Chapter 42: Is This What a Miracle Looks Like?
"Miss Sienna... Miss Mia..." The HR Manager began, his voice no longer as stern as before.
Sienna straightened unconsciously.
Mia’s head snapped up.
"You don’t need to sign the paper..." He added.
For a moment, the words didn’t even register in Mia’s mind.
"Wh-What?" Mia’s voice broke through the stillness, loud and trembling with disbelief. Her eyes widened, as if afraid she had misheard.
"Sir, do you mean... I won’t be forced to resign?" Mia’s voice rose at the end, with hope and fear tangled together in a way that made it almost painful to listen to.
The HR Manager exhaled slowly, as if choosing his words carefully this time. "I still need to review this evidence further," he said, glancing briefly at Riley’s phone in his hand. "But for now, this meeting is canceled. You both do not need to sign anything."
Another pause.
"You may return to your work station and proceed as usual." The HR Manager continues.
His words sounded simple. But to Mia, it felt like her world had just been handed back to her.
Mia’s lips trembled as she nodded quickly, her hands rushing to wipe away the tears that had gathered in her eyes. Only this time, they were no longer filled with fear or despair. But they were tears of relief.
"T-Thank you, sir..." Mia said softly, her voice unsteady but full of gratitude.
Beside her, Sienna remained completely still. Her mind hadn’t caught up yet. It was as if someone had pressed pause on her thoughts, leaving her stuck in that exact moment.
Then Sienna’s gaze slowly shifted toward Riley, confusion and disbelief swirling together.
’What did you do...?’ Sienna thought. ’What exactly did you give him to make this decision so quickly?’
Because whatever it was, it had just turned everything upside down.
"Alright," the HR Manager said, pushing his chair back as he stood. "Have a good day, everyone."
The two HR staff members beside him immediately followed, gathering their documents with quick, efficient movements.
The meeting that had felt like a courtroom just minutes ago now dissolved into something strangely unreal.
But just as Sienna thought it was over, the HR Manager paused.
He turned back. Walking toward Riley, he handed the phone back to him. "Young man, you need to follow me to my office," he said, his tone firm again, though no longer hostile.
Then, as if it were a casual gesture, he patted Riley lightly on the shoulder before heading toward the door.
Riley simply nodded. But he didn’t follow him right away; he turned back toward Sienna and Mia, taking a few steps in their direction.
For a moment, Sienna thought he would finally explain everything.
Instead, his gaze shifted, landing directly on Angie. A smile spread across his face. Warm. Polite. Almost friendly. But his eyes? His eyes held something entirely different.
"Well... Boss Angie," Riley said lightly, tilting his head just slightly. "I suggest you start packing your things."
A brief pause to enjoy the shocked expression on Angie.
"Because you probably won’t be working here tomorrow," he added in his playful tone, but the meaning was enough to shatter Angie’s dreams.
Angie froze. Her eyes widened, her lips parting as if she wanted to respond, to argue, to deny, but nothing came out.
For the first time since Sienna had known her, Angie looked... shaken. Completely shaken. And honestly, she almost wanted to laugh.
’Wow,’ Sienna thought dryly. ’Is this what a miracle looks like? Because I might start believing in them.’
But before Angie could recover, before anyone else could speak, Riley had already turned away.
Walking out of the room as if he had just finished a normal conversation. "Sienna, Mia, let’s go..." he shouted without looking back.
Mia stood up quickly, still in a daze, and followed him without hesitation.
Sienna lingered for just a second longer. Her eyes met Angie’s.
No words were exchanged. But this time, Sienna didn’t feel cornered. She didn’t feel defeated.
And then, without another glance, she turned and walked out of the room.
A spring-like smile emerged on her lips, and she felt her heart lighten.
...
The meeting room fell into silence once again.
But this time, it wasn’t the kind of silence filled with tension. It was heavier... colder. The kind that lingered after something had gone terribly wrong.
Angie stood alone in the middle of the room, unmoving at first, as if her body had yet to catch up with what had just happened.
The confident composure she had worn so effortlessly before was gone, stripped away without mercy, leaving behind something far less polished: shock.
Slowly, she exhaled, though the breath came out shaky. Her fingers curled slightly at her sides before she began to pace. Back and forth.
Her heels tapped sharply against the floor, echoing in the empty room, each step matching the restless rhythm of her thoughts.
’What did Riley show him...?’
Her brows pulled together, her lips pressing into a thin line.
’What exactly did he bring into this room? Can’t be magic, right!?’
She stopped for a moment, her body going still.
Then, another thought crossed her mind, ’Did Riley seriously find the real evidence?’ Her eyes widened slightly. ’No way! How did he do it?’
She resumed pacing, faster this time.
"We already canvassed through everything," she continued, her voice low but tense. "There’s no way he could have found anything..."
Her mind raced, replaying every step of the plan, every detail they had carefully arranged.
Angie steps halted abruptly.
"Wait, Riley has the CCTV footage...!?"
Her hand lifted unconsciously, her teeth pressing against her thumb as she bit down lightly, a habit she had long tried to break but now returned without warning.
"No! Impossible! I’m really sure, the CCTV footage has been deleted."
Angie tries to convince herself, but confusion still tangles her mind.
’So how!? How does Riley have that evidence!?’ Her thoughts spiraled, looping again and again without reaching any clear answer.
The more she tried to make sense of it, the more uneasy she felt, as if standing on ground that was slowly cracking beneath her feet.
And all her thoughts frightened her. Minutes passed or maybe longer. She is no longer able to count time.
Time seemed meaningless when her mind refused to settle, dragging her deeper into a growing sense of dread.
But not long after, the sound of the door opening broke through the silence.
Angie’s head snapped toward the door, her heart leaping when she saw Anna, her assistant, standing there.
But unlike her usual confident, slightly mocking self, Anna looked... confused and afraid.
"Miss Angie..." Anna said, stepping inside slowly. "Mr. Benny just called. He asked us to go to the HR Director’s office. Now."
For a second, Angie didn’t respond.
She just stared at Anna.
The words echoed in her mind, each one sinking deeper than the last.
’The HR Director... asked us to come to his office? We are finished!’
Her fingers slowly dropped from her lips. Her entire body felt cold. Not the kind of cold from air conditioning or weather. But the kind that came from realizing that her plan had failed.