Chapter 2

Perhaps he felt my earlier indifference had challenged the R&D Director's authority.

Derek snatched the file from my hand and tossed it into the air.

The office fell silent instantly.

Eyes accompanied by whispers rapidly converged on me.

"Did your husband take your brain with him when he divorced you? How dare you reject my procurement request?"

"I'd like to know, how is the petty cash, which just came in, already gone? I bet someone's using company funds to buy baby formula!"

Derek leaned casually against my desk, looking like a thug, his index finger tapping loudly on my desktop. He made sure everyone could hear the words "using company funds to buy baby formula."

I remained unperturbed, bending down to pick up the loose page he had stomped on. I said calmly,

"The R&D department's petty cash is indeed gone."

"I can't process it on my end. If you're in a hurry, you can go to Mr. Stone for special approval."

Derek froze, choked by my words. He glared at the curious colleagues around us, his voice laced with menace.

"Ava Stone, right? I'm giving you one last chance! Think carefully before you speak!"

I slowly stood up, a faint smile on my lips.

"Mr. Stone, my name is Ava Stone."

"And no matter how many chances you give me, the answer will be the same. No money, no approval."

He hadn't expected me to talk back directly.

His face instantly changed. He pointed at my nose and started yelling.

"You're just procurement staff, what gives you the right to act so superior?!"

"Our department gets a hundred thousand every month for petty cash! It only hit the account ten minutes ago!"

"You say it's gone, and it's gone? If you can do the job, do it. If not, then get the hell out!"

His voice grew louder and louder. The surrounding colleagues didn't dare to breathe.

I remained silent throughout, turning to take an admin assistant's purchase order.

I submitted the payment process right in front of him.

Less than three minutes later, I received the payment confirmation from finance.

This move completely infuriated Derek.

"Ava Stone, what the hell is wrong with you? You said there was no petty cash! How come the admin's order gets approved but mine doesn't?!"

"I work day and night for this company's products! Who the hell do you think you are, throwing your weight around with a speck of authority and tripping me up?"

"You'd better give me a reasonable explanation, or don't blame me for getting nasty."

Seeing Derek grow more agitated, his little lackeys immediately jumped in to smooth things over.

"Calm down, Derek. They say 'baby brain' really makes some women lose their marbles. Don't let a woman like her get to you; it's bad luck."

A few colleagues who usually interacted with me also chimed in.

"Some people have unhappy lives, divorced with kids, and think the whole world owes them something!"

"Does she think she's an eighteen-year-old girl looking for a sugar daddy?"

"Exactly! If she failed to hook up with him and is now using her position for personal revenge, she shouldn't drag us down with her! If the project is delayed, we won't even be able to pay rent..."

I quietly sorted the pages I had picked up earlier, tapping away on my calculator.

Only after entering the last number did I look up at Derek.

My tone remained calm.

"Derek, the admin department's purchasing prices are all below market average, and they used their department's petty cash balance from last month. According to protocol, it can be directly approved."

"However, the orders submitted by the R&D department aren't just eighty percent overpriced; your petty cash was already overdrawn last month."

"So, not only this month but this entire quarter, your department's purchasing requests will be rejected."

I held up his signed purchase order, my voice neither humble nor arrogant.

The colleagues who had been watching the drama instantly busied themselves.

The only sound in the entire office was the rapid clicking of keyboards.

No one would have thought that I, a divorced mom with no connections or seniority, would dare to stand up to an arrogant R&D Director who looked down on everyone.

After all, everyone knew that the R&D department always lorded over all other departments in the company.

Derek, as the R&D Director, was Mr. Stone's favorite, looking down on everyone except the CEO himself.

He naturally hadn't expected to be put in such an awkward position by a new mom he couldn't even remember the name of.

Seeing that I no longer paid him any attention, he shot me a vicious glare and stomped away in a huff.