Page 6 of See You at the Sunset

First, walk out of the office with her dignity intact. Second, figure out her financial situation and how long she could survive without this paycheck. And third, finish off the pint of mint chip Talenti she had in the freezer. Ice cream at 10:12 a.m. felt totally valid in times like these.

Twelve minutes past ten.

It had taken all of twelve minutes for her life to be turned upside down... again. And after having to break the news to her parents, she’d be reminded, again, how disappointing her life had become. She’d be pressured, again, to move back home. They meant well. They were just too protective. Too quick to sweep in and control Jia’s choices. She was their miracle child, after all. Problem was she was now twenty-seven and needed them to let her live her own life.

All problems she would deal with once she left.

She let out a deep breath to compose herself.

Well, here went nothing. She stood tall, raised her chin, and straightened her back. Well-practiced posture from years of walking with books on top of her head around the house as a kid as her grandmother beamed and excitedly declared her the future Miss Korea.

The route to the elevators was clear and in sight.

And as she awkwardly carried the overpriced bankers box toward the exit, past the conference room currently filled with high-powered men wearing bespoke suits who likely had no idea who she was and how they had just ruined her life, she had only one thing on her mind...

Jia might be soft, but she would not let them see her cry.

2

Henry took his seat at the cherrywood table in the executive conference room. It wasn’t his first time at one of these meetings. But he’d usually been included when something needed reporting on or to explain a situation to the powers in charge. In the past, he’d been told to be there. Today he’d been invited. And he knew the difference was monumental.

He looked around the table where the all-white, all-middle-aged male executives of various shapes and sizes sat. Likely all Ivy leaguers connected by family, school, and job history in ways Henry couldn’t ever achieve. But he’d worked ten times harder than all of them and by sheer determination had ended up here. He listened as the CFO gave a quick recap of the financials. He took notes as they discussed what would be on the agenda at the next board meeting. He nodded and laughed at all the right places, like when Mr. Bakerson commented on his wife’s latest attempt at cooking dinner. “Why she insists on giving the chef Sunday nights off is beyond me. Is she trying to poison me?”

Henry nodded where he was supposed to and didn’t offer words unless he felt it would add to the conversation.

As the rest of the executives laughed and commented, Henry was briefly distracted by something bright and colorful in the corner of his eye. In an entire office space full of grays, it was hard not to notice.

He turned just a little as she walked past the glass wall of the conference room down the hall toward the elevator... a white dress and bright red polka-dotted shoes. He didn’t get a glimpse of her face. Just a young woman, head held high, steely determination set in her posture, a bankers box balanced on her hip.

“I can’t believe you let that one go,” he heard someone say, bringing his attention back to the room full of high-powered men. “She looks like she’d be the life of the party.”

Henry looked over at Edison Wainwright, a smug look on his face like he’d just done something noble. “Great to look at. But,” he said with a pause, “she was difficult to work with.” A practiced response, if Henry ever had heard one. And it was the exact quote anonymously stated in the case file Henry had reviewed for this morning’s termination. An anonymous complaint meant no one would dig further without having a name attached, yet would certainly still stain an employee’s performance.

One thing Henry was sure of was that the documentation for the termination was airtight. He was the one who had prepared it all.

Another thing Henry was sure of? Edison Wainwright was a Grade A jackass.

He would have to try hard to forget that smug look... and the bitter taste it left in his mouth.

Henry knocked twice on the door before ducking his head in. He raised his eyebrows in question.

“It’s done,” Genevieve said. “She’s gone.” She did not look happy.

Of course, he’d already known it was over. Genevieve was reliable and good at her job. If it needed to be done at ten, she would do it at ten without question. Plus, Henry had seen the former employee walk out.

“Any issues?” he asked.

“Other than the ones I have personally?” Genevieve asked.

After reviewing the email he’d received yesterday with all the details of the termination for Jia Chung, executive assistant to Edison Wainwright, chief of staff, Henry had immediately messaged HR to make sure they’d take care of the face-to-face meeting Monday morning. He wasn’t a coward. He just wasn’t a people person. And termination meetings were technically under their purview.

“Wanna tell me why this had to be taken care of first thing on a Monday? She can’t possibly be a threat to anyone.”

Henry had wondered the same thing himself. Quite frankly, even looking at the cause of termination, he couldn’t figure out why everyone seemed especially interested in getting this taken care of so quickly. But it was neither Henry’s place nor his business to have an opinion. His job was to make sure it got done in a way that wouldn’t end up in litigation for the company.

He shrugged. “The higher-ups wanted it done. The rest is above our pay grade,” he answered. It was a cop-out. Of course, when—and hopefully soon—he hit the C-suite, he wouldn’t be able to use that excuse any longer. Henry looked forward to that day.

“But why? What’s the big deal? What’s the rush?” Genevieve kept pushing.