Chapter 118
Holcomb ignored Kristin and said to the people In the PR department, “Call the cops.” Lisa appeared to exhale in relief. “Exactly, Mr. Holcomb, why give her an explanation? A woman with a criminal record doesn’t deserve a chance and should be reported to the police straight away.”
“Can we give Kris one more shot? Just let her walk away from the company,” Hertha pleaded with a genuinely concerned expression.
Holcomb snorted. “Hertha, don’t let your heart rule your head. Your sister’s still locked up because of her.”
Hertha sighed deeply, her face etched with regret. “It’s just that Kris doesn’t seem like a bad egg.”
“You can’t judge a book by its cover,” Lisa chimed in with a snide comment.
Kristin, however, remained calm throughout, sitting silently until Holcomb and the PR team had left. Then she turned to Lisa. “I couldn’t care less, but I’ve got a recording here that you might be interested in hearing.”
Lisa, who was about to leave, tensed up upon hearing about the recording.
“What are you on about?” Lisa asked, confused.
Kristin coolly took out her phone and played the recording.
She had sent the audio file to Rhett the day it was made.
After the recording finished, Lisa turned pale, staring at Kristin in disbelief and horror. “You… you set me up!”
Recording from day one, Kristin had been gunning for her!
“Do you know what it means to be killed by others‘ fake praises, Lisa?” Kristin said, turning off the recording and deftly sidestepping with her phone in hand. “I have plenty of copies of this recording. Snatching my phone won’t help you.”
Lisa trembled her fingers with anger as she pointed at Kristin. “What the hell do you want!”
“Over the years, as a longstanding employee holding the juicy position of HR, you’ve been coddled by Nicola to be arrogant,” Kristin said composedly, her voice steady.
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Her heart was racing, fear nipping at her, but the thought of Rhett arriving soon gave Kristin courage.
“When people get too full of themselves, they end up messing up big time, just like what happened this time,” Kristin said, standing up. “With the commotion this incident has caused, whether with the police or internally at the company, all I have to do is release this recording to clear my name. You, on the other hand, will be taken away for investigation.”
Sabotaging a new employee to harm the CEO was serious.
“If Mr. FitzGerald decides to pursue this, you could be looking at an assault charge.” Kristin said, gripping the hem of her dress to keep her composure.
Lisa was in a panic, a complete mess.
“It’s just a recording. What can it prove? No one will believe you,” Lisa continued to
argue.
“The recording can be authenticated.” Kristin knew Lisa was just flailing.
The authenticity of the recording wasn’t what most people cared about. Once it was out, there would be plenty eager to kick her while she was down.
Lisa was trembling. She glanced nervously at the door, then rushed at Kristin, grabbing her clothes. “How do you want to resolve this? Don’t give the recording to the cops.”
“Did Nicola put you, up to this? Do you think that all your little schemes at the FitzGerald Group over the years have gone unnoticed by Mr. FitzGerald?” Kristin pushed Lisa’s hands away, taking a step back.
Lisa took a deep breath. “Did Mr. FitzGerald deliberately send you to get close to me just to get rid of me and replace me with his people?”
“Mr. FitzGerald doesn’t play such petty games, but you’re not too bright,” Kristin said, almost losing her balance and sitting back down.
“Lisa, you’ve toiled at this company for years. If Mr. FitzGerald goes to the mat with this, you’ll not only be convicted, but all your years of hard work will go down the drain. You’ll end up with a criminal record and behind bars,” Kristin explained calmly. “Prison life is not something I’d wish for you to experience.”
Lisa stepped back, defeated. “What do you want to destroy the recording? Name your price. If it’s money you want, I can give it to you, please.”
“Indeed, only when you hold the cards can you make people grovel,” Kristin said with
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a hint of sarcasm.
Lisa had not been so humble before Kristin had the upper hand.
“Kristin, you did this on purpose, didn’t you? Just to watch me squirm. You deliberately lured Mr. FitzGerald to get Clyde and others fired because they were appointed by Nicola on my recommendation!” Lisa’s realization came too late.
She looked at Kristin, an ex–convict with no education or connections, with a mix of horror and disbelief.
In just a few days at the company, Kristin had achieved this. How terrifying!
This woman was fearsome.
Kristin watched Lisa quietly. “From the moment Holcomb calls the cops to the time they walk through that door, there are forty minutes.”
Kristin gave Lisa forty minutes to think things over, decide what to do next and contemplate what she truly wanted.
“Kristin, who the hell do you think you are to threaten me?” Lisa was near hysteria.
Kristin just looked at her calmly.
When people couldn’t accept the outcome, going mad was their first line of defense.
“Kristin, I beg you, just delete the recording. I’ll tell the cops it was my oversight, that I indeed failed to make things clear. Okay? In that way, neither of us suffers much loss. Please?” Lisa was now grasping at straws, pleading..
In Kristin’s view, this was her second line of defense, still harboring a sliver of hope.
At the sight of unresponsive Kristin, Lisa paced back and forth restlessly, then took a deep breath and walked over to the floor–to–ceiling windows..
Kristin had been accurate. From the moment the police were dispatched to arriving at The FitzGerald Group’s building, it took thirty–five minutes.
It took roughly five minutes to ascend to the room.
Lisa looked back at Kristin with terror. At that moment, her fear of Kristin only intensified.
“What do you want from me?” Lisa blurted out in desperation.
The police had arrived. She could see the flashing lights of the cruiser.
Kristin just stared at Lisa, an unreadable expression on her face.
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If Lisa wasn’t smart enough, even if she stayed, she’d be no use to Rhett and might as well cut her loose.
Lisa’s palms were sweaty with urgency. She didn’t even know what Kristin wanted.
Was it all for Rhett?
“After firing Clyde and the others, I thought that would make it clear to you, Lisa… But it seems you’re just as clueless,” Kristin said with a sarcastic edge, standing up to face the incoming officers.
Lisa watched her in panic, rushing over to grab Kristin’s wrist. “Nicola and Vincent headed to Harborside Haven. She had already scoped out Eddie’s contact information and preferences. She approached me years ago and tasked me with planting her people within the company. I know every position, so… those are Nicola’s spies. Kristin, I can give you the list! Just help me out this one time, and I’ll be Mr. FitzGerald’s loyal aide from here on out. I’ll report Nicola’s every move to your the moment I learn anything!” Lisa trembled her voice.
Kristin’s gaze was intense as she looked at Lisa, a smile forming on her lips. “How can I trust you?”
“Randall, the secretary close to Rhett – he’s actually Nicola’s pawn!” Lisa blurted out in her struggle for survival.
Kristin nodded slightly, waving her smartphone in front of Lisa, the recording light on. “Lisa, you should learn from your setbacks. Now, I’ve got it all recorded. If Nicola finds out…”
Kristin had just burned Lisa’s bridges completely.
