The Intern Who Reported the Boss, Not Knowing the Boss Signs Her Salary Chapter 05

The Intern Who Reported the Boss, Not Knowing the Boss Signs Her Salary Chapter 05

The words hung in the air. The design department sank into a silence so deep it felt like a physical weight. 

The air thickened. Every breath became audible. 

Every gaze locked onto the three of us. Shock. Disbelief. Utter 

bewilderment. 

Brielle’s smug smile froze in place, twisting her features. She looked like a paused video, her mouth opening and closing 

with nothing coming out. She stared at me like I was 

unhinged. 

Colton recovered faster. 

After the flash of shock, his face slammed into something 

dark. His gaze cut like a blade. 

“Sloane,” he bit out, voice tight with insult and scorn. “Do 

you have any idea what you just said? Who do you think you 

are?” 

“Who am I?” I faced him straight on. My voice was calm. “I’m the founder of Apex. The chairwoman of this company. The absolute majority shareholder. I hold seventy percent. Is it clear?” 

Every title I claimed drained more color from his face. 

When I hit “seventy percent,” his pupils shrank. The first glint of real panic broke through his expression. 

But he steadied himself fast or faked it well enough. 

He let out a contemptuous laugh. “Sloane, you’ve been out of the game so long you’ve lost your grip. Chairwoman? You handed me the CEO seat three years ago. You haven’t managed 

the game so long you’ve lost your grip. Chairwoman? You 

handed me the CEO seat three years ago. You haven’t managed 

anything since.” 

“And the shares? Please. Who even knows if that’s legit? Even 

if you hold equity, firing a CEO takes a board resolution. You seriously think throwing a tantrum in front of everyone gets it done? This is just sad.” 

His words flooded Brielle with fresh courage. 

She jumped in, her voice a sharp echo. “Exactly! Mr. Ashford is the CEO. And what are you? Some dead–weight employee on her way out, acting like you still matter. You’re just pitching a fit because you can’t stand being held accountable.” 

She wheeled around to the watching staff, raising her voice like a ringleader. “You’re all seeing this, right? This is entitlement. Pure entitlement. Someone who thinks a few extra years means she can openly defy the CEO and trash company order. She should’ve been gone a long time ago.” 

Nobody echoed her. 

The young designers who’d once helped her edge me out kept their heads down, practically trying to disappear into their 

screens. 

The senior staff just watched her like she was an idiot. 

Colton caught the shift in the room. 

His expression hardened. He pulled out the full weight of his CEO authority and barked toward the door. “Security. Get security in here right now. Escort her off the property. I want her out immediately.” 

He was tearing the last layer of pretense off. 

He was certain that in front of all these people, I was nothing, 

an empty title with no real power. If he threw me out like trash today, his authority would be untouchable. 

Two uniformed guards rushed in moments later. 

“Mr. Ashford? What do you need?” 

Colton jabbed a finger at me, his tone flat and emotionless. “Get her out of this building. As of right now, she no longer works for Apex.” 

Brielle stood there with her arms crossed, looking down at me with pure glee. “You hear that? All that bluffing. Now you’re getting escorted out. You brought this on yourself.” 

The two guards shifted uneasily but started toward me 

anyway. 

“Ma’am… please don’t make this harder than it has to be.” 

The rest of the office held its breath. 

I looked at Colton’s twisted face, and the last frayed thread of any old loyalty snapped. 

Slowly, I pulled my phone from my pocket. 

In front of everyone, I dialed three digits. 

“Yes, 911? I need to report a crime.” 

Colton and Brielle’s faces turned to stone.