Chapter 63: Natalie’s Bold Decision

Meanwhile, Ken and the other two, all smug, were celebrating looking down at her on her first day in the office.

"She won’t last here even a week."

"Chairman Ford would be happy, if we make here leave even sooner."

Within next five minutes, the entire office was in an uproar as employees received emails directly from the CEO.

"What’s going on?"

"How can she do this?"

Ken emerged from his office, visibly irritated by the commotion. "What’s all this? Why aren’t you working?"

"Mr. Ken, we’ve all been fired," one employee said, holding up their phone.

"What?" Ken exclaimed, quickly checking the employee’s email for confirmation. His eyes widened in disbelief.

"Wait here, let me talk to her," he snapped, spinning around—only to see Natalie standing there with her arms crossed, watching the chaos unfold with a calm, almost amused expression.

"I didn’t realize firing someone could be this satisfying, Dan," she remarked lightly, "and so many at once."

Ken strode toward her, his face red with anger. "Ms. Natalie, how can you fire all of them? If they’re gone, who will do the work?" His voice was thick with frustration. "It takes time to hire and train employees—you can’t just—"

"Ken, is it?" Natalie finally acknowledged him with a cold glance. "Yes, Ms. Natalie," he responded, his tone changing, though barely masking his anger.

"Are you trying to control me the way my grandma controls you?" she asked icily. "Or do you think that just because I’m new, I’m clueless and you’re the one actually running this company?"

Ken’s face tightened. "Of course not, but this isn’t how you run a business. What are we going to do if all the work stops?"

Natalie’s eyes flashed. "The work they’re doing has nothing to do with this company," her voice sharp and unforgiving. "They’re employees of this company in name only, enjoying a paycheck while working for the Ford Group and draining resources here. I don’t need them."

Her words echoed across the room, leaving a chill in the air.

"I tried to give them another opportunity by calling them to the meeting and offering them real work, but it seems like they are not deserving."

Ken stood baffled by Natalie’s cold dismissal but tried to maintain his composure. "There’s nothing left for this company to do. It’s only because of Chairman Ford’s grace that this place even exists."

Natalie’s eyes sharpened. "I don’t need Sephina Ford’s lapdog here. You’d be better off going back to her, licking her feet, than standing here being an eyesore."

"Ms. Natalie," Ken protested, his voice taut with barely concealed anger, "I’d appreciate it if you spoke with some respect."

"Do you deserve any?" she shot back coldly. "But don’t worry, I have something for you that’s well-deserved." She gestured to Dan, who stepped forward and handed Ken an envelope.

Ken opened it, eyes narrowing as Natalie continued. "Since you’re a special employee of Sephina Ford, I took the liberty of personally signing your termination letter instead of sending an email. You can pack your things and leave."

Ken’s face paled, but he quickly recovered. "Firing a key employee on your first day—is this how you intend to run this company? If I leave, nothing will function."

Natalie’s expression didn’t waver. "With you here, I don’t see anything functioning either. You’re fired, Ken. And be sure to let Sephina Ford know that I’ll run this company how I see fit. In fact, tell her Spotlight Management is going down soon, courtesy of company."

Ken chuckled darkly. "Dreams are fine, but you young people need to learn which dreams are worth chasing."

Natalie’s lips curved into a cold smile. "Do we have a security guard to throw him out? Because I don’t want my heels to make a hole in his rotten head if I had to kick him out personally."

Dan stepped forward with a calm but firm tone. "You heard our CEO, Ken."

Ken sneered, looking around at the employees who had also been fired. "Don’t worry," he said to them. "She’ll be calling us back soon enough."

With a mocking laugh, he turned and walked out, followed by the others who had been dismissed.

The office fell eerily quiet, leaving only Natalie, Dan, Ella, and a single receptionist in the now nearly empty workspace.

Dan turned to Natalie. "What’s the plan now, Ms. Natalie?"

Natalie’s voice was steady and full of confidence as she responded, "We’re going to restore this company to its original goal—PR and artist management. We’ll take back everything Sephina stole from it."

"It won’t be easy. We’ll have to start from scratch," Ella noted cautiously.

"But it’s not impossible. We’ll rename it to ."

Ella’s face brightened. "That’s a great name!"

Natalie glanced at the short, black-haired woman with a smile. "It is. I’ve already made plans for our next steps." She then turned to Dan. "You worked with my mother. I’ll need your help to understand what she was planning and her vision for this company."

Dan smiled, a look of nostalgia crossing his face. "Of course. I have to say, for a moment there, it felt like your mother was back. She had the same fearless approach, never afraid to make bold decisions like the ones you’ve made today."

Just then, a young woman entered the office hesitantly. Natalie recognized her as one of the employees she’d just fired. The woman’s eyes were downcast as she nervously approached.

"Ms. Ford, I’m Nora. Please don’t fire me," the blonde, short, and innocent-looking girl pleaded, her voice shaking. "It’s not that I wanted to disrespect you. Mr. Ken wouldn’t let any of us come to the meeting."

Natalie studied Nora quietly, her expression unreadable.

Before Nora could gauge her response, she dropped to her knees, her head lowered. "I truly need this job. I swear, I’ll do anything you ask of me. I’ll stay loyal to you, no matter what."

Without a word, Natalie glanced at Ella, then turned and walked back to her office, leaving Nora on her knees. Nora’s heart sank, fearing the worst.

Just as tears welled up in Nora’s eyes, Ella’s voice broke the silence. "Get up. We’ve got work to do."

Nora blinked in disbelief. "But the CEO..."

"She approved it," Ella confirmed with a reassuring smile.

Nora shot to her feet, relief washing over her. "What should I do?"

Dan stepped forward with a suggestion. "You’ll take on the role of CEO’s secretary. That should suit you well."

Ella nodded in agreement.

Nora gulped nervously.