Chapter 5 Kind and Generous #2
“You already took your credit. You made it seem like you did most of the work. And now you’re distributing access to my project under your name—and you’re calling me selfish?”
He let out a harsh, disbelieving laugh.
“Are you kidding me? This is unbelievable. You’re so fucking vicious!”
Celia stumbled a step back, shock and hurt spreading across her face.
“I just wanted to help more people,” she said, her voice trembling as if she had been wronged. “Why are you reacting like this? It’s not such a big deal.”
Her eyes grew moist.
“Or are you just afraid that other people will outshine you?”
Murmurs began spreading through the office.
The people around her shifted closer, forming a subtle wall at her back.
“Sam, calm down,” one of them said.
“We’re part of this company too,” another added. “You can’t keep a project under your name and refuse to let others join.”
“Celia was nice enough to include us,” someone else said loudly. “How can you be so selfish? Why can’t you show half the kindness she does?”
“She was just trying to help people. You’re making it sound like a crime.”
Sam stood there, breathing heavily, surrounded.
His fists tightened, his jaw rigid as he struggled to contain himself.
“If you wanted to help people,” Sam shouted, his voice shaking with rage, “then why didn’t you give them your project? Why didn’t you create a separate one? Why did you have to give them my project like it was charity?”
His chest heaved as he pointed at her.
“Do you even know how long it took me to create it? I spent months on that project! Months!” His voice cracked. “I was kicked out of Yulia’s team, so I had no choice but to submit my personal project to the company.”
He laughed bitterly.
“That was something I’d been holding onto. Something I built from scratch. And you just gave it away to random people. Are you fucking serious?”
“Sam, stop whining. It’s not that big of a deal,” a man from the crowd suddenly said as he stepped forward, standing beside Celia.
“Your personal project isn’t that impressive anyway,” he continued, waving a hand as if brushing it aside. “We’re helping you with it, aren’t we? So why can’t you make a little room for a few more people?”
A murmur rose at once. Several others chimed in, nodding quickly, their voices overlapping as they echoed their agreement.
“Yeah, I don’t understand why you’re acting like you were forced to make a massive sacrifice.”
“Giving access to a few more people won’t ruin you.”
“Your project just helps more people. What’s wrong with that?”
“Why are you yelling at Celia? She was just trying to help.”
The voices overlapped, surrounding him from all sides.
Sam’s face turned darker with fury. His jaw clenched so hard the muscles twitched.
He stepped forward suddenly, his anger boiling over. “How dare you!? You ruined my reputation, and now you’re pretending to be innocent?”
But before he could get any closer, several people moved quickly.
They blocked him.
“Back off!” someone yelled, shoving him in the chest.
“Get out of here!”
“We told you it’s not a big deal!”
“If you can’t accept it, then leave!”
They pushed him again, forcing him backward.
“It’s Celia’s dad’s company anyway,” someone sneered. “What are you going to do about it?”
“Yeah! You don’t own this company,” another added. “You can keep yelling, but it won’t change the fact that Celia helped us and you didn’t.”
“She’s the good one here.”
“You’re the worst.”
Celia stood behind them, silent now, her expression wounded — but she didn’t ask them to stop.
Another voice chimed in boldly. “We’ll take over the project. You don’t have to worry about it anymore.”
“We don’t need you on this project.”
“You’re out.”
“You can’t kick me out of my own damn project!” Sam shouted, his voice almost breaking.
But no one was listening anymore.
Someone shoved him roughly toward the hallway. Others joined in. They kept pushing him back, forcing him farther and farther away from Celia.
In the chaos, one of the employees slipped away. A few minutes later, he returned with a security guard.
“I reported Sam for being abusive and trying to attack people,” he announced proudly. “Management saw everything on the CCTV. They’ve decided to fire him.”
Sam’s face drained of color.
“What?” he breathed.
Before he could react, two security guards walked up to him and grabbed his arms.
