Chapter 7 You Can't Leave Without My Permission!

After a day in the hospital, Emily was back at work the next day like nothing happened.

But the moment she walked into the office, she knew something was up.

"Did you hear? We landed that contract two days ago. Not only did they sign, but they even dropped their price by 5%."

"Isn't that partner a total creep? He's sexually harassed so many people and is super stingy. How did this go down?"

Her coworkers were huddled together, whispering.

"Well, it's Emily who closed the deal this time. You should know that there's no client Emily can't handle!" Shirley said, pretending to praise Emily.

"Wow, Emily's really something."

"Yeah, I heard the client is bald and overweight. How did Emily manage?"

"You guys don't know, do you? They say men with a lot of fat on their faces are surprisingly good in bed. Maybe it was even enjoyable for her."

The others shook their heads in disbelief.

Emily cleared her throat, pretending not to hear, and walked straight into her office.

What on earth happened? Emily remembered the last meeting ended badly, with the deal in jeopardy. How did they end up lowering their price?

As long as the job got done. Her reputation had been tarnished long ago when she agreed to be Patrick's secret lover to pay off debts and cover her brother's medical bills.

While Emily didn't care about the gossip, some people did. Jennifer had arrived at the office early but didn't rush upstairs. She waited until Emily entered the building before following her in. She had planned to talk to Emily directly but overheard the other employees' conversation.

Furious, Jennifer stormed into Emily's office and threw a card at her face.

Jennifer said angrily, "I thought you were interested in Patrick and that's why you clung to him. But I overestimated you. You're just a shameless slut who'll sleep with anyone!"

Emily bit her lip, trying to keep her cool. She picked up the card and handed it back to Jennifer.

Jennifer sneered, "Keep it. There's five million dollars on it. I was going to pay you to leave my son, but now I've changed my mind. Without the PIN, it's just a useless piece of plastic."

Emily smiled and snapped the card in half.

Emily said, "If it's useless, let's make it completely worthless."

"You're crazy!" Jennifer stared at Emily in disbelief.

Emily said, "Since I'm being fired without cause, please inform HR to pay me ten months' severance."

With that, Emily finally exhaled. Yes, with Shirley back, it was time for her to leave.

Emily turned to pack her things.

"Leaving? You think you can just walk away without my permission?"

Patrick grabbed Emily's arm tightly.

"You can't leave without my permission!"

His words stunned Emily, Jennifer, and Shirley, who was standing at the door.

When Patrick was young, his father had racked up huge debts and ran off with another woman, leaving Jennifer to raise him and Karen alone. Patrick had never defied Jennifer since then.

Shirley stood at the door, seething with anger, glaring at Emily.

Jennifer's eyes filled with tears, ready to spill over.

Jennifer said, "Emily, you made this mess. If you leave, who's going to clean it up? Don't think you can dump it on us!"

Emily was about to be moved, but it was laughable.

"Yeah, rather than letting me go, it's more satisfying to keep me here, humiliated and criticized. Patrick, just let it go already!" she said, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

Shirley, who had been eavesdropping, strutted in with a smug look on her face.

"Jennifer, you were worried for nothing. Patrick's just worried it might be too tiring for me," Shirley said, her tone dripping with fake concern.

"That's good. But that Emily has no dignity!" Jennifer added, her words cutting deep.

Emily clenched her fists. "Sorry, but I'm resigning now!" she declared, grabbing her shoulder bag and heading for the door. But Patrick blocked her way.

Suddenly, her phone rang. "Emily, something's happened at your house!" It was her neighbor Carol. Carol never called unless it was urgent...

Emily didn't dare think too much and struggled to get past Patrick, but he held the door firmly.

Patrick yelped as Emily bit his hand, causing him to let go.

"Emily, how dare you?" Shirley, abandoning her ladylike demeanor, rushed to check on Patrick's hand.

Patrick frowned. "Mom, go back. I have some things to handle."

With that, he chased after Emily without looking back.

"Emily, you just wait!" Shirley spat venomously.

Jennifer watched the scene unfold, stunned.

"Damn it!" Jennifer muttered and left.

Emily rushed to her neighborhood, a rundown apartment complex from the last century, with no elevator and mostly elderly residents.

The stairwell lights flickered, and the narrow steps were plastered with various ads.

Before she even reached her door, she heard her mother, Lisa Thompson, begging for mercy.

Carol saw Emily and signaled her to stay back.

Emily grabbed a shovel from a nearby coal pile and cautiously approached.

Before she entered, she heard the sound of a slap, followed by a scream.

Emily burst through the door to find Lisa collapsed on the floor.

The room was filled with thugs, led by a bald man in his thirties, his arms covered in tattoos.

Emily shielded Lisa, saying, "You're trespassing, and I can have you arrested."

"That's funny. What about your mom's unpaid debts? Go ahead, call the cops! Don't think I don't know what your mom did with the money!"

Emily glanced at Lisa. To pay for her brother's treatment, Lisa had worked in a bar and picked up a drug habit.

Seeing Lisa's evasive eyes, Emily understood.

"Why so quiet?" The thug leader taunted, stepping closer.

Emily pointed the shovel at him. "Stay back. How much does she owe? I'll pay."

The leader snatched the shovel away. "You'll pay? 550 thousand dollars. How do you plan to do that? Or, let us have some fun with you for a night, and I'll give you a discount."

Lisa pleaded, "Please, don't touch my daughter!"

"Get lost, old woman!" The leader signaled his men to kick Lisa aside.

He advanced on Emily, who retreated until she was cornered by the sewing machine.

The leader ogled her chest, reaching out with a fat hand.

"Fine, this counts as self-defense!" Emily secretly grabbed the scissors from the sewing machine, gripping them tightly, eyes fixed on the leader's hand.

Emily braced herself for the worst.