Chapter 23 Just How Much of a Jerk Norman Is

Chapter 23 Just How Much of a Jerk Norman Is “Hey, Deedee.” As soon as Diane reached the office, Maureen, a colleague with whom she was previously not on close terms with, came up to her in a warm and enthusiastic manner. “Tell me, Deedee—who are you exactly? They’re all saying that you’re the wife of Evergreen Incorporated’s president. Is that true? Oh, gosh! You’re so amazing, Deedee!” Maureen balled her fists while looking at her with admiration and envy. Since it wasn’t working hours yet, other colleagues instantly gathered around them. They took turns to speak and pester Diane with more questions about Christopher.

Diane knew that her marriage to Christopher was not as happy and deserving of congratulations as the start of other ordinary marriages, so she merely smiled without saying much. “Stop making wild guesses, you all.”

“We aren’t making wild guesses,” Maureen retorted in displeasure. She then said animatedly, “How could you say that you and Christopher are unrelated to each other when Mr. Adler has been removed from his position as the planning director? Everyone saw you two standing together and talking to each other at the banquet on Friday. Besides, everyone also saw how Miss Mayfair bullied you in the past few days. Why would Mr. Adler be removed from his position just days after his promotion if it weren’t for Christopher speaking up on behalf of you?”

Diane was stunned. “Where did you hear this rumor from?”

“I heard it from the headquarters; the secretary of the president’s office is my bestie. She said that Mr.

Waddington told her last Saturday to draft the notice early this morning. It can’t be false, right?”

“If Mr. Adler is finished, won’t our supervisor here also be…” At that moment, someone spoke up from the side while pointing at Stella’s office.

Maureen gave a soft snort. “That’s a given. Who here doesn’t know that she got promoted thanks to Mr. Adler’s backing? It’s a shame that she’s going to be demoted before she can even get used to the job.”

“If that happens, she certainly deserves it. It was her fault for bullying Deedee anyway.” Another colleague addressed Diane affectionately as ‘Deedee’ and even spoke for her.

Diane was amused by these people’s attitude. None of them had spoken up for her before this; when Stella spread rumors about her, they even gossiped about her behind her back. Now, they were calling her Deedee instead of Diane. As expected, Christopher’s status and standing is quite useful.

Diane was thinking and laughing at herself inwardly when a cold voice suddenly barked from behind and said, “What are you all discussing here instead of working early in the morning?”

Everyone looked back and fell silent when they saw that it was Stella.

“What are you all waiting for? Aren’t you all going to work? Why aren’t you guys splitting up yet?” Stella scolded again when she saw that everyone continued to gather around Diane without moving. Stella was still their supervisor, so those who gathered around Diane had their faces frozen for a moment before they slowly dispersed. As Diane sat in her seat, Stella wiggled her hips and walked up to her in a pair of high heels. “Why did you gather the colleagues around you early in the morning? Aren’t you aware of our company’s rules and regulations?” Her back straightened up, and she stared at Stella with the stern expression of a superior.

Judging from the way she gives herself airs, she’s probably still unaware of the rumor that has spread among the colleagues, Diane thought to herself while sneering inwardly. The corner of her mouth quirked up slightly for a moment as she glanced at the monitor and replied, “It’s too early for you to care about this, Miss Mayfair. There are still three minutes left before office hours start.”

Diane never spoke to me in that tone during the past few days. I’m the supervisor; who does Diane think she is? Who cares if she has Christopher at her back? I’m still her superior in this office at NG Enterprise, Stella thought to herself. She gnashed her teeth in resentment when she recalled how a man as dazzling as Christopher acted as Diane’s bodyguard at the banquet on Friday. Once she straightened her back, she raised her eyebrows and chided, “What do you mean, Diane? Are you thumbing your nose at your supervisor because Christopher is backing you up? We’re here at the company, so it’s useless to lean on a biggie for support here.”

She’s purposely distorting the facts so that others will despise me. That’s how vicious this woman is, Diane thought to herself.

Upon hearing Stella’s words, the colleagues who had just dispersed cast pleasure-seeking glances in Diane’s direction again. As she clenched her fists in secret, Diane stared at Stella. “Are you accusing me of leaning on a biggie for support? Do you have evidence to suggest that? You don’t have any, but I do. At the very least, I have evidence to prove that Norman and I were once married. The divorce papers are now in my drawer; would you like me to show it to everyone?”

Diane’s voice wasn’t loud, but it made quite a splash. Everyone was stunned before they began whispering among themselves; they even threw questioning looks at Stella. As a result of the previous rumors, all of them thought that Stella and Norman were legally married during last Friday’s banquet, but they didn’t expect the truth to turn out this way. Instantly, everyone focused their eyes on Stella with looks of disdain.

“What nonsense are you talking about, Diane?” Stella was exasperated as her unsavory deeds were disclosed. Diane gave a soft snort. “Am I talking nonsense? Isn’t your marriage certificate issued on the same date as my divorce papers?”

“Wow, so he got married on the day he got divorced? Just how much of a jerk is Norman?” Maureen muttered nearby.

Stella’s face instantly turned puce. “Do you want to quit working at NG Enterprise, Diane? And you…”

She suddenly turned toward Maureen. “What do you know? You don’t want this month’s bonus anymore with that big mouth of yours, do you?” Assuming the air and grace of a supervisor, she admonished people in public and even threatened Maureen using the subject of her bonus.

Maureen was stunned for a moment, but her face showed no signs of fear. “In what way do I have a big mouth? Didn’t Diane say that herself? A clean hand wants no washing, Miss Mayfair. What are you getting so nervous about? As for my bonus, whether I get my bonus or not isn’t up to you. I’ve done nothing wrong, so what gives our company the right to deduct my bonus?” she answered without thinking.

Stella didn’t expect that a subordinate would have the nerve to talk back to her in such a manner.

Which of these people hadn’t bowed and scraped to me obsequiously since I became the supervisor over the past few days? What on earth is going on today? This must be Diane’s fault! Everyone is sucking up to Diane and turning their noses up at me because of Christopher, she thought to herself.

Feeling angry from the bottom of her heart, she declared to Maureen with a stern expression on second thought and said, “Deducting your bonus is too lenient of a punishment. Listen carefully—I’m firing you right now. You’re no longer needed here from today onward, for I won’t employ a staff member like you who disrespects your superior and disobeys the management’s orders. I’ll tell Mr.

Weaving about this right away. Stay wherever you want, but don’t stay any longer in the First Planning Department that I’m in charge of.”

Mr. Weaving was the branch office’s general manager. Upon hearing Stella’s words, everyone thought that the matter had become serious; they looked at Maureen sympathetically.

Maureen jumped to her feet and glared at Stella. “Firing me? What right have you to fire me? Oh, I got it. You don’t dare to bully Deedee, so now you’re bullying me as a warning to everyone else, right? I used to think that you were a nice person back when we were fellow colleagues, Stella—I didn’t expect you to be so vicious. Not only did you steal someone else’s husband, but you are pretending to be innocent here. How could you keep pretending with that big baby bump of yours? Do you even have a sense of shame?”

Maureen’s speech ignited the flames of war. As she clenched her teeth and trembled in anger, Stella glared at Maureen for quite a while. Suddenly, she lowered her head and produced her cell phone from her handbag. “Hey, Norman. Could you come over here?” She spoke over the phone while darting her eyes at Maureen with a look that seemed to say, ‘Just you wait and see.’