Cassidy's face turned pale. She hadn't expected the night to turn out like this, but she knew she couldn't blame Alex. After all, it was Derek who had started causing trouble.
"Derek, although Alex can be a little impulsive, he is right," she said.
Derek frowned at her. He couldn't believe she was defending Alex. "Cassidy, I'll make sure Oasis Media doesn't work with you again. You're completely finished!" he threatened.
"And you're completely finished, too," said Alex.
Derek and his companions burst into laughter.
"You must be stupid," said one of them. "He's Derek Lloyd, the manager of Robinson Winery."
"Only a loser would challenge him," said another.
They all started snickering and looking contemptuously at Alex.
Cassidy's face turned red with anger. "Shut up, all of you," she cried.
"Don't worry, Cassidy. They can't do anything to me," Alex said confidently.
"Really? Just you wait and see," said Derek. "Do you think you can offend me and get away with it?"
"Offending you is no different from offending anybody else," Alex said, shrugging. "You're no one special."
Derek looked at Cassidy and shook his head. "Cassidy, you must be crazy to be friends with him."
"I've never met such an ignorant person before," said Elaine, tutting.
Not wanting to listen to any more of Derek's bluster, Alex took out his phone and made a call. "I want you to fire Derek," he said to the person on the other end of the line.
Derek and his companions started laughing.
Elaine also looked at Alex mockingly. Does he think he can fire someone with a mere phone call? she thought.
She had never seen so much trouble at a Robinson Winery gathering before.
Cassidy looked embarrassed. She trusted Alex, but she didn't believe he could get Derek fired.
Does Alex have control over the personnel at the Robinson Winery? she wondered. Can he really get a powerful man like Derek dismissed?
Derek continued mocking Alex. "So, you want to get me fired? Okay, let's see what happens."
He lit a cigar and then looked at Cassidy. "Cassidy, initially, I thought you were nice, and I wanted to help you with the Blue Bottle Winery. But you let me down today. From now on, not only will I encourage Maryann to sue Blue Bottle Winery, but I'll also hold a press conference to expose your ambiguous relationship with them."
He smirked. "I'll even use my contacts to get Oasis Media to fire you. And remember, you brought this on yourself!"
Elaine and the others all looked at Cassidy, shaking their heads.
Alex patted her on the shoulder and comforted her. "Don't worry, Cassidy. Everything will be fine."
Just then, the door opened, and in walked Maryann with the chief operating officer, Maggie Bryant.
Behind them were other staff members from the Robinson Winery.
Compared to her usual calm and gentle appearance, Maryann seemed cold, and her expression was serious.
"Maryann, you're here," said Derek, forcing a smile. "You've come just in time. There's someone here that's causing a lot of trouble."
Elaine and the others nodded in agreement.
Maryann walked over to Derek.
"Derek, you're fired!" she said, her tone frosty. "As of today, your contract with the Robinson Winery is canceled."
Derek trembled. "You're firing me?" he asked, his mouth dropping open. "Why, Maryann?"
Everyone was shocked and confused.
"Because you've offended the wrong person," she replied. "Let me introduce you to him. This is Alex Ambrose, the chairman of the Robinson Winery. He generally doesn't interfere with the company's affairs, but when he does, his decision must be resolutely implemented."
She continued, "Whoever is rude to him is rude to me, and I'll fire whomever he wants fired."
Everybody was shocked and looked at Alex in horror.
They hadn't expected Maryann to respect an ordinary-looking man so much that he would become the chairman of her company.
Derek's face turned dark. It really was over for him.
He couldn't believe Alex's arrogance and how easily Maryann had complied with his requests.
Cassidy was also very surprised. Alex always surpassed her expectations.
Everyone present looked at Alex in fear.
But Alex was confused. When did I become the chairman of the Robinson Winery? he thought. Surely, having such a high position comes with responsibility.
But, at that moment, he had to go along with it.
"Derek didn't do anything wrong," said Elaine. "It was Alex who started getting violent. How can you fire him just like that?"
In addition to being in a relationship with Derek, Elaine also didn't like the way Alex looked down on them.
"If you're firing Derek, then you should fire me too," she continued. "But think about it carefully. The company is in troubled times now. Without Derek and I, the company will suffer a great loss."
Since she was one of the main forces behind the company, she felt she had the power to challenge Maryann.
"Are you threatening me?" asked Maryann. Then she nodded at Elaine and said, "Okay, as you wish. You're fired too.
"Everyone, Derek and Elaine are no longer employees of the Robinson Winery."