Reborn, Reawakened, Rekindled

Chapter 458

No one knew what Louis desired to discuss specifically, and how he intended to do so. In case something went awry, Russel would be there to locate me immediately.

When we arrived at our meeting spot, the clock struck nine. Property © of NôvelDrama.Org.

Louis was already waiting for me. He hadn’t changed much, except for the aura around him which had taken on a darker, more sinister tone. Especially his eyes, which reminded me of a venomous snake.

I couldn’t fathom why he had become this person. Growing up in the Whitmore family, and being treated like a brother by Neil, he should have been much better off than the average person. Yet, he had stabbed Neil in the back.

This was something I truly couldn’t understand. In my past life, Russel had quarreled with Neil over a woman, which was at least a reason, Louis, however, was completely inexplicable.

“Long time no see,” Louis greeted me with a small smile, his tone suggesting an old friend’s reunion. But we could hardly be considered old friends, merely acquaintances.

“Yeah, long time no see. What did you want to discuss today?” I glanced at the cup on the table, already filled with water.

Louis sighed softly, “We’re friends, aren’t we? Can I call you Rena like everyone else does?”

Hearing this intimate nickname coming from Louis, I felt a pang of revulsion. But I kept my composure and let him continue.

Seeing my silence, Louis proceeded, “Rena, I wanted to see you because of the photo studio incident. I’m not sure why you did what you did. Did someone from our studio offend you?”

It seemed that Mr. Mark had no idea that I was behind it, hence he hadn’t informed Louis.

“Yeah, Mr. Mark from your studio, and two of your employees offended me. I felt upset, so I retaliated. I don’t see anything wrong with that.” I replied calmly, not seeing where the issue lied.

Not only had I vented my anger, but I’d also avenged all the unlucky customers they had ripped off before.

Louis immediately apologized, “I’m sorry, it turns out it was my employees who made a mistake and offended you. I’ll have them apologize to you. Could you then delete those news articles?”

“Do you think an apology is enough? Do you take me for a beggar?” I retorted, suspecting that he was aware of his employees’ previous misconduct. He hadn’t attempted to resolve it until now when he had hit a brick wall.

I didn’t decline, but watched as Louis made a call to Mr. Mark and the two offending employees. Meanwhile, I emptied and refilled my cup of water: About ten minutes later, Mr. Mark arrived with Isla and Katara. Seeing me sitting across from Louis, all three of them wore expressions of surprise. Especially Mr. Mark, whose eyes flashed with panic.

I simply sat there, with a faint smile on my face, calmly watching them.

“Mr. Mark, do you remember Ms. Finch?” Louis asked, his tone still mild.

“I… I remember…” Mr. Mark barely managed a smile at me, then immediately started shifting blame, “Isla and Katara somehow offended Ms. Finch the other day. I failed to mediate, and Ms. Finch left.”

Isla and Katara exchanged glances, both clearly flustered.

Not daring to look at me, they both lowered their heads.

“Really? Do you realize your mistakes have jeopardized the entire company? Ask Ms. Finch what it would take for her to forgive you.” Louis handed the decision to me.

Mr. Mark approached me cautiously, “Ms. Finch, I’m sorry. We were wrong that day. Please be lenient with us.”

Isla and Katara also came over, looking both awkward and nervous, “Yes, we were out of line. We’re sorry, Ms. Finch. Please let us off the hook this time!”

I had previously given them a chance. All they needed to do was apologize and have Mr. Mark fire them, and I would have let it go. But they refused to take responsibility, leading to this irreversible situation. Now, they regretted their actions.

Regret was futile. I watched them impassively, “Apologizing to me is the least you could do, which I accept. However, this seems too easy. Louis, I want you to fire all three of them. Your studio should no longer engage in overcharging customers. If this happens again, there will be a second whistleblower. And you won’t be able to do anything about it.”

Upon hearing the word ‘fire’, Mr. Mark panicked, “Ms. Finch, please spare us. We’ve already apologized. You don’t have to be so ruthless. We are all breadwinners. We’ve been with the studio for a long time. Firing us would be unfair and a loss to the company!”

“You’re a parasite! Firing you would be a wise decision!” I scoffed, not mincing my words. If Louis wanted me to withdraw the news and stop stoking the flames, he’d have to abide by my instructions.

Louis’s expression remained calm. He seemed unsurprised by my demands, but still asked, “Is this the only way for you to let go of your grudges?” ‘Grudges’ was a strong word, but the fire in my heart was indeed still burning.

“Yes, it’s up to you.” I took a sip of my water, radiating an air of calm.

Mr Mark became even more desperate. Seeing Louis’s attitude, it seemed like he was going to listen to me. He quickly pleaded, “Louis, I’ve been working at the studio for seven years. I’ve contributed to it. You can’t fire me. The main culprits are Isla and Katara!”

Isla and Katara, being in lower positions than Mr. Mark, were furious but dared not speak. They just looked utterly defeated.

“Mark, you’ve been working for years now, and yet you still can’t mediate between employees and clients? What use do we have for you?” Louis’s words were clear and cutting. “I will arrange for your termination by tomorrow.”

Mark’s face went pale. He seemed like he wanted to say something, but he knew it was pointless. All he could do was glare at me, his eyes filled with resentment. I met his gaze calmly, he had no power over me.

He should have been prepared for this the moment he crossed me.

He underestimated me.

After Mark and the others were dismissed, Louis’s smile returned. “Are you satisfied now? Can you call off your guys and let them take a break?”