He Vetoed My Promotion for the New Girl Chapter 02

He Vetoed My Promotion for the New Girl Chapter 02

Maybe I’d been crouched there too long.

Maybe a month of working to the bone had finally caught up with me.

When I tried to stand, my legs gave out, and I went down hard.

The pavement was scorching against my arms.

I tried to push myself up, but I couldn’t find the strength.

A coworker passing by started to help me, but someone stopped her.

“Don’t get involved. Mr. Thorne can’t stand her. You help her, you’re just asking for trouble.”

“Exactly. She had plenty of energy during her promotion presentation. Now she suddenly passes out? Please. She’s clearly putting on an act for Mr. Thorne.”

The voices slowly faded.

In the end, the cleaning lady helped me sit up and handed me two bottles of herbal medicine.

“Elara, drink up. Heat exhaustion is no joke.”

“Didn’t everyone in your department go out to celebrate? Why are you still here?”

The bitter taste lingered, but my mind slowly cleared.

So that was why Graham let the Marketing Department leave early—so everyone could celebrate Mira’s promotion at the restaurant.

No one had bothered to tell me.

I’d thought he’d seen how upset I was about failing the promotion and wanted to get home early to be with me.

After thanking her, I steadied myself against the wall and slowly made my way back inside.

Sure enough, the whole Marketing floor was dark.

Back at my desk, I got a private message from my direct supervisor, Diane Kessler.

[Elara, I’m so sorry about today.]

I didn’t know how to respond.

[Your proposal was excellent. The other managers agreed.]

[Mr. Thorne used his vote power. I’m really… sorry.]

My heart lurched.

Graham? But when I’d gone to his office to confront him, he’d told me the other managers had rejected my proposal.

He’d even told me to think about whether I’d been too competitive and offended them.

My mind went blank.

The absurdity of it was almost laughable.

My fingers went pale as I finally typed back.

[Diane, did it really because Graham used his vote power to reject me?]

After a long silence, Diane replied.

[Yes. All the votes are on record.]

The tears I’d been holding back all day suddenly spilled over.

I wiped them away, but they only kept coming.

In five years at the company, I’d never once used my relationship with Graham to get special treatment.

If anything, I took on more projects and worked longer hours than the people who’d joined at the same time.

They’d all moved up.

I was the only one still stuck in place, listening to people snicker about it in the breakroom.

“What’s the point of showing off? Elara has been here for years and she’s still stuck at the bottom.”

I wanted a promotion. I wanted to prove myself.

So I went on client visits, stayed up late on proposals—all of it.

Graham knew all of it.

If the other managers had rejected me, I’d have nothing to say.

But why had he been the one to reject me?

Why did he let me lose to someone who’d barely been at the company a year?

I couldn’t accept it.

I called Graham. No answer.

I called again. His phone was off.

A new message suddenly appeared on my computer.

It was a video from the group chat.

Everyone was gathered around a cake.

Mira was wearing a party hat, hands clasped together.

“I wish I had a boyfriend like Mr. Thorne.” she said.

Everyone went silent, stunned by how bold she’d been.

But Graham wasn’t angry.

He only curved his lips into a faint smile.

“Troublemaker.”

A wave of nausea rose in my throat.

His words echoed in my ears, one after another—warm at first, then cold and distant.

“Elara, we have to keep our distance at work. No one can know about us.”

“I don’t want people saying you’re only here because of me, or that I’m playing favorites.”

“Elara, don’t be unreasonable.”

I let out a bitter laugh.

Something inside me cracked. A cold fury crept in.

Messages flooded the group chat. Everyone was losing it.

[The cold CEO and his sweet, bubbly girl. Totally straight out of a romance novel.]

[Mr. Thorne even held his hand over the car door for Mira when she got out. Damn, so cute!]

[Good thing that groupie wasn’t here. She would’ve died of jealousy on the spot.]

[Serves her right. Every time there’s a company gathering, she throws herself at Mr. Thorne. Can’t she tell he’s been avoiding her?]

[I heard she helped Mr. Thorne land a bunch of projects back then. He probably only tolerates her because of that.]

[Has to be. Otherwise, how could she have been here for five years without even making manager?]

[She even faked a fall outside the office today. I recorded it. DM me if you want the video.]

[Me!]

[Same!]

I couldn’t read another word.

I typed into the group chat.

[Graham’s my boyfriend. If you don’t believe me, ask him yourself.]

Then I left the group and sent the resignation letter I’d kept saved on my computer for months.

At my level, resigning only needed my direct supervisor’s approval.

Diane approved it almost immediately.

[Elara, I heard a bunch of headhunters are after you.]

[You’re going places.]