3 Her fingers flew across the screen , tapping out a frantic post on an anonymous forum . Topic : HELP ! I was reborn but the destiny thief is trying to steal my male lead AGAIN ! Post : You guys , I don't know what to do ! I did everything right ! I got the interview , and the ML announced he was hiring ME! But then he pulled the thief into his office for a ' private meeting ' ! What kind of disgusting tricks did she use this time ? I'm so scared history is going to repeat itself ! She's an expert at playing the victim ! What should I do ? I'm desperate !!! The post immediately drew a swarm of " reborn - revenge - story " fanatics . " Hugs , OP ! That thief deserves to rot ! " " Is the ML blind ? Go in there and drag her out by her hair ! " " She's definitely seducing him ! Don't be a coward , OP , go bust them ! " " Record it ! Expose her for the snake she is and ruin her life ! " } Reading the flood of supportive comments , Claire felt a surge of validation . Her fear morphed into a righteous , venomous fury . She took a deep breath , raised her hand , and began to hammer on the solid wood door . " Mr. Rhodes ! Audrey ! What kind of shady business are you two conducting in there that you have to lock the door for so long ?! " Her shriek , sharp and hysterical , pierced the heavy door . Chapte 71 * Audrey ! You shameless thief ? Are you trying to steal what's mine again ?! " Inside the office , the heavy , emotionally charged atmosphere between Grant and me was instantly shattered by the ugly , baseless accusations Grant's brow furrowed in disgust , his eyes turning to ice . He shot me a look that said , See ? This is your ' heroine ' . And 1 - meeting Grant's gaze , hearing Claire's vile screaming , and seeing the fresh wave of comments cheering her on and calling for my demise - felt a new kind of anger . It was colder , sharper , and laced with a profound , almost comical sense of derision . Fine Let's get this cover with . I straightened my posture , smoothing a non - existent wrinkle in my blouse . The shock and vulnerability on my face vanished , repla ced by a mark of glacial calm . even offered Grant a perfectly standard , professionally detached smile . " M : Rhodes . " I said , my voice steady and clear as a bell , " it appears you have a ... rather unstable ' star employee ' to deal with at your titted my head , my gaze seemingly piercing the door to fix on the hysterical figure outside , " As for the important business ' we were discussing ... " I paused , my voice soft but unyielding . " And as for her , and her invisible fan club ... let me handle them . Then you and I ... we can talk . " Clare's frantic pounding and shrill accusations acted like a dog whistle , attracting the attention of everyone left in the hallway . The remaming interview candidates exchanged wide - eyed , scandalized looks , thrilled by the unexpected drama . The assistant's face was pale with fury and embarrassment as he tried to pull Claire away . " Ms. Covington , please ! Control yourse- # This is the Rhodes Corporation ! " " Cortal myself ? How can I ? " Claire shrieked , violently shoving his hand away . She was like a cornered animal , her eyes locked on the door , her voice trembling with a toxic mix of rage and fear . " That thief is in there ! This is what she does ! She used these same teen vertedeed Mecks in our last life ! She stole my job , she stole everything from me ! I finally had a chance to get it back , and she's dang agan Mr. Phodes , don't listen to her ! She's a liar ! A thief ! " Per Smpde sent the comment section into a euphoric frenzy . " WEBSS QUEEN TELL HA EXPOSE HER ! " " Go teowner Pup that och to sedu " GRANT , ARE YOU DEAF ? Open the door and see what a snake you've let in ! " en so anal The Met is probably in there crying crocodile tears and seducing him ! SLUT ! " anade , my professional sonde dient waver i gave Grant a tiny , sloquent shrug , my eyes saying everything : See ? This is your chosen one ? Thus out es ? Grant's expression hardened into a mask of pure granite . Any lingering emotion from our reunion was scoured away by the ugly scere unfolding outside , replaced by cold dsgust and profound irritation Vinhost anwater look at me , he strode to the deck , an aura of palpable fury radiating from him The sound of the lock disengaging was unnaturally loud in the sudden kull of Claire's screaming 10:11 Chapter 2 The door was yanked open . Blinding hallway light and a dozen pairs of staring eyes flooded the room . Claire , her hand still raised mid - pound , froze . The crazed expression on her face collapsed the instant she saw Grant standing there , replaced by a ghastly , pale shock . She stumbled back a step , her lips trembling . " Mr .... Mr. Rhodes ... I ... " Grant didn't give her a chance to finish . His tall frame filled the doorway , his gaze like a shard of ice pinning her in place . His voice was quiet , but it carried a deadly chill that froze the air . " Claire Covington ." Just her name , spoken in that tone , made her flinch as if she'd been struck . " First , " Grant's voice resonated through the silent hallway , " no formal offer of employment was ever extended to you by the Rhodes Corporation . My announcement pertained to the final scoring results of the interview stage . The hiring decision belongs to me , and to HR , not to you . " The last traces of color drained from Claire's face . " Second , " Grant continued , his gaze sweeping over her with utter contempt, " the Rhodes Corporation has no need for an employee who is emotionally unstable , publicly slanders others , and demonstrates a complete lack of professionalism . Your candidacy is hereby revoked . " The words hit Claire like a physical blow . Her vision swam , and she swayed on her feet , grabbing the wall for support . Tears of hu- miliation and disbelief welled in her eyes . " No ... Mr. Rhodes ! You can't ! It was her ! It was Audrey who- " " Third , " Grant cut her off , his voice now laced with a lethal coldness ; " every accusation you just made against Ms. Vance constitut- es baseless defamation , Our legal department will be preserving the right to pursue action against you for damaging Ms. Vance's reputation and disrupting company business . " The words " legal department " were the final , killing blow . All the fight went out of Claire . She crumpled like a puppet with its strings cut , only kept from collapsing to the floor by the quick- acting assistant who grabbed her arm . She was trembling uncontrollably , tears and snot streaming down her face , capable of noth- ing but choked , hopeless sobs . The hallway was tomb - silