The CEO's Niece Fired Me First

Last night, I received a termination email from HR.

The reason? I was too old, lacked a prestigious degree, and was holding back the company's modernization.

This morning, the HR manager pulled me aside, looking at me with a mix of pity and helplessness. Aria, you crossed the wrong person this time.

I followed her gaze. Across the glass partition, Chloe Davis was laughing loudly, surrounded by her clique of newly hired team members.

Chloe was the CEO's niece.

Two weeks ago, she was parachuted into the sales department as the new Director.

She brought a dozen of her college classmates with her, branding them as a "highly intellectual, Gen-Z elite task force."

Yesterday, I rejected her marketing proposal because it was completely detached from reality.

Suddenly, Chloe glanced my way. Her eyes flashed with childish provocation.

"Older, uneducated women really should just stay home and be housewives. It saves them from embarrassing themselves in the professional world!"

I didn't say a word. I just calmly signed the severance agreement.

What she didn't realize was that I didn't need this job. The company needed me.

A few minutes later, I posted a simple update on my Instagram:

"Officially resigned. Excited for the next chapter."

Within seconds, my notifications blew up.

My former clients immediately began commenting under my post.

"Aria! Come to my company. I'll triple whatever salary they were paying you!"

"Triple? That's thinking too small. Aria, name your price. My firm is always open to you."

My Snapchat buzzed. It was Eleanor Vance, one of my biggest clients. "Aria, what is going on? We literally just discussed our quarterly contract. You resigned before we even signed?"

I typed back, "I'm sorry, Eleanor. My name was put on the company's restructuring list. A new representative will reach out to you shortly."

She sent a confused emoji. "You? Laid off?"

"Is your firm trying to go bankrupt?"

I replied with a helpless shrug emoji.

She immediately texted back:

"If you aren't managing our account, I will have to reconsider this partnership entirely."

Seeing these messages, a wave of relief washed over me.

Having spent ten years in this industry, I had built an ironclad network of high-profile clients. Many competitors had tried to headhunt me with massive signing bonuses, but I had always turned them down.

I believed in loyalty.

Ten years ago, when I freshly graduated from college, I sent out hundreds of resumes and got nothing but rejections. Just when I was about to give up, Richard Davis, the CEO of this company, gave me a chance.

To repay that debt, I worked tirelessly. I treated every small task with absolute perfection. I secured deal after deal, single-handedly boosting the department's revenue and ensuring everyone got their bonuses.

But lately, things had gone sour.

A week ago, Chloe and her "elite team" made a massive logistical error that almost cost the company millions. I pointed out their mistake during a meeting. That very night, Richard called me to "remind me of my place" and deducted my monthly bonus.

Three days ago, Chloe encouraged the team to practice "quiet quitting" and leave exactly at 5 PM, leaving half-finished client presentations behind. I stayed up all night to clean up their mess. Yet, behind my back, they called me a "toxic micro-manager."

Suddenly, the company-wide WhatsApp group lit up.

[Effective today, Chloe Davis is officially promoted to Executive Director of Sales.]

The group chat exploded with celebratory emojis and congratulatory messages. Many of them were from junior employees I had personally trained and mentored from scratch.

Those messages woke me up. This place was no longer worth my loyalty.

"Aria." Chloe pushed my office door open, looking around at my half-packed boxes. "Cleaning out your desk?"

"Make sure you wipe it down before you leave. Consider it practice for your future housework."

"Take your time. Enjoy your final moments of contributing to this company!"

I gave her a flat look and ignored her.

My silence annoyed her. She stepped closer, pointing a manicured finger at me. "Why are you acting so high and mighty? So what if you were the top sales representative? I fired you with a single sentence."

I let out a soft laugh. "Is that so?"

"Did your uncle actually sign off on this layoff list?"

"Or did you make this decision all by yourself?"

Richard had been on an business trip in Europe for the past two weeks, unreachable unless it was an absolute emergency. I knew for a fact he had no idea.

After all, no sane CEO would fire their top performer of ten yearsthe very backbone of the company's revenue.

Chloe flinched slightly, her confidence wavering for a fraction of a second, before she puffed out her chest again. "My uncle adores me. My family practically owns this place. You're just an employee. Why would there be any consequences for firing you?"

"Stop trying to scare me. You're just bitter because you're washed up and nobody else wants you!"

I smiled gently. "Chloe, I highly doubt you can handle this position."

She tried to snap back, but stumbled over her words.

I continued, "Do you even know our clients' preferences? Do you know how to negotiate a contract? Can you even draft a viable proposal?"

"This position isn't for a pretty trophy, Chloe. Your textbook theories won't survive in the real world."

"I suggest you get to work. Otherwise, you might end up begging me to come back."

