When Chris Henderson wanted to make a spectacle of an issue, he could move mountains and split the seven seas.
It was rather ironic that he once bullied and kicked Amalia Jones, his then-girlfriend out of Primavera after stealing her hard work, the fruits of her imagination. And yet, now he advocated for a healthy and safe work environment like a true leader.
"HR is a critical department under me," so Chris announced one day during a stand-up meeting. "I cannot bear to see our employees, our precious asset, suffer when they are supposed to enjoy working in Primavera!"
"Say no to bullying! Say no to harassment! I will punish all those who tolerate these inhumane acts!"
His speech was received with thunderous applause from all those who knew when to clap and when not.
If Irene did not know better, she would fall for Chris' fallacious moral values. Now that she did, she had to prevent herself from barfing all over Chris' parade.
And that was how Mr. Collins was dragged to the general manager's office the next day. Only the two of them were inside, so no one knew what they were talking about.
One thing was sure, they were not there to discuss Mr. Collins' salary raise or promotion.
Mr. Collins exited Chris' office with an empty look on his face. He did not speak much the entire day, only busy typing something on his computer and occasionally looking out of the window.
When a letter of resignation reached Chris Henderson the next morning, no one was surprised at all.
When Chris Henderson dismissed Mr. Collins on the spot without bothering to keep him around, no one was surprised as well.
Apparently, they knew the two men by heart. Mr. Collins did not want to leave, but he lost face thanks to Chris Henderson's ruthless method to humiliate him. Chris on the other side could not forgive what Mr. Collins did. He was the general manager after all. If he took such blatant betrayal from Mr. Collins, one by one, all managers under him would start reporting to the CEO.
What was he there for then???
He might as well smash the name tag on his desk and throw the pieces at Damian's face, that greedy outsider!!!
And thus, Mr. Collins left Primavera for good.
Irene leaned against her seat and looked out of the window. She watched the former HR Manager walk languidly toward his car. Because Mr. Collins did not show any compassion to her back then, Irene too did not feel sorry for him.
This was how the game was played in Primavera.
Beneath the glorious facade full of beauty and elegance was a building full of selfish, backstabbing men and women who would do anything to reach the top.
"Irene."
Irene whirled around and gazed into Damian's face. The man unknowingly stood before her desk for some time now.
"What are you looking at?" he asked.
"Oh, it's Mr. Collins, the former HR Manager. I heard that he resigned and Mr. Chris Henderson dismissed him right away."
"Ah."
Damian heaved a sigh as he watched the car that carried Mr. Collins drive away.
"Well, I hope that we get a good replacement."
Damian laid a stack of papers in front of Irene.
"I have gone through the proposal that Mrs. Baker sent. I agree with all the clauses. Have our Legal Department draft a contract for the payment and print it out for me."
"Right away, Sir."
While Irene typed an e-mail to the legal team, she thought about the result of her revenge plan so far.
Chris lost the CEO position to Damian thanks to his performance during the birthday dinner event at Mr. Henderson Sr.'s house.
Chris also lost his rich and powerful lover, Scarlett Davies. He even got beaten up by Scarlett's protective father.
Mr. Collins resigned from Primavera, and so did two of the J3.
Janine lost both her standing at Primavera and her two best friends. Alone, it would take some time until she returned to glory. If ever.
Above all, there was still June Henderson who had yet to taste hell. That woman was the wickedest of them all.
Irene tapped at the desk with her fingernails, not focusing on the email that she needed to send at all.
Janine Mayer and June Henderson. And of course Chris Henderson, the most important man in the story.
What could she do to mess with all three of them?
Irene smiled deviously to herself.