PART 2
Sophia didn’t touch the phone for nearly an hour.
She showered slowly, made coffee, and stood by the window of her small East Village apartment watching the city wake up. New York was already loud — taxis honking, delivery trucks unloading, people rushing to jobs they hated.
Her phone kept vibrating on the table.
Again.
And again.
Finally, she picked it up.
198 missed calls.
312 messages.
All from Alexander Morgan.
She stared at the screen for a moment, then opened the newest message.
“Sophia, please answer. HR made a serious mistake. We need to talk immediately.”
She chuckled softly.
A mistake.
That was a polite word for what had happened.
She poured herself another cup of coffee before finally pressing the call button.
The phone rang only once.
“SOPHIA!” Alexander’s voice exploded through the speaker. “Thank God. Where are you?”
“At home,” she said calmly.
“You resigned?”
“Yes.”
There was a long pause.
Then Alexander spoke again, his voice tight.
“Why?”
Sophia leaned back in her chair.
“I assume Lauren Hayes explained it to you.”
Silence.
Then he said slowly,
“She told me there was a performance adjustment discussion.”
Sophia laughed.
“A performance adjustment? That’s a creative way to describe cutting someone’s salary from nine thousand dollars to six hundred.”
The silence on the other end became heavy.
“What?” Alexander whispered.
“She said my performance didn’t meet company standards.”
“That’s impossible,” he snapped. “You run half the recovery operations in this company.”
“Well,” Sophia replied calmly, “apparently I’m not doing it well enough to earn more than a grocery clerk.”
Alexander exhaled sharply.
“Sophia… you were never supposed to have your salary reviewed. Your contract is under executive protection status. HR cannot modify it.”
Sophia frowned slightly.
“Apparently they can.”
“No,” he said coldly. “They cannot.”
For a moment neither of them spoke.
Then Alexander asked quietly,
“You resigned immediately?”
“Yes.”
“Did you sign anything?”
“No.”
Another pause.
Then suddenly Alexander laughed.
A sharp, dangerous laugh.
“Good.”
Sophia raised an eyebrow.
“Good?”
“You just saved us from a legal disaster.”
She frowned.
“What are you talking about?”
“Sophia,” he said slowly, “your contract includes a clause. If the company intentionally reduces your salary without executive approval, it counts as constructive termination.”
Sophia’s eyes narrowed.
“And?”
“And it activates a compensation penalty.”
“How big?”
Alexander hesitated.
“Three years of salary.”
Sophia blinked.
“Twenty-seven thousand dollars?”
“No.”
His voice dropped.
“Three years of total compensation.”
Sophia did the math in her head.
Salary.
Bonuses.
Equity.
Her eyes widened.
“…That’s over two million dollars.”
“Correct,” Alexander said quietly.
For a moment, neither of them spoke.
Then Sophia asked calmly,
“So what happens now?”
Alexander’s tone hardened.
“Now I find out why HR thought they could override my authority.”
Sophia already knew the answer.
“Lauren Hayes.”
“Yes.”
He paused.
Then added quietly,
“She’s already been suspended.”
Sophia stood up and walked toward the window.
Down below, the city moved like nothing had changed.
But somewhere inside that glass tower in Midtown…
Everything was collapsing.
Alexander spoke again.
“Sophia, I want you back.”
She didn’t answer immediately.
Instead she watched a yellow taxi crawl through traffic.
“You offered me six hundred dollars yesterday.”
“That was HR, not me.”
“It was still your company.”
He sighed.
“You’re right.”
Then he said something unexpected.
“I’ll triple your salary.”
Sophia laughed.
“You’re negotiating with the wrong person, Alex.”
“What do you want?”
She thought for a moment.
Then answered.
“I want control of the entire Talent Division.”
Alexander didn’t hesitate.
“Done.”
“And HR no longer reports to itself.”
“Also done.”
“And Lauren Hayes?”
Another pause.
“She’s already packing her desk.”
Sophia smiled slightly.
Finally, Alexander asked quietly,
“So… are you coming back?”
Sophia looked around her small apartment.
For the first time in years…
She felt completely free.
Then she said the words that made Alexander Morgan nearly fall out of his chair.
“No.”
Silence filled the phone.
Then she added calmly,
“But I might consider returning…”
“Under one condition.”
Alexander leaned forward.
“Name it.”
Sophia smiled slowly.
“You’ll have to hire me as a consultant.”
“And my rate starts at $25,000 per day.”
On the other end of the phone…
Alexander Morgan laughed like a man who had just realized he was about to pay the most expensive lesson in corporate history.
END OF PART 2