I picked up my box and walked past her. She shrieked behind me, "Beg you to come back? In your dreams!"

"Leave your client logs before you go!"

I tapped my temple. "They're all up here. Good luck."

As I walked through the open office, not a single person stood up to say goodbye.

I didn't feel sad anymore. Instead, I felt a strange curiosity. Without me there to fix their mistakes and fight for their bonuses, I wondered how long they would enjoy their "stress-free" work life.

Let's see how long this company lasts.

On my Uber ride home, my phone buzzed constantly.

I opened the old department WhatsApp group. Chloe was busy pitching her grand vision.

"I firmly believe that in this new era, we need fresh minds. We are young, and we represent the future. The old ways of doing things are completely outdated and toxic!"

"Starting today, no more overtime. Under my leadership, everyone will have perfect work-life balance!"

The chat was flooded with praise, alongside passive-aggressive digs aimed at me.

Suddenly, I was added to a new, unofficial group chat. The creator was Logan, the office kiss-ass.

"Honestly, Chloe is a hundred times better than Aria. At least she doesn't force us to finish projects before going home!"

Others quickly chimed in:

"For real. I'm so glad Aria is gone. Besides breathing down our necks, what did she actually do for us?"

"Exactly! That old witch was obsessed with deadlines."

"With a boss like Chloe, I'd gladly stay here forever."

"And she's so sweet, she never raises her voice."

The messages piled up, each one more toxic than the last.

Until I accidentally hit a thumbs-up emoji in response.

The next second: [You have been removed from the group chat.]

I stared at the screen. To say I wasn't hurt would be a lie.

I never liked making people work late. But when you lack the skill, you have to put in the time. Clients don't pay for excuses.

Every time we stayed late, it was because someone had botched a file, and I was always the last one to leave. I even fought HR tooth and nail to get them overtime pay.

And yet, to them, my protection was "oppression."

I opened Instagram and saw a new post from Stella, my former mentee.

"Nobody knows how exhausting it is to constantly be overshadowed by someone who thinks they are everyone's mentor."

Underneath, someone commented, "Stella, you're finally free now that she's gone!"

Stella replied, "Yes! Nobody knows how much I've had to endure."

I laughed out loud, utterly amused.

Stella was the first intern I had personally trained. I poured my heart into mentoring her. When she made mistakes, I took the blame. When she needed a win, I put her name on my successful deals.

When Chloe was promoted, Stella was the first to buy her flowers.

And when I left today, she didn't even look up from her screen.

I thought she was just scared of Chloe's reaction. But now I saw her true colors.

Well, this made things easier. If we ever met in the business world again, I wouldn't have to let personal feelings get in the way of crushing her.

After I got home, I muted all work contacts and turned my phone to 'Do Not Disturb.'

For ten years, I had skipped meals and lost sleep for this company. My friends told me to relax, and my family told me to stop being so stubborn.

Finally, I was free.

For the next few days, I didn't look for a job. I needed to breathe and actually experience life.

Occasionally, I would see updates about the company through mutual acquaintances.

It was always Chloe buying the team boba, Chloe treating them to lunch, and so on. These posts were always uploaded right at 6:00 PM, almost as if they were trying to prove a point to me.

I ignored them.

Until Friday arrived, and the social media updates suddenly went dead silent.

I woke up on Friday morning to forty-five missed calls and countless urgent text messages.

Most of them were from managers of other departments.

[Aria, the marketing proposal is a mess. Call me back immediately!]

[The client is demanding an emergency meeting. We need you to handle this.]

[Where are you?]

Even the CEO, Richard, had called me from Europe.

Clearly, they had no idea I had been fired.

When I picked up Richard's next call, his voice boomed through the speaker. "Aria! Why aren't you answering your phone during business hours? Do I pay you a top-tier salary so you can go on vacation whenever you want?"

"The other department heads are complaining to me! The entire sales department is in absolute chaos!"

"And what happened with Eleanor Vance? We were about to sign the contract, and now she's pulling out because she says our new proposal is 'garbage'!"

"You've never made a mistake like this in ten years. Have you lost your mind the moment I left the country?"

I waited for him to take a breath. "Mr. Davis, actually, I no longer"

He cut me off instantly.

"I don't care what excuse you have! Get back to the office right now and fix this mess!"

He slammed the phone down.

When I tried to call back, it went straight to voicemail.

My phone rang all day, but I didn't answer. By evening, a friend from another department filled me in on the drama.

Apparently, after I left, the sales department fell apart.

Chloe's "elite team" was just a bunch of pampered college graduates who had no practical experience. Without me directing them, they had no idea how to execute a project.

When a major client demanded a revised proposal, they couldn't produce one, so they simply resubmitted an old draft with a few words changed.

The client was insulted and blacklisted the company on the spot.

Chloe, who usually rolled into the office at 10:00 AM, completely panicked when she heard the news. She lost her "sweet, modern boss" persona and screamed at everyone.

My friend sent me a leaked video of the office. Chloe's voice was screeching: "I give you guys perks! I let you go home early! And this is how you repay me?"

"Why is the proposal not ready? Why did we lose the account? Are you all completely useless?"

"Nobody goes home tonight! You will sleep in this office until this is fixed!"

My friend texted: "Aria, you should have seen their faces. They were stunned. And Chloe got ripped apart by the board of directors for over an hour. She came out of the meeting crying."

Fixing a crisis like that required years of client data and industry experiencethings Chloe couldn't learn overnight.

Without me, they were sinking.

At 8:00 PM, I posted a photo of a freshly baked lemon cake on my Instagram.

"Rainy days are perfect for baking and sleeping in."

I wasn't a saint. They had humiliated me when I left, and I wasn't about to play the hero now.

Soon, a comment popped up from one of my former team members: "Aria, we finally realize how much you did for us."

It was deleted thirty seconds later.

The next morning, everyone in the sales department shared Chloe's late-night Instagram post.

It was posted at 1:00 AM: "What doesn't kill us makes us stronger! Rising above the challenges!"

I chuckled and closed the app to update my resume.

Just then, Stella called me.

After a moment of hesitation, I answered.

There was silence on the other end for a long time, followed by soft, muffled crying.

"Aria..." she sobbed.

"Can you... can you please come to the office?"

I didn't hesitate. "No, Stella."

She sounded shocked by my cold tone. After all, I used to protect her no matter what.

"Please, Aria. If you don't come, I'm going to get fired."

I smiled. "Well, let me see what's going on then." I hung up and called an Uber.

I wanted to see exactly how she was going to get fired.

As soon as I walked into the lobby of the office building, I felt the heavy atmosphere.

I stepped into the elevator and bumped into Richard, who had just returned from his flight, along with several board members.

I nodded politely.

"Aria, I hear Chloe has been doing a fantastic job lately?" Marcus Sterling, one of the senior board members, asked me.

Before I could speak, I felt Richard shooting a warning glare at me from behind Marcus.

"Actually, Mr. Sterling, I haven't been at the office, so I wouldn't know," I replied smoothly. "If you want to know how she's doing, you should see for yourself."

Marcus nodded.

"Chloe is a bright girl," Richard chimed in quickly, trying to control the narrative. "Aria was out for a few days, and things got a bit messy, but Chloe stepped up and saved the day. In fact, we are about to sign a major contract with Mr. Arthur King from Star Media today!"

Star Media was the biggest player in our industry.

I had dealt with Arthur King before. He was notoriously difficult and extremely strict. The only reason we had even reached the contract stage was because I had spent weeks studying his preferences, addressing every possible risk before he could even ask.

"And," Richard added proudly, "Chloe's elite team of young graduates is incredibly capable. I'm planning to have them run parallel to Aria's team to foster some healthy competition."

I mentally rolled my eyes.

He wanted us to do all the heavy lifting while his niece took the credit.

I was so glad I left. Ten years of loyalty, and this was how I was treated.

"What do you think, Aria?" Richard asked, testing me.

I smiled. "Mr. Davis, you might not know this, but I actually"

The elevator doors opened.

"Let's talk in the conference room," Richard interrupted, waving his hand dismissively. "We need to sign the contract with Mr. King first. Aria, come with us. Watch and learn."

I didn't get a chance to object before they ushered me down the hall.

When we entered the conference room, Stella saw me and let out a massive sigh of relief.

Chloe, however, sneered. "Why is Aria here? Did you finally realize you have nowhere else to go and come back to beg for your job?"

The board members' faces fell instantly.

"Who are you talking to?" Marcus asked, his tone sharp.

Richard jumped in, sweating. "This is my niece, Chloe. She's young and sometimes speaks without thinking. Please don't mind her."

Marcus glared at him. "Aria is the pillar of this department. Frankly, keeping her just in sales is a waste of her talent. You should treat her with respect."

Chloe froze, not daring to say another word as she shrank into the corner.

A few minutes later, Arthur King arrived.

When he saw me, he smiled and walked over to shake my hand. "Aria! I heard from Eleanor Vance that you had resigned, so I was actually planning to cancel our meeting today. But your team assured me you were still working here. I'm glad it was just a rumor."

I looked at Stella. She looked back at me with pleading, desperate eyes.

So that was her plan. She wanted to use my name to secure the deal, and then take the credit.

I looked away from her and faced Arthur.

"Mr. King, you didn't hear a rumor," I said clearly.

"I was indeed laid off by our new Director, Ms. Chloe Davis."