He Gave Me a Beaded Toy Car and Bought Her a Luxury Car Chapter 07

He Gave Me a Beaded Toy Car and Bought Her a Luxury Car Chapter 07

Of course he didn’t believe it. He’d never paid attention to me. His eyes were always on Faye. Even when I brought in $300 million in new revenue, he credited Faye for it.

He went quiet. His brow furrowed.

Faye had been secretly enjoying the show. But the moment she saw the Meridian Group offer, her smile

vanished.

“Tristan, I’ve studied a bit of law. Nadia inciting employees to resign like this-it’s illegal. We could sue her.”

I laughed. My team resigned of their own free will. No pressure. No bribes. If anyone pushed them out, it was

her and Tristan.

“Nadia, I don’t want us to end up like this.” Tristan’s voice was strained. “Let’s both step back. Everything

goes back to normal. I’ll even give them raises.”

“How much?”

“Ten percent above their current base.”

I let out a short laugh. He got angry.

“That’s already generous! You never think about my position. Managing employees requires planning and

budgeting. Everything I do is for the company’s good!”

“This is already above market rate. What do you want me to do-drain the whole company’s budget for your

team?”

I pulled out my phone and opened the dialer. “Then call the police. Let’s both show our evidence and see if I

actually incited anyone to resign.”

Tristan gritted his teeth. “Fifteen percent! Nadia, that’s my final offer. Don’t push your luck!”

I put my phone away and pulled up the offer from Meridian HR. “You’re offering fifteen percent less than they are, So much for trying to win people back.”

He stared at the 30% salary increase in the offer letter. The insult he’d been about to throw at me died on his

lips.

“Even if the pay’s higher, can you guarantee your team’s monthly numbers? Meridian is known for being

cutthroat about performance. You think you can just take a high-paying job and coast?”

“I’ll be waiting to watch you all get kicked out. And when you come crawling back, don’t say I didn’t warn

you!”

“The company runs fine without you. There are teams lining up to take your place. I’m not begging you to

stay–I’m giving you a choice. Some of your people have families. Not everyone can afford to take risks. Instead of gambling on a new start, why not come back and stay where it’s stable? The company will take

care of you.”

Tristan had gotten good at this over the years. He used to be terrible with words. Now he knew exactly how

to manipulate people.

The last time I’d seen him put on a show like this was when Faye botched a major project. He’d defended her to the bitter end, insisting everyone deserved room to make mistakes. The cost of her “learning experience”? Twenty million dollars.

Twenty million-equivalent to three months of company revenue. He’d waved it off like it was nothing. But when I lost a two-million-dollar deal? He chewed me out for an entire month.

Tristan finished his speech. Not one person at the table looked swayed. He was about to lose it. He spun

around and stormed out. Faye scrambled after him.

I looked at the table full of food and wine. I raised my glass.

“Come on, don’t just sit there. The food’s getting cold.”

Seeing that I wasn’t bothered, my team relaxed. The mood at the table lifted. After a few rounds, everyone got tipsy. They crowded around me.

“Boss, don’t waver. Don’t jump back into that fire pit with Tristan.”

“Watching you cave over and over all these years? It’s been exhausting. For you, and honestly, for us too.”

I smiled and clinked glasses. “Don’t worry. I see things clearly now. I’m never forgiving him again.”

I’d always clung to the past. And he’d never actually crossed any lines-not in ways I could prove. So I’d half-heartedly forgiven him every time.

But now? He wasn’t the man I’d married. I was done hurting myself for him. From now on, I’d live my life for

“Cheers-to my divorce!”

I drank too much that night. I didn’t go home. I only went back when I needed to grab my things after finishing onboarding at Meridian.

The moment I opened the door, I stepped back.