Vivienne's Pov Cont
I lifted my head slowly and looked at Alexander. His face showed no emotion and his eyes were cold as he stared at me.
His gaze felt sharp and distant and it made my chest feel tight. Then he looked at Olivia and spoke in a harsh voice questioning both of us for fighting in front of employees.
He asked what kind of example we were setting as directors and what kind of workplace we thought this company was.
His words made the entire office fall into silence. No one moved. Everyone lowered their heads pretending to be busy because they were afraid of what would happen next.
Olivia did not look scared at all. She spoke calmly and said she was only doing her job. She accused me of barging into the office shouting and slapping her.
She questioned how someone like me could remain a brand director. I could see anger and false grievance in her eyes.
Alexander then turned to look at me. His eyes felt cold and distant. He told me to apologize.
His voice sounded firm and commanding. My fists tightened and I forced myself to breathe slowly to control my anger. I told him that Olivia should apologize first before I said anything.
I knew fighting in the company was wrong and I was ready to face punishment later but I refused to let Olivia pretend she was innocent.
Olivia pretended to be confused and turned to Alexander acting like she did nothing wrong. I wanted to respond but Alexander interrupted me again and repeated his command telling me to apologize.
That single word felt heavy and suffocating. My chest hurt and my pride felt crushed. I wanted to resist but I did not have the courage to oppose him while he looked at me like that.
I looked at him with disbelief and felt tears building in my eyes. It was clear that he did not care about the truth. He only wanted obedience and a quick end to the conflict. He repeated the order again and I felt my strength disappear.
I pressed my nails into my palms and forced the words out. I apologized to Olivia even though my heart burned with anger.
Olivia smiled with satisfaction and warned me not to repeat such behavior.
Her tone was arrogant and full of victory. I felt cold inside but I was not ready to let the matter go. I asked her to explain why the brand ambassador had been changed without informing me.
She immediately said it was Alexander's decision.
I felt shocked and confused and looked at him hoping he would explain. Instead he said nothing and simply turned around and walked toward his office.
He told me to follow him. I took a deep breath and glanced at Olivia who looked pleased with herself before I followed him quietly.
Inside his office I could not hold back my question and asked why Lena Ashford had been replaced. He sat behind his desk calmly and instead of answering he asked about the divorce agreement.
My heart sank and I realized he was avoiding my question and forcing me to focus on the divorce. I told him I had been busy and would review it that night since he seemed in a hurry.
He simply agreed with a short answer that felt cold and distant.
I gathered my courage and asked him something that had been stuck in my heart. I asked what would happen if we had a child and whether he would still insist on divorce.
My voice sounded weak and unsure. He looked at me with the same cold expression and said that even if there was a child he would not allow it to be born.
His words felt heavy and cruel. I felt all hope disappear and my body felt empty and weak. I lowered my head because I could not find any words to respond.
I forced myself to stay calm and said I understood. Then I returned to the work issue and asked again why Lena Ashford had been replaced after he had already approved the plan.
My mind felt confused because he rarely interfered with my department and suddenly he changed a major decision without discussion.
He replied that there was a reason but did not give details.
I told him that since the creation of V and R I had handled everything and he had rarely interfered so replacing someone should have been discussed with me first. He leaned back in his chair calmly and then told me directly that Lena was being replaced by Isabella.
The name hit me hard and I stood there frozen trying to understand what he said. I asked again just to be sure I heard correctly and he confirmed without hesitation.
He explained that Isabella was returning to develop her career locally and that this endorsement was very important to her.
At that moment I felt cold from head to toe. My chest hurt and I realized clearly that my voice and my decisions no longer mattered in his world.
I stood there silently trying to maintain my composure while the truth settled heavily inside me.