Nora walked over to Rene. She was about to talk to her but, as though she was badly frightened, Rene suddenly turned away and ran into the smallest house at the side.
Nora: “…”
Through the window, she saw Rene pick up her cell phone, her hands shaking as she did. She seemingly made a phone call. The person she called said something, which frightened Rene so badly that her eyes reddened and she started to cry.
Nora frowned.
Rene seemed to have sensed Nora looking at her. She was so scared that she suddenly drew the curtains and curled up in the corner. As for what she was doing, Nora couldn’t see.
“Mommy, isn’t Auntie Rene a little too timid?”
Nora nodded. After a moment’s thought, she told Cherry to go back into the house. She then walked up to Rene’s door, raised her hand, and knocked on the door.
Rene’s timid voice rang out. “W-who is it?”
Nora replied, “I’m your neighbor, I live next door. Thank you for speaking up for Cherry…”
“Y-you’re welcome.”
Rene sounded like she was about to cry. “Please, I beg you, don’t come to me anymore. I… I don’t want him to lose his job…”
Nora hurriedly comforted her. “He won’t lose his job, don’t worry. Can you open the door? I have something to tell you.”
“I-I have nothing to say to you. P-please don’t disturb me, okay?”.
Rene stammered a little when she spoke and she didn’t sound confident of herself.
Nora’s brows knitted together. She wanted to knock on the door again, but the door to Mrs. Long’s house on the opposite side opened at this point. Mrs. Long sneered, “She won’t dare to open the door for you. Considering how much of a coward she is, if she dares to open the door for you, then wouldn’t she offend me? If her boyfriend loses his job, she will have to go back to her family! When that happens, her foster father will beat her to death!”
After saying this, Mrs. Long started ranting again.
“Don’t step forward to speak up for others if you’re not that capable. If you do something, you must be brave enough to own up to it. Heh, your boyfriend must be really unlucky to fall for you. He’s a graduate from a prestigious university-and Staav University at that—so why did he fall in love with someone like you? When my son came home a few days ago, he even mentioned your boyfriend and said that he was planning to promote him. But now…? He can forget about getting promoted! And just wait to be fired instead!”
Se
Mrs. Long was very loud. Rene’s rental house was the most rundown one of the lot, so sound insulation was not very good. Therefore, she heard everything that Mrs. Long said. At once, she huddled up in fear and even started shaking all over.
Nora broke into a frown and she sneered, “It’s not certain who will be the one to get fired yet!”
Mrs. Long curled her lips disdainfully. “Tsk, tsk. Are you still talking big even at this point? Heh, maybe you’re just not aware of the situation here—my son is her boyfriend’s direct superior!!”
Nora wanted to say something, but Rene’s door suddenly opened. Rene, who was thin and skinny just like a sheet of paper, appeared. She looked at Mrs. Long timidly and then, with choked sobs, she said, “I was wrong! P-please don’t fire my boyfriend! I was wrong! Please, I’ll even get down on my knees!”
As she spoke, she really got down on her knees with a thud.
Mrs. Long, however, was unmoved.
At this moment, a male voice suddenly reached them.
“Rene, what are you doing? Get up!”
Along with the strong and firm voice, a big and tall figure rushed over. The man looked about 23 or 24 years old and was obviously a fresh college graduate. There was a sense of boyishness from having just entered the working class on his face.
He was wearing a suit and looked like someone from upper-class society, yet his actions and behavior carried a sense of boyishness. He looked very bright and cheerful and was very dashing.
He rushed over and held Rene up.
Rene, whose voice was nasal from crying, said, “Liam, I’m sorry, I’ve caused you trouble. You have a promising future ahead of you, I mustn’t hold you back. Sob…”
Upon hearing this, Liam Martin pulled Rene up even more forcefully. He said loudly and firmly, “Rene, don’t be afraid! I told you that I would protect you! Since I’ve taken you out of that house, I will definitely protect you! Even if I can’t continue with this job, I can still get other jobs! Trust me!”
Rene looked at him timidly. “No, no, it’s my fault. If I get on my knees and beg Mrs. Long, she will forgive you. I can’t mess with your career…”
Liam sighed. “Rene! That’s enough! Alright, I’ll handle this. Go back into the house,
okay?”
Rene wanted to say something but Liam reached out a finger and pressed it against her lips. “Alright, just go in first! I’ll handle this.”
A dazed Rene glanced at him before she finally lowered her head, her long hair covering her face as though this was the only way she could feel safe.
She slowly retreated into the house.
Liam closed the door and then looked at Nora. Nora was about to explain when Liam said, “You don’t need to say anything, Rene has already told me everything that happened. She did the right thing!”
After saying that, he looked at Mrs. Long. “You’re already in your sixties, yet you bullied a five-year-old? Do you think that makes you very impressive? You may scare Rene, but you won’t scare me!”
Mrs. Long sneered, “It seems that you really don’t plan on staying in NTT anymore, right? Okay, I’ll call my son right away!”
She took out her cell phone and made a phone call. In no time, someone answered, upon which her son, Fred Long’s, voice rang out. “What’s up, Mom?”
After Mrs. Long told him what had happened, Fred sneered and said, “I see. Don’t worry, Mom, I’ll make him pay!”
Then, Fred shouted into the phone again.
“Liam, I know you are listening. You can go straight to HR tomorrow to hand in your resignation! NTT does not welcome people like you!”
With that, Fred hung up.
Mrs. Long sneered and glanced at Nora and Liam again. She said, “Ms. Smith, he was fired entirely because of you!”
Nora’s eyes were already narrowed. She said dispassionately, “He won’t be fired.”
When Mrs. Long heard this, she scoffed. “Do you think you’re a supervisor in NTT? You’re saying that he won’t be fired?”
Nora replied, “NTT is well-known in the industry for being fair and just. Liam has not made any mistakes, NTT has no right to fire him!”
Mrs. Long found her words hilarious. “My goodness, you sure are naive! Do you think this is a utopia? Or do you think you’re in a movie? Not only is NTT’s hierarchy very strict, but Liam is also a fresh college graduate. He has no one in NTT who can speak up for him! My son can easily fire him!”
“Really?”
Nora’s lips curled into a smile. “Then let’s see who will be fired tomorrow!”