“Let’s go, sir,” the guard said firmly. “You’re not allowed to create a disturbance in the office.”
“I wasn’t fighting!” Sam cried out desperately, his voice breaking as panic took over. “I wasn’t!”
But the security guards had already grabbed him by the shoulders and started dragging him toward the exit.
“This is ridiculous—” he kept shouting, struggling against their grip. “I can’t be fired!”
The entire office watched.
Celia remained standing in the center. Silent.
Sam’s eyes searched wildly, and then locked onto Celia.
“Celia, I have two kids.” His voice cracked, his face pale. “I can’t afford to lose my job. Please… help me!”
Celia covered her mouth with her hand as she watched him being dragged away. The office was silent except for Sam’s fading protests.
Then she slowly turned to the people around her.
“Is… is it too much to fire him?” she asked in a small, distressed voice.
Her fingers twisted together as she lowered her gaze, appearing shaken.
“Maybe I’m the one who was wrong. Maybe I should have just let it go and not argued with him.”
Her lips trembled.
The people around her immediately reacted.
“That’s not true, Celia!”
“You did nothing wrong.”
“This is Sam’s problem, not yours.”
“He’s the one who lost control.”
Celia lowered her head. Her fingers moved to her hair, brushing it away from her face.
“It’s my fault,” she whispered. “If it weren’t for me, he wouldn’t have acted like that. I should have been more patient.”
Her voice became smaller.
“Maybe I shouldn’t try to help so many people… but I just can’t ignore it when I see others struggling. I always want to help as much as possible.”
She looked down.
“But Sam didn’t seem happy with the decision. Perhaps I shouldn’t have acted without his approval.”
The employees exchanged looks, then several of them stepped forward and placed comforting hands on her shoulders.
“No,” one of them said firmly. “You are a good person. Don’t blame yourself.”
“You’re the nicest person in this company.”
“You’re generous and kind. No one can say you’re wrong.”
“It’s only because Sam isn’t as generous as you.”
“If he had been more understanding, this wouldn’t have happened. He’s too selfish. That’s his issue.”
Celia bit her lower lip slightly, as if holding back emotion.
Then she nodded slowly.
“You’re right,” she said quietly. “We’re supposed to help each other. How can someone be so selfish?”
She exhaled softly.
“It’s not difficult to give access to more people. You just have to be willing to help.”
Finally, a faint smile appeared on her face.
But inside, her thoughts were already moving elsewhere.
She suddenly remembered that Magnus had agreed to sign a major cooperation with Black Diamond Horizon a year ago. If that contract went through, the company would expand rapidly.
Celia lifted her head and looked around, a bright smile forming on her lips.
“Don’t worry, everyone,” Celia said confidently, lifting her chin slightly. “A huge partnership is coming to the company soon. When that happens, we’ll have projects that are even bigger than this.”
The people near her gasped in surprise.
“Are you serious?”
“Yes,” Celia nodded reassuringly. “Why would I lie to you?”
A faint smile curved on her lips.
‘After Magnus signs the deal with our company, everything will change,’ she thought proudly. ‘And when it happens, everyone will know it was because of me.’
Memories from college flashed through her mind.
He had helped her so much back then. Stayed by her side. Solved problems for her.
‘He definitely liked me,’ she told herself, ‘even if he had never admitted it.’
Of course he would help her now.
Even if he had acted distant before, she was sure it was only temporary.
‘He will come around,’ Celia believed firmly. ‘He will sign the deal.’
All she had to do… was wait.
“Wow, Celia,” one of the men said, stepping forward with admiration in his eyes. “You’re so involved in the internal matters of our company. You seem to know everything.”
He smiled at her warmly.
“You’re smart and kind. Having you here is a huge advantage for all of us.”
“Well, of course,” another person chimed in proudly. “She’s the boss’s daughter. She obviously has access to internal information.”
“That’s amazing,” a woman added excitedly. “Celia has insider knowledge. Anything she touches will become successful.”
