DRAMA NOVEL ONLINE Chapter 201
Chapter 201
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The next night, I stood outside my former workplace, watching as a group of my
female coworkers gathered to leave the office together. I had decided to wait for
them, determined to take a step toward mending the strained relationships that
had plagued my time at the firm.
As they made their way out of the building, deep in conversation, I took a deep
breath and approached them. It was an intimidating moment, as I hadn't
interacted with them for quite some time, and I couldn't help but feel anxious at
how they might have perceived me at that point.
“Hi,” I greeted them tentatively, trying to sound as friendly as possible. “Would
you all like to join me for dinner? My treat.”
“Evie!” Beth was the first to speak, though her voice came out a little strained.
“Didn't think we would see you again after you stormed into Erickson’s office.”
I shrugged. “You're still colleagues to me, and besides, I wanted to catch up on a
few things with you
Their reactions were still guarded, as I'm sure the drama surrounding my
departure from the firm was still fresh
on their minds. After a brief moment of hesitation, Faith was the next one to
speak.
“We're not sure, Evie,” she replied cautiously, her eyes reflecting uncertainty.
“But, well, we feel kinda bad about how you were almost blacklisted. It wasn’t
right.”
“I understand your concerns,” I said with a warm smile. “But I'd really like to make
amends and spend some time
with you all. It would mean a lot to me.”
After a bit more deliberation, they agreed to join me for dinner, and we made our
way to a nearby restaurant.
The tension that had initially hung in the air seemed to loosen
It started with cautious conversation and the exchange of pleasantries. But it was
Beth who broke the surface of our polite discourse by raising the issue that had
been my whole motivation for the night.
“Evie,” she said, her tone sincere and filled with regret, “we feel terrible about
what you went through. It wasn't right, and we wish we could've done more.”
“I understand why you couldn't,” I replied with a warm smile. “It was an awful
time, and I appreciate your support now.”
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Sarah chimed in. “We know that Mr. Erickson’s behavior has been a problem for
a long time. His comments can be a little...inappropriate at times, and he'll tell a
lot of lewd jokes with the guys.”
“It's super uncomfortable,” said Faith. “We've been afraid to say anything
because he clearly doesn't respond
well to criticism.”
Their honesty was both troubling and validating. It was evident that Mr. Erickson’s
actions had affected more than just me, and it was time to bring his behavior to
light. 1 listened intently, grateful for their willingness to share their experiences.
“Thank you for being honest,” I told them, my voice sincere. “Your accounts are
important in addressing the issue. I believe that the workplace should be safe for
everyone. It's not some college fraternity, like he seems to
believe.”
Beth took a deep breath and said, “I'm glad you're bringing this to light. I didn’t
think it was bad at first, but I saw one intern quit after that one week when he
kept dragging her into his office.”
“Oh!” Faith snapped her fingers. “There was another one, though he kept treating
her like the maid.”
“Thank you for telling me all this,” I said, though the topic was starting to get
painfully dark. “Not that I'm glad it happened, but at least there's a pattern we can
trace.”
“That's not all.”
We all turned to Sarah, who's voice had lowered to a discrete level. She looked
at the others, as if to gauge her next words on their reactions. After a moment,
they nodded in unison, and she went on.
“Mr. Erickson treated you the same way he treated Linda,” she began. “He
pushed her out of the top spot and placed you at his “top lady“, but you're the first
woman we've seen who blatantly refused him.”
“And we heard about it later,” Beth finished. “Jasper wouldn't stop talking about
it.”
I wrung my hands under the table as their words echoed in my mind. Just the
mention of Linda sent a violent chill through me. It seemed that Mr. Erickson’s
actions were not limited to me alone; he'd gotten
“Ugh, Jasper!” Faith pointed a finger at her mouth and pretended to hurl, eliciting
a laugh from the group. “He was bragging to me about getting you fired. He
mentioned something about making accusations and then seeing you gone.”
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*Trust me, I'm well aware,” I told them. “I plan on taking him down too. He can’t
just go around spreading
rumors about people he doesn't like.”
“Agreed,” they said in unison.
I grabbed my purse from behind my seat and began digging around for my old
business cards. They'd gone out of use since being “dethroned*. “And while
we're on this topic, here's my contact information.”
They each took a card and read over them as I went on. “If you could, I would
like each of you to draft victim impact statements. They can be totally
anonymous, and I'll compensate you accordingly!”
They exchanged weary glanced, and Faith sighed and shook her head. “We're
willing to help, Evie, but we weren't directly victimized by Mr. Erickson. We can’t
write victim impact statements.”
“That's okay.” I reassured them. “You can write up witness statements instead.
Your accounts are important regardless.”
“But there's one person who we know got the worst of it,” said Beth. “Linda was
the one who had it the worst until you stepped in. She'd mention it from time to
time.”
Linda again. I took a moment to reflect on the information, and a plan began to
form. It was clear that Linda was the primary victim, and her words might be the
most valuable.
“I appreciate your honesty and willingness to help,” I told them. “This was really
helpful.”
As we concluded our dinner, I felt slightly more at ease, though the thought of
encountering Linda again didn't sit so well with me. She didn’t seem so table the
last time I saw her, and I could only imagine how willing she'd
dhe’
Our dinner had come to an end, and as we paid our bills and said our goodbyes,
I couldn't help but feel a sense of gratitude for the evening we had spent
together. It felt like I had gained a few more people on my side, which was a step
in the right direction.
As we prepared to part ways, I took a moment to express my appreciation.
“Thank you all for joining me for
dinner.”
Faith smiled. “Thank you for inviting us, Evie. Again, we're sorry for not standing
up for you earlier, but we're on your side.”
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As they turned to leave, I tapped Beth on the shoulder. There was still one
question burning in my mind.
“Beth,” I asked, my voice soft, “have you heard from Linda at all? Since she left
the firm, I mean.”
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,
Beth's expression grew somber, and
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she shook her ty Evid NGY!
ae from Linda since she
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left. She practically disappeared.” The
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My heart sank at the news. It was still deeply concerning that she had
disappeared without a trace.
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I could sense the frustration and
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conti Hed iE welled fans ing she
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messages. It's like she vanished.
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Read the latest chapter there!
g out to her, but
I nodded. “Thank you anyway, Beth. I'm sure I'll figure something out.”
Beth's eyes reflected a shared determination. “We're with you, Evie. Have a good
night.”
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As we parted ways, I was filled with a
renewed sense of purpose THC
missing pigge af the'phaze was
’ : .
Lada $ story, and it was time to track
her down. The content is on
Novelxo.org! Read the latest
chapter there!
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