“Ms. Clarke, please,” she whispered. “Just stay out of it.”
Allison blinked, taken aback by Aimee’s words.
It didn’t make sense. Aimee wasn’t normally this submissive. She had once defended Allison against office gossip. So why was she acting so weak now, when she was the one being mistreated?
Unless… they were holding something over her.
Allison’s gaze flickered to Marc, who wore a sinister grin. Aimee was terrified of something.
“We were just joking with me!” Aimee stammered.
Allison’s suspicions deepened, but she knew Aimee wouldn’t reveal the truth here, not in front of these people. So, instead, she straightened and addressed the group.
“If you don’t want this video going public, leave. Now!”
“Will that bitch tell the truth?” Thea’s voice quivered as she glanced nervously at Marc after they walked away from Allison and Aimee.
Thea knew that if this mess got out, it would spark a scandal bigger than she could handle. Anxiety gnawed at her, tightening her chest.
Though Thea and Marc were usually experts at stirring trouble and preying on the weak, the thought of Allison discovering what they had done sent a chill down her spine.
A sharp laugh broke the tension.
“Relax. What’s the worst that could happen? We’ve got dirt on Aimee, right, Marc?”
Marc’s entire body ached. He gritted his teeth.
“Of course. And let’s not forget – Allison is just another woman. Arrogant, sure. Thinks she can show off, but trust me, she’ll be out soon enough.”
Thea had been uneasy, especially after Allison spilled coffee on her earlier.
But Marc’s scornful tone helped her rally. Straightening her posture, she nodded, as if convincing herself more than anyone else.
“Exactly! We’ve been with Charisma for years. Allison doesn’t scare me. If she thinks she can replace us, she’ll only make enemies. Imagine the chaos if she tried!”
They were veterans at Charisma Company; they’d always stuck together. It was the only way they’d survived this long.
But beneath the surface, they were both incompetent and unscrupulous. Anytime someone capable rose through the ranks, they’d sabotage them – an unspoken rule.
And if Allison knew the truth? It wouldn’t matter. Aimee would never have the guts to expose them.
“The company’s doing better than ever. We can’t afford to let Allison ruin that. The pay’s good, the benefits even better.”
“Even if someone new shows up, we know how to handle them.” Another colleague leaned in, their voice dripping with loyalty.
“Marc, we’ve got your back. You just have to give the word.”
Marc took a breath, his words deliberate.
“Allison’s seen too much. We need to move first. If we don’t, that woman will come for us.”
His eyes darkened with bitterness, a simmering hatred for Allison rising within him.
Thea stayed quiet. She knew Marc better than anyone did – he was ruthless, always finding someone else to take the fall. He’d proven that time and again.
Others, drawn into the plot, didn’t need much convincing.
“We’re with you, Marc. Let’s make sure she’s out of the company for good.”
Up on the rooftop, Allison shrugged off her jacket, draping it over Aimee’s shoulders as she helped her change out of her oil-stained clothes.
“Why are you so afraid of them?” Allison asked, her voice soft but probing.
Aimee’s eyes dropped, clouded with shame. She fidgeted under Allison’s gaze, reluctant to let her see just how beaten down she felt.
“Thank you, Ms. Clarke, but… you don’t have to worry about me.”
“Of course, I do,” Allison replied, a calm strength in her tone.
“I can handle them, but I need you to stand with me. They’re arrogant, and they show me no respect. As the new leader, it’s only a matter of time before I deal with them. Don’t you want to help?”
Aimee bit her lip, her hesitation clear. She always backed down when it came to her own problems, but she was the type who would bend over backward to help others. Allison knew it, and decided to appeal to that softer side.
“I’m going to need you, Aimee. You know they’ll try to set me up. Wouldn’t you rather be ahead of that?”
Aimee’s gaze wavered, flickering with uncertainty. After what felt like an eternity, she sighed.
“When I first started, I landed a big client… but they stole it from me.”
Allison frowned, sensing there was more to the story.
“And then?”
Aimee’s eyes reddened slightly as she murmured,
“And then… I became the target of nasty rumors for months.”
“Don’t let their lies get to you,” Allison said firmly. “As long as you stay true to yourself, treat their words like trash – worthless and irrelevant. You have nothing to fear.”
Allison could deeply relate to Aimee’s pain. She had been the subject of gossip herself – whispers about her and Kellan that had spread like wildfire through the company. She knew all too well how disgusting people could be when rumors took root.
The underhanded tactics hadn’t changed.
“It wasn’t all baseless…” Aimee’s voice dropped to a near whisper, almost lost in the breeze. Her eyes shifted downward, as if she wanted to disappear, afraid that Allison might see her differently.
“One night, a client invited me out for drinks. I let my guard down… and I was drugged.”
Allison’s expression darkened instantly, fury rising in her chest. She swallowed hard, forcing herself to stay calm.
“What happened after?” she asked, her voice rough with sympathy.
“The client didn’t succeed,” Aimee said, her voice cracking. “But Marc and some others found out what happened. Instead of helping, they took photos. They blackmailed the client and used the photos to threaten me.”
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.