Chapter 5 Kind and Generous
Celia walked past the reception desk of Black Diamond Horizon. Her heels struck sharply against the floor, her face cold and tense.
Without sparing the receptionist a glance, she strode straight into the main work area. Her gaze locked onto the team assigned to the wedding season project.
The moment she stepped closer, several members glanced up instinctively. Conversations faltered. Laptops paused mid-typing.
Celia walked toward Yulia and reached for the seat next to her.
She didn’t even get the chance to pull it out.
“You are no longer a part of our team,” Yulia announced, her voice sharp enough to cut glass. “Find another project.”
Her chin lifted slightly, her gaze sliding past Celia as if she were nothing.
For a second, the entire office went silent.
Their eyes flicked nervously between Celia and Yulia. Instinctively, they took a small step back from Celia—yet, almost unconsciously, edged closer to Yulia, as if aligning themselves without daring to make it obvious.
Celia stared at Yulia, disbelief flashing across her face. Her hand froze in midair, still hovering above the chair she had been about to pull out.
“What? Why?” she asked sharply, her brows knitting together.
But Yulia didn’t even give her time to breathe.
“How dare you give access to our project to everyone in the office when I told you clearly there was no space left?” She finally looked up from her laptop, her eyes cold and hard.
“You ignored my words and disrupted the entire project. Now we’re at full capacity. We can’t handle more members—so you’re out.”
“You can’t do that!” Celia snapped immediately. Her face darkened, her lips trembling as anger surged through her. “I was part of that project. I was just trying to help people in our office.”
“And you’ve helped enough,” Yulia cut in sharply.
Her jaw was clenched so tightly that the muscles stood out. Her fingers trembled against the edge of the table as she struggled to hold back her temper.
“My decision is final. I already submitted the request to management, and it has been approved. You are no longer part of this team.”
She stared straight at Celia, her gaze merciless.
“We cannot keep someone who treats this project like a charity. This is the most important project this season. Management agreed with me. So you’re out.”
Celia stood frozen.
Her eyes slowly moved to the rest of the members at the table. No one met her gaze. Some lowered their heads. Others pretended to busy themselves with files.
“Let’s go,” Yulia said as she shut her laptop with a crisp snap. “We need to head to the meeting room.”
Chairs scraped loudly against the floor.
Without another glance at Celia, they all stood and walked out together.
Celia remained where she was.
Stiff.
Watching their backs disappear through the glass door.
Her fingers slowly curled into fists at her sides. Her nails dug into her palms, but she didn’t seem to feel it.
She had depended on this project to raise her position in the company. Most of the work had already been done. All she needed were a few final touches, and the credit would have been hers too.
“They kicked me out of the project…” Celia whispered bitterly, her voice cracking with anger. “I’m the one who helped them so much. I brought them so many team members. I made things easier, and now they threw me away?”
Her chest rose and fell rapidly.
“They’re so selfish. Why does everyone do this to me? Whenever I show kindness to people, everyone treats me like I’m the evil one to ruin my reputation.”
She tightened her grip on her bag, the leather wrinkling under her fingers. With a sudden motion, she lifted it and slammed it onto the table. The sharp sound made several people in the distance turn their heads.
After a brief moment of thought, her eyes hardened. The shock faded, replaced by calculation.
Then she turned and walked out, her heels striking the floor with force.
She entered another team area and headed straight toward the man she had spoken to during the video call—the one who had added himself and his friends to Yulia’s team.
Before reaching him, Celia took a slow breath. Her shoulders relaxed. The anger vanished from her face as if it had never been there.
A sweet, gentle smile appeared, perfectly practiced, hiding everything underneath.
“Sam,” she said brightly, her voice warm and friendly, “what are you doing?”
Sam glanced at her.
For a moment, concern flickered across his face. His fingers paused above the keyboard.
“Yulia removed us from her project,” he said carefully. “So now we’re creating another one.”
Celia moved closer to Sam and then spoke in a soft voice.
“Can you add me to your project as well?” she asked. “They removed me too… just because I was helping so many people.”
Her shoulders slumped slightly. Her eyes turned droopy, almost glossy, filled with forced innocence. She looked small, wronged.
“I helped them so much,” she continued, her voice trembling just enough. “I helped everyone. But all I got was betrayal.”
Sam looked at her, concern appearing on his face. He rubbed the back of his neck before answering, “But we already have five people on our project. If I add one more…”
“You can add just one more member, right?” Celia interrupted gently. She clasped her hands in front of her chest. “I helped you when you needed it. You have to help me too. I really have no other option.”
She took a small step closer to him.
“Please let me join your team. I promise I won’t take much space. I’ll help you a lot with the project. I’ll work on everything with you. I just need a small mention at the end—that I was part of your team. Just to maintain my position in the company.”
Her voice softened further.
“Please, Sam… you can do that, right?”
Sam hesitated. His brows furrowed. He clearly looked reluctant.
However, after a few seconds, he sighed.
“Alright. You can join our team,” he said. “But please make sure you don’t add any more people. We don’t have space. Our project isn’t a big one. There’s very limited capacity.”
“Yes, of course!” Celia nodded quickly, her face lighting up. “I promise I’ll help you a lot, and I’ll make sure we don’t add more people.”
“Alright then,” Sam said with a small smile.
He turned back to his computer, typing rapidly. After a few seconds, he glanced back at her.
“I’ve added you to the team and informed management that you’re part of our project now. This is the password and access.” He pointed at his screen. “Check your email. You should have received everything. You can start working on the pending tasks from now.”
“Great, thank you!” Celia beamed at him.
She turned around and walked away.
It was later in the afternoon when Sam came looking for her again.
Celia was sitting at her desk, surrounded by a few colleagues as they gossiped about the latest news and office affairs. She laughed lightly, leaning back in her chair, completely at ease.
Suddenly—
Heavy, aggressive footsteps approached from behind.
Before anyone could react—
BANG!
Sam slammed his hand down on her desk.
The loud sound echoed across the office.
Everyone jumped.
Celia flinched and quickly turned around in her chair, startled, only to see Sam standing behind her. His face was red with fury, his jaw tight.
“Sam? What’s wrong?” Celia asked, her eyes widening as she looked up at him. “Are you okay? What happened?”
“How dare you give my project access to ten more people?!” he shouted, his face red with rage.
His chest rose and fell rapidly.
“I told you we don’t have space! It’s a small project!” he continued angrily. “How dare you give access to ten more people when I only gave access to you, and specifically told you not to share it with anyone else?”
The office had gone completely silent.
All eyes were on them.
Celia slowly rose to her feet, though she looked reluctant.
Her eyes moved around nervously.
The people who had gathered near her were the same ten employees she had added to the project. Just moments ago, they had been laughing and gossiping with her. Now they hovered close, as if ready to support her.
She turned back to Sam, arranging her expression into gentle concern.
“It’s all right, Sam. Everything is fine. Don’t be so overdramatic,” she said softly.
Her tone was soothing, almost patronizing.
“You know there are so many people in this company, and there aren’t enough good projects. I only shared it with some colleagues who were struggling.”
Sam stared at her in disbelief.
“For fuck’s sake, Celia!” Sam burst out, completely losing patience.
“I told you we don’t have space on this project. It’s a small one! We were already at the limit when I added you. Why would you give access to ten more people after I clearly said you were the last person?”
His chest rose and fell rapidly, anger blazing in his eyes.
“How am I supposed to prove this is my project now? The confidentiality is gone! My designs were supposed to be secret. Now they’ve been spread around like public material!”
Celia tilted her head slightly, as if she were calming a child.
“Sam, I promise you’re overreacting,” she said gently. “Have some pity. Look at them.”
She gestured toward the people behind her.
“They’re part of our company too. Don’t you have any compassion?”
She pressed her hand lightly to her chest, looking sincere. “I can’t ignore people when they’re struggling. That’s just not who I am.”
Her voice softened even more. “I’ll give them my portion of the work so they can have their names on the project too. It’s not a big issue. Don’t be so selfish.”
“What portion, Celia?!” Sam roared. His voice echoed across the room.
“Didn’t you already submit your part to management and declare that you were finished? You said the remaining work would be handled by my team?”
A few people gasped quietly.
He pointed at her, his hand shaking with fury.