“We just need to follow Celia,” another voice agreed. “Everything will be fine.”
“Yes, you’re right,” someone else agreed. “She’s the most important person in the company.”
Celia listened to their praise, her smile gentle and humble.
But inside, her heart swelled with satisfaction.
‘Everyone likes me so much,’ she thought happily.
‘It’s not that I want to hear them praise me…
but I can’t deny what they’re saying. I do know more than them.
I just want to help and keep everyone motivated.
If they think highly of me, that’s not my fault.
They genuinely believe I’m more capable, more intelligent, more kind than anyone else in this world. ’
Outwardly, she waved her hand modestly.
“I just get informed earlier because my dad likes to keep me updated about the company. It helps us prepare future projects more easily.”
She looked at them warmly.
“But I think sharing information with everyone is important too. It helps all of us grow together.”
“That’s wonderful news!” one of the men exclaimed.
He straightened up, looking almost loyal. “From now on, we’ll follow whatever you say, Celia. Since you know so much, you should lead us.”
“Yeah, if you’re with us, everything will be better,” someone else said eagerly.
Celia lifted her chin slightly. “We’ll secure a big project soon,” she promised. “Once the deal is finalized, we can divide the work fairly so more people can benefit from it. The more successful we are, the more people I can help.”
“We’ll leave everything to you!” the man smiled. “You’re so kind, Celia. You’ll definitely treat everyone generously.”
Celia nodded gracefully, smiling at them.
Just then, a man approached them. His eyes swept over the group before settling on Celia.
“Celia,” he said, “can I join your project as well?”
A hush fell over the group. Whispers immediately erupted behind her.
“Isn’t that Baron?”
“I heard he was accused of selling our company’s secrets to a rival.”
“But it was never proven. That’s why he never got fired.”
Baron stood straight, his expression controlled, though irritation flickered in his eyes when he heard the gossip.
Celia looked at Baron.
“Of course you can join,” Celia said enthusiastically. “The more people we have, the faster we can complete the project. It’s fine. You’re welcome on the team.”
But the employees behind her reacted at once.
“No, you can’t join!”
“Weren’t you accused of leaking company secrets?”
“If we add you, what guarantee do we have that it won’t happen again?”
“You should build your own project.”
“We can’t risk our reputation.”
Baron’s expression darkened. His eyes narrowed at them.
He was a man in his thirties, tall, with a sharp temper.
“What is wrong with you people?” he snapped, his eyes narrowing. “Was I ever proven guilty? How dare you accuse me without evidence? If you continue spreading rumors, I’ll report you to HR for defamation.”
The group fell silent.
Celia glanced at Baron, then turned to the others with a reassuring smile.
“It’s fine,” she said calmly, her voice soothing. “He’s right. Nothing was ever proven. We shouldn’t judge someone based on accusations.”
She raised her voice slightly, sounding righteous.
“We’re about to secure a major deal. If we truly want to grow, we need to learn to trust and help each other. Remember? Helping more people benefits all of us.”
Then she looked back at Baron.
“You can join us. I’ll personally add you to the project.”
Baron’s face relaxed immediately.
“Thank you, Celia,” he said smoothly.
The others, however, looked tense.
They exchanged uneasy glances, clearly worried, but after seeing Celia’s firm attitude, no one dared argue further.
Celia stepped aside to update the team roster and officially add Baron to the project.
As she finished, Baron glanced at the others, and flashed them a small, victorious smile.
“All right,” one of the men finally said, glancing briefly at Baron before looking back at Celia. “If you’re this sure about him, we won’t argue. We’ll follow your lead.”
Though concern lingered in his eyes, he forced a small, polite smile.
The others exchanged uneasy looks but quickly masked them.
“Fine,” another added. “From now on, you’re part of the team. Once you get system access, your name will be listed under your assigned section. Complete your part and update everyone in the group chat.”
“Sure,” Baron replied smoothly.
He gave them a pleasant smile, then turned and walked away.