Chapter 37: Forced To Resign
Sienna felt her chest tighten again. The earlier fear returned, stronger this time, mixed with something colder.
’An offer?’ she thought.
That didn’t sound right, especially in a moment like this. Her fingers lingered over the file for a brief second before finally reaching out to take it.
The paper felt heavier than it should, as if it carried the weight of everything she had been trying to avoid.
Slowly, she opened it.
Her eyes moved across the first page.
’So... they’re transferring me to another branch?’
The words echoed quietly in Sienna’s mind as her eyes scanned the first paragraph again, as if reading it twice might somehow change the meaning.
But, of course, it didn’t.
Her name was clearly written there, followed by a decision that felt as firm and cold. A transfer. Immediate. Effective next week.
She continued reading, her expression slowly tightening as each line revealed more than she wanted to accept.
The location was not clearly stated; it was only described as a "branch outside the capital," which, in corporate language, often meant somewhere nice but inconvenient to drive if you live in the city. Also, it’s likely far away and easy to forget unless you’re planning a vacation.
And the worst part? Her position is no longer Front Office Manager.
The title she had worked hard for, fought for, and protected with everything she had... was now quietly taken away, replaced with something lower, something that didn’t even bother to sound important on paper.
It felt like swallowing bitter medicine. Something she had no choice but to accept, even as it burned all the way down.
Sienna lowered the file slightly, her lips pressing into a thin line.
’Well... at least they didn’t fire you,’ she told herself dryly. ’Congratulations, Sienna. You’re still employed. Just... downgraded, relocated, and emotionally attacked. What a great deal.’
If the situation weren’t so serious, she might have laughed.
But she didn’t.
Instead, she took a slow breath, trying to steady the storm rising inside her chest, and turned her gaze toward Mia.
Sienna was taken aback as she saw Mia look completely frozen.
Her face had gone pale, almost colorless, her eyes fixed on the paper in her hands as if the words had trapped her there.
There was no movement, no reaction, just stillness that felt far more alarming than panic.
A bad feeling wells up in Sienna’s chest. Slowly, she leaned closer, her eyes shifting to the document Mia was holding.
And the moment she read it, her heart clenched.
’No fucking way...’ The words screamed in her mind, sharp and loud. ’They’re making Mia resign? No. But they forced her to resign?’
Her fingers curled into a tight fist beneath the table, her nails pressing into her palm as anger surged through her like a storm.
’What’s going on? How dare they... Why were they forced to resign while sending me off somewhere else? Why not send both of us to the branch?’
Now, Sienna feels bad thinking about how Mia will react if she finds out they didn’t push her to resign.
Sienna’s gaze shot up instantly, locking onto the HR manager.
"Sir," she spoke, her voice controlled but firm, "why does Mia have to resign?"
The question hung in the air.
For a brief moment, no one spoke.
Then the HR manager adjusted his posture slightly, his expression unchanged, as if he had expected this question.
"This," he began calmly, "is the solution the company has decided on. Considering the severity of the incident and the impact on the guest, there is no room for further discussion."
Sienna felt her frustration rise again, sharp and suffocating, but she forced herself to stay still. Arguing now would change nothing. The decision had already been made long before they stepped into this room.
Still, her hand moved instinctively beneath the table, reaching for Mia’s. She found it easily. She could feel how cold Mia’s hands were, and now her hands were starting to shake.
Sienna squeezed it gently, silently telling her she wasn’t alone.
Beside her, Mia finally moved. A soft, shaky breath escaped her lips, and her shoulders trembled slightly, as if she were holding back something too heavy to bear.
Sienna didn’t look at her. Because she knew... If she did, she might lose control, too.
Then, as if the situation wasn’t heavy enough, one of the HR staff spoke again, his voice cutting through the fragile silence.
"Miss Sienna, Miss Mia, please sign the documents," he said, gesturing toward the papers in their hands. "We need to process them immediately."
His words felt like a final blow.
Mia let out a soft, uneven breath before turning her head slightly toward Sienna. Her eyes were red now, her usual brightness replaced with something fragile and heartbreaking.
Yet somehow, she tried to smile.
"Sienna..." Mia whispered, her voice trembling despite her effort to sound calm. "Don’t worry about me. I know this is my fault... I will take responsibility."
Sienna’s chest tightened as she saw Mia’s smile... thought her smile didn’t reach her eyes.
For a moment, Sienna wanted to shake her, to tell her to stop blaming herself, to fight back, but the words never came out.
Because deep down, she knew, right now, nothing they said would change anything.
So instead, Sienna gave her a small, bitter smile in return. Then, slowly, she reached for the pen on the table.
’Great,’ she thought dryly. ’Sign here, Sienna. Sign your career away with a nice, elegant signature. Maybe they’ll even frame it for you.’
Sienna smiles in silence as a silly thought crosses her mind.
If this were a movie, this would be the part where something dramatic happened. Someone would burst in.
Or the truth would suddenly reveal itself.
Or maybe the universe would finally decide to be kind for once.
But real life wasn’t a movie.
So Sienna lowered the pen toward the paper, her fingers steady despite the chaos in her chest.
Beside her, Mia did the same.
The tip of the pen hovered just above the line and then—
Bang!
The door suddenly burst open with a force loud enough to startle everyone in the room.
Every head turned instantly toward the entrance.
Sienna’s hand froze mid-air.
Her heart skipped.
And when her eyes landed on the figure standing at the door, her breath caught in her throat.
’He’s here...?’
For a moment, she couldn’t even process what she was seeing.