Chapter 5 - The Termination and Beyond
Ethan wiped his forehead again, his voice trembling as he looked to Clara for guidance. “Ms. Vance... what... what are your orders? Shall I contact corporate HR immediately?”
“HR is already cc’d on the automatic security log sync,” Clara replied, pulling her phone from her pocket and watching a notification light flash. “As of ten seconds ago, Natalie Brooks’s employee profile has been globally deactivated across all Maison Avery retail locations.”
Natalie let out a choked gasp, stumbling backward against the cash wrap. “Deactivated? You can't just fire me on the spot! I’ve been the top sales associate in this district for three years! I know clients, I bring in revenue—”
“You bring in liability,” Clara corrected sharply, slipping her metal executive card back into her pocket. “And effective immediately, you aretrespassed from this property. If you set foot in any Maison Avery store in North America again, our legal team will pursue criminal charges for harassment and fraud.”
Natalie opened her mouth to scream, to protest, to beg, but the words caught in her throat. She looked at Ethan, who refused to meet her eyes, and then at Jenna, who stood silently behind the counter. Realizing her career in luxury retail was incinerated beyond recognition, Natalie turned blindly and ran out of the boutique, her heels clacking frantically against the marble mall floor until the sound faded into the distance.
Ethan stood frozen in the quiet boutique, staring at the floor, waiting for the axe to fall on his own head. “Ms. Vance... I failed to supervise the floor properly. I accept full responsibility for letting this kind of toxic culture take root here.”
Clara looked at him for a long, agonizing moment, letting the weight of his fear sink in. Then, she turned her attention to Jenna, who was still standing behind the terminal, watching the exchange with wide eyes.
“Jenna,” Clara said, her voice softening significantly.
“Yes, ma’am?” Jenna whispered.
“How long have you been working here?”
“Three months, ma’am. Part-time while I finish my degree in business administration.”
Clara nodded slowly, a thoughtful expression crossing her face. She reached into her purse, pulled out a clean, crisp business card—her actual corporate office card—and slid it across the counter toward the young associate.
“Ethan,” Clara said, without breaking eye contact with Jenna.
“Y-yes, Ms. Vance?” Ethan stammered.
“Natalie’s position as senior sales associate is now vacant. Promote Jenna to floor supervisor effective Monday morning, with a thirty percent salary increase and direct reporting privileges to my regional office.”
Jenna’s jaw dropped. She stared at the business card, then up at Clara, tears of shock welling in her eyes. “Oh my god... thank you. Thank you so much.”
“Don't thank me yet, Jenna,” Clara said with a faint, knowing smile. “Running this floor right is going to be hard work. But I know talent when I see it.”
She turned toward the glass exit doors, adjusting the gray sweater over her shoulders, ready to step back out into the mall concourse.
Before she reached the threshold, Ethan called out nervously, “Ms. Vance... are you leaving? Should I call a car for you?”
May you like
Clara paused, looking back over her shoulder with a cool, unreadable expression that made Ethan’s blood run cold.
“No, Ethan,” Clara said quietly. “I’m going to walk down to the south wing. I hear the other luxury boutiques in this mall have fascinating customer service standards, and I want to see how they treat people who don't wear designer labels.”
