Chapter 175: You’re Making Me Look Stupid
It’s human nature to follow the crowd and avoid trouble. Even though they disapproved of the store manager’s behavior, they weren’t the ones being harassed. Speaking up could have caused problems for them, so most had chosen to stay silent.
But now that the tables had turned and someone was leading the charge, they all started clamoring to voice their own complaints.
Special Assistant Ford had already braced himself when he rushed over after a call from Kieran Kerr. But seeing how Arabella Donovan had riled up the customers with just a few words made him realize the true gravity of the situation—and just how furious she was.
He instinctively glanced at the middle-aged man beside him. Mr. Wagner caught his eye, shuddered, and immediately sprang into action.
"You’re fired."
The same words he had spoken less than an hour ago were now being thrown right back at him.
Prescott’s pupils constricted. He was in utter disbelief.
His wife couldn’t help but shriek, "Why? On what grounds are you firing my husband?"
"On the grounds that he violated company policy, openly assaulted an employee and customers in the store, tarnished our brand’s reputation, and caused a severely negative impact on the company."
Seeing that these people were so beyond reason they still didn’t grasp what they’d done wrong, Mr. Wagner couldn’t be bothered to argue with them any further.
"Everything that happened here today was captured by the store’s surveillance cameras. We have witnesses and physical evidence; none of you are getting away with this. You can wait to receive a summons from our company!"
Hearing this, Mrs. Prescott nearly had a meltdown. "What nonsense are you spouting? You fire my husband for no good reason over these lowlifes, and not only do you refuse to pay severance, you dare to sue him? Do you really think we’re pushovers?"
"Honey, honey, hurry up and teach him a lesson! We only call this old bastard ’Mister’ out of respect for his age, and he’s really starting to think he’s hot stuff. Let me tell you something! You want to fire my husband? Fine. But you won’t short him a single penny of his severance. In fact, you’ll pay double—no, triple!"
Mrs. Prescott was, in her own way, putting what she’d learned to use by parroting the same demands Catherine Chamberlain had made to her husband just moments before.
Unfortunately, their two situations were worlds apart. How could they possibly be compared?
"Shut up, you idiot!" Prescott had only just begun to process the situation when he heard his wife’s outrageous tirade. His hand moved before his mind could even catch up.
A sharp SMACK echoed through the store. The slap had finally landed on one of their own.
"You... You hit me?" Mrs. Prescott’s face was etched with disbelief.
Prescott was snapped back to his senses. When he turned, he saw everyone in the store, including Mr. Sterling and his companion, staring wide-eyed as if they’d seen a ghost. Those farther away had already started whispering and pointing at him.
It was like a bucket of ice water had been dumped over his head, and he shivered involuntarily.
His legally illiterate wife didn’t understand the stakes, but he certainly did.
In his current predicament, a little severance pay was the least of his worries. If the company decided to sue him for damaging its reputation and tarnishing its image, the potential damages they could claim were a far more flexible—and terrifying—figure.
Prescott had no doubt that Aethel Jade Group’s legal team was powerful enough to sue him into utter ruin.
"’Lowlife’ this, ’lowlife’ that. What is it with you? Do you have some noble bloodline from a fallen dynasty? Get a grip! The Qing dynasty collapsed over a century ago, and you’re still acting so high and mighty?" Chloe Ulrich was genuinely infuriated by their constant use of the word and jumped in to taunt them without waiting for Eugene Jennings to make the first move.
Her best friend, who had come shopping with her, was just as sharp-witted. She immediately followed up in a sarcastic tone, "Right? I mean, it’s bad enough we spend our money here and don’t get treated like royalty, but now we don’t even have basic human dignity? We’re just ’lowlifes’? If people heard about this, they’d all mock us for being so spineless, wouldn’t they?"
Mr. Wagner was already worried about being dragged down by these morons, and their words only stoked his fury. If he weren’t afraid of making a bad impression on Miss Donovan—a woman clearly valued by two of the company’s top brass—he would have gladly slapped that whole nest of fools silly just to shut them up.
"Fine, fine, so I’m a lowlife. I’m clearly not worthy of being addressed so respectfully by the great Mr. Prescott. Now pack your things and get the hell out of this store. The company’s legal department will be in touch. My final piece of advice to you is not to put up a pointless fight."
"No, Mr. Wagner, don’t listen to her..." Prescott was in a full-blown panic. He instinctively reached for Mr. Wagner’s arm, but the man sidestepped him.
"Get out!"
"Mr. Wagner..." Prescott tried one last desperate plea.
"Security! Security..."
"No, no, don’t! Don’t call security! I’m leaving, I’m leaving." Prescott’s face contorted for a second, but he was ultimately helpless. He lowered his head and started to walk away.
"Wait." Arabella Donovan, who had been silently watching the farce unfold from the sidelines, spoke up for the first time since her initial comments, stopping him in his tracks.
"Miss Donovan..." Mr. Wagner said, his face full of apprehension, terrified that she was unhappy with his handling of the situation.
Arabella Donovan paid him no mind, her gaze fixed on Prescott. She raised an eyebrow. "Hit someone and just walk away?"
Prescott, who had been groveling before Mr. Wagner just moments ago, clenched his fists at Arabella Donovan’s question.
Seeing this, Mr. Wagner wanted nothing more than to crack open the man’s thick skull himself. "Apologize already!"
"...I’m sorry."
"Too quiet. I didn’t hear you."
"I’m sorry!"
He roared the second apology, loud enough for the entire shopping plaza to hear.
Arabella wanted to make him apologize to Catherine Chamberlain, too, but she worried it would make the young woman a target. A desperate man will do desperate things, and while he couldn’t touch her, there was no telling what sort of vile thing he might do to Catherine.
But before she could make up her mind, Special Assistant Ford—who had stepped aside to report on the situation after leaving Mr. Wagner in charge—suddenly ended his call and hurried back over.
"The General Manager is now fully aware of the entire incident. After careful consideration, the head office has made its decision. Zack Prescott, manager of the Jennings Plaza branch in Brynn, is terminated. Kenneth Wagner, the Head of Brynn Operations, is suspended pending further review." After finishing, Special Assistant Ford suddenly turned to Catherine Chamberlain.
"As for you, Miss Chamberlain, Zack Prescott’s personal whims do not represent the company. You are still an employee of the Aethel Jade Group. Furthermore, in light of your conduct during this incident, the company has decided to appoint you as the new manager of this branch, replacing Zack Prescott. Your official letter of appointment will arrive within a day or two."
"Additionally, in consideration of the distress and injury you suffered during this conflict, the company will provide you with a sum of money as compensation. Miss Chamberlain, do you find these arrangements acceptable?"
The moment he said this, the entire store fell into a dead silence.
Arabella Donovan’s expression remained neutral, but inside, her thoughts were already running wild.
’As much as I want to praise you for this excellent and fitting resolution, did you really have to announce it right now? You just maxed out the aggro on her. It makes me look like a fool for agonizing over it for the last few minutes.’
Eugene Jennings: *Pfft...*