His Untamed Rose novel Chapter 41

Hearing this, he frowned, tugging absently at his shirt cuffs. “You don’t owe her anything. It’s my fault. I’ve spoiled her so much over the years that she’s become utterly uncontrollable.”

“Ms. Jardin is a good woman,” Winona said gently. “She’s beautiful, smart, and incredibly capable, just as impressive as her brother.”

Rising from her chair, Winona reached out and touched his arm. “I’ll go talk to her in a bit. Secrets don’t stay buried forever. Since both she and I work for you, it’s inevitable we’ll keep running into each other. Sooner or later, we’ll have to clear the air.”

But his gaze sharpened, cold and forbidding as he glanced at her. “Don’t.”

That single look made Winona feel as if she’d been plunged into an ice bath. She pressed her lips together and said nothing more.

...

Lumina sat in her office, her expression blank as she cradled a photo of her brother, studying it closely.

In the picture, he stood with his arm around Winona’s shoulders, his handsome face lit by a smile so warm and affectionate, so genuine, so happy.

Lost in thought, tears welled up in her eyes before she even realized it.

But she quickly wiped them away. Rising from her chair to leave, she was stopped short as the head of HR appeared in her doorway.

“Ms. Jardin, do you have a moment to talk?”

Lumina’s hand tightened on the door handle. For a second, she hesitated, then a cold smile flickered across her face. “Moving pretty fast, aren’t you?”

...

That afternoon, a company-wide announcement flashed across the internal network:

[Disciplinary Notice: Planning Department Supervisor Lumina Jardin—Due to a serious altercation with another employee, including physical violence, Lumina Jardin is hereby suspended as department supervisor for one week. The deputy supervisor will assume her duties during this period.]

For several seconds, the office was silent. Everyone stared at the notice in shock.

The questions pressed in on her, making her head throb.

Just then, a knock sounded at her door.

Lumina looked up slowly. “Come in.”

Hilton stepped in carefully, as if approaching a ticking time bomb. “Ms. Jardin, is there anything I can do to help?”

She knew Cedric had sent him. Lumina gave a small, dismissive smile and waved him off. “You can tell Cedric I’ll have my things packed and be out before the end of the day. There’s no need for him to rush me out the door.”

“Mr. Royce didn’t mean it like that…” Hilton sighed. “But, you know, hitting someone was out of line. Even if Ms. Tatum and Mr. Royce have gotten a little closer lately, that’s no reason to lose your temper like this.”

“You think I did this for him?” Lumina suddenly spun her chair to face him, her eyes brimming with cold mockery. “Don’t flatter him. He barely matters to me at all.”

Hilton hesitated, then said, “Whatever the reason, violence is never justified. Mr. Royce said that if you’re willing to apologize to Ms. Tatum and make amends, he’d be willing to reconsider your suspension.”