spilled all over her limited-edition dress.

“What the hell are you talking about? Employment law?!”

Her voice rose in disbelief.

“Daniel Hayes is just a small-time manager at one of your branches! Mr. Whitman personally promised me two hours ago that he'd fire him immediately! Who do you think you are, trying to brush me off with this nonsense?”

“Miss Whitmore, I'd appreciate it if you watched your language.”

Compared with Charlotte's fury, Jonathan remained remarkably calm.

Almost too calm.

There was something about that composure that made it feel as though he were quietly watching her make a fool of herself.

“Mr. Whitman did instruct HR to deal with the matter. However, after a full review by our legal department and senior management, we decided that dismissing an employee without a legitimate reason would violate our compliance procedures and potentially damage the company's reputation.”

His voice remained professional.

“So we're not proceeding with it.”

“You—!”

Charlotte was shaking with rage, her beautiful face twisting with fury.

“Is Westbrook Materials out of its mind?! You're willing to offend the Whitmore family just to protect some nobody?”

Her voice sharpened.

“Do you not want any more business from Whitmore Developments?”

That was the ultimate threat.

She had dragged the entire Whitmore family into it.

Yet Jonathan actually let out a quiet laugh on the other end.

There was no attempt to hide the sarcasm in it.

“Miss Whitmore, Westbrook Materials may not be as large or influential as the Whitmore family, but we're an independent company.”

His voice grew noticeably colder.

“We're not your family's private playground, and we're certainly not a department you can order around whenever you feel like it.”

He paused briefly before continuing.

“Mr. Whitman gave me one specific instruction before his meeting.”

Jonathan's voice was calm, but every word landed heavily.

“If you're really that interested in our hiring decisions, perhaps you should ask your father whether he'd like to buy Westbrook Materials outright.”

There was a brief silence.

“If he can't do that, then I'd suggest you stop reaching quite so far into other people's businesses.”

His tone remained perfectly polite.

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“Have a pleasant day, Miss Whitmore.”

Click.

The call ended.

“Hello?!”

Charlotte stared at her phone.

“Hello?!”

Nothing.

“You bastard! How dare you hang up on me?!”

Her face flushed with fury as she shouted at the dark screen.

Smash!

The latest custom-made phone slammed onto the floor.

Her assistant standing nearby didn't even dare breathe too loudly.

Charlotte's chest heaved as she struggled to contain the rage burning inside her.

But beneath that anger was something else.

Confusion.

Complete and utter disbelief.

What the hell had just happened?

How had the power she was so proud of—the Whitmore family's influence, her identity as the family's precious daughter—failed so spectacularly against the assistant of a relatively small building-materials company?

Two hours ago, Charles had been practically falling over himself to please her.

And now he'd suddenly changed his attitude?

He was even willing to risk losing business from the Whitmore family?

Worse, he'd sent an assistant to mock her to her face.

Who the hell was Daniel Hayes?

He was nothing more than an ordinary salaried employee who was constantly worried about how to pay for his sick son's medical bills.

Why would Westbrook Materials risk offending the Whitmore family just to protect someone so insignificant?

Charlotte couldn't make sense of it no matter how hard she tried.

Two Hours Earlier — Westbrook Materials Group Headquarters

After ending Charlotte's call, Charles Whitman had initially planned to do her a favor.

After all, Whitmore Developments had several major projects underway.

If he could trade the job of one low-level employee for a few good words from Charlotte in front of her father, it was a bargain.

He hadn't hesitated.

He immediately picked up the internal phone and called in the head of Human Resources.

“Look into a manager named Daniel Hayes at the Harbor City branch.”

Charles gave the order casually.

“Pay out whatever he's owed for this month and have him clear out by this afternoon.”

He paused.

“And put the word out in our industry that he's not trustworthy. Make sure the other companies know not to hire him.”

The HR director nodded repeatedly.

“Understood, Mr. Whitman.”

He was just about to leave when—

the private phone sitting on Charles's desk suddenly rang.

The unexpected sound made Charles flinch.

He glanced at the caller ID.

The casual expression disappeared from his face instantly.

His pupils contracted.

“Wait. Hold on!”

Charles stopped the HR director.

His voice actually cracked.

He hurriedly straightened his suit and tie as if the person calling could somehow see him through the phone.

Then he took a deep breath.

With slightly trembling hands, he answered.

“Hello? H-Hello! Is this Mr. Reed?”

His voice was filled with nervous excitement.

“This is Charles Whitman from Westbrook Materials.”

The voice on the other end was exactly as he'd feared.

Calm. Steady. Completely unreadable.

“Mr. Whitman. Sorry to disturb you.”

“Not at all! Not at all!”

Charles immediately sat up straighter.

“It's an absolute honor to receive a call from you, Mr. Reed. How can I help? Is there something the Sterling Consortium needs?”

Cold sweat had already begun forming on his forehead.

Everyone in the business community knew who Jonathan Reed was.

He was one of Richard Sterling's most trusted assistants.

And Richard Sterling—

the man whose decisions could shake entire markets.

For someone like Charles, running a building-materials company, offending Richard would be less like challenging a giant and more like stepping in front of a speeding train.

“Mr. Whitman, you're being too polite.”

Jonathan didn't bother with small talk.

“I understand your company has a manager named Daniel Hayes.”

The moment Charles heard that name, his heart nearly stopped.

Daniel Hayes? Again?!

Charlotte Whitmore had just called him demanding that Daniel be fired.

And now Richard Sterling's longtime assistant was personally calling about the exact same man.

Who the hell was Daniel Hayes?

What had this man done?

Charles felt cold sweat soak through the back of his shirt.

He immediately assumed Daniel must have somehow offended the Sterling Consortium.

“Mr. Reed, please don't worry. I was actually just about to have HR deal with him.”

He quickly glanced toward the HR director.

“I'll make sure this man is dismissed immediately. I'll also make sure he won't be able to find work anywhere else—”

“Mr. Whitman.”

Jonathan interrupted him.

His tone became noticeably firmer.

“You've misunderstood.”

Charles froze.

“Leave him where he is.”

Jonathan's words were unmistakably clear.

“Don't touch him. And don't fire him.”

Charles stared blankly at the phone, his mouth hanging slightly open.

“Uh… I…”

Before he could figure out what to say, Jonathan continued.

“But there's one more thing.”

Charles swallowed.

“Don't promote him. Don't give him a raise. And don't give him any special treatment because of this call.”

Jonathan's voice returned to its usual calm, businesslike tone.

“Just let him continue living his life exactly as he has been.”

“Don't interfere with him in either direction.”