Chapter 151 The Blowback
It was AeroQuest Airlines‘ press conference.
Sonya’s eyes locked onto the electronic screen.
“Following an investigation, AeroQuest Airlines has decided to dismiss Ms. Sonya Miller from her post. Ms. Sonya Miller will no longer hold any position at AeroQuest Airlines…”
Sonya’s face instantly went pale.
No! This couldn’t be happening. How could they terminate her contract without even notifying her?
Just then, her phone buzzed. With trembling hands, she opened the message. It was a formal notice from AeroQuest Airlines terminating her employment.
Her grip loosened, and she nearly dropped the phone.
“Sonya, what’s this about them taking back your title as a firefighting heroine? And why is AeroQuest Airlines saying they’ve fired you?” Helen asked, confused.
Sonya’s mind went blank. She had no idea how to respond.
“Mom, just stop asking,” Curtis cut in.
“How can I stop? Does this mean Sonya isn’t a captain anymore?” Helen pressed.
She’d already boasted to all her friends that her future daughter–in–law was a co–pilot at AeroQuest Airlines. If Sonya lost that job, how would that make her look?
“Sonya, what on earth is happening?” Joanne asked anxiously.
“You said it didn’t matter that Sonya had refused to help her colleague. Do you still think that
now?” Lena sneered.
“She’s been stripped of her firefighting heroine title and fired from AeroQuest Airlines because she refused to help those in need. A fire extinguisher was right there, yet she ran away instead of taking the simplest steps to save lives.
“The truth is, she was only able to become a captain at her age because AeroQuest Airlines decided to train her after she got that honorary title years ago. Now that it’s gone, her dismissal is only natural. I just wonder if any other airline will ever hire her again.”
Each word from Lena made Helen’s and Joanne’s faces darken.
Her voice wasn’t low, and plenty of shoppers nearby overheard her. Paired with the breaking news flashing on the central screen, whispers spread quickly as people began pointing at
Chapter 151 The Blowback
Sonya.
Sonya’s face shifted between pale and flushed. “Curtis, I want to go home now.”
“Alright, I’ll take you right away,” Curtis replied.
But before he could move, Helen suddenly lunged forward, yanking him aside and fixing Sonya with a glare.
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“I knew something was off! No wonder you were suddenly so generous, taking Joanne and me shopping. It’s because you got fired, isn’t it? You thought if you bought us things, we’d feel too indebted to criticize you!”
Even if Sonya really had planned to use money to manipulate Helen and Joanne before, she
couldn’t possibly admit it now. “Mrs. Green, that’s not—”
“What do you mean?” Helen cut her off sharply. “You’re no longer even a captain, and your reputation is already tarnished beyond repair. How could you ever be worthy of my son?”
The satisfaction she’d shown moments earlier for Sonya had vanished in an instant. “Curtis, I forbid you from being with Sonya!”
“Mom!” Curtis felt humiliated. Helen’s sudden outburst, especially in front of Chloe, left him with a pounding headache.
Sonya’s expression darkened. “Mrs. Green, Curtis and I genuinely love each other. You have no right to tear us apart!”
Cornered, she clung even harder to Curtis. He was the only shot she had at turning her life
around.
A sharp, resounding slap struck Sonya’s face.
Her cheek burned with stinging heat, and Helen’s scornful voice followed. “Genuine love? You’re nothing but a mistress who deliberately seduced my son!”
Shame and fury flushed through Sonya as she clutched her cheek. “Even if you are Curtis‘ mother, you have no right to treat me like this!”
“Oh, she can’t?” Lena sneered, clearly enjoying the scene. “Sonya, weren’t you the one who told Chloe not to argue with the elders? You said that if you were in her place, no matter how much Curtis‘ mother scolded or even hit you, you’d endure it!”
A hard lump rose in Sonya’s throat, one she could neither swallow nor spit out.
She’d indeed said that, but she’d only done it to belittle Chloe and curry favor with Helen. But now they’d returned like a boomerang, striking her with a sharp sting..
She clung desperately to Curtis, hoping he would speak up for her. “Curtis-”
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But before he could even open his mouth, Chloe cut in. “Curtis, since you’re such a dutiful son, shouldn’t you remind Sonya that your mother is her elder? Even if she gets scolded or slapped around a little, she’s supposed to endure it.”
Curtis froze. Under Chloe’s mocking gaze, his throat went dry, and the words stuck fast in his
chest.
Meanwhile, Helen’s stream of curses poured endlessly onto Sonya.
Sonya, unable to bear it any longer, snapped back. That only provoked Helen further, and soon Joanne had to jump in, turning the quarrel into a full–blown shouting match.
“Mom, Sonya, stop this right now!” Curtis exclaimed, rushing to stand between the two as they seemed on the verge of resorting to blows.
Chloe shook her head at the unfolding scene and said to Lena, “Let’s go. We can head back now.
They’d already bought almost everything they needed.
“But I haven’t seen enough yet!” Lena laughed, clearly amused by the chaotic spectacle before them.
It was quite a sight. Not long ago, Helen and Joanne had sided with Sonya, but now they were tearing into each other without hesitation.
“Well, are you going to stay and watch?” Chloe raised an eyebrow.
“No, thanks.” Lena rubbed her nose, noticing people around them raising their phones to record. “I bet we’ll see this online in no time.”
As they stepped out of the mall, Chloe spotted Brian’s car parked nearby. Seeing her, Brian got out, clearly intending to give her a ride.
Seeing this, Lena quickly said, “Alright, I won’t be the third wheel. I’ll get going now.”
With a wave, she headed toward her own car.
“Did you get everything you needed?” Brian asked, eyeing the shopping bags in Chloe’s hands. Without waiting, he took them and loaded them into the car.
“All done,” she replied. “By the way, the screen in the mall suddenly showed news about Sonya. Was that your doing?”
If she remembered correctly, this mall belonged to the Steele family.
She didn’t believe in coincidences, and it seemed too deliberate that the central screen would
air news about Sonya while she was in the middle of an argument.
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“Yes,” Brian said, his eyes flicking slightly. “If she tries to upset you, she shouldn’t expect to get away with it.”
To him, Chloe was definitely not someone people could mess with.
Meanwhile, elsewhere, Willow was fixated on the three photos she’d picked up earlier.
She’d learned from Geoffrey that the man in the photos was Daniel. Yet she couldn’t recall ever meeting him. Why did he look so familiar?
Suddenly, the realization struck her. She began rifling through her room and finally pulled out a particular photo album.
If he really was the person she thought she’d met before…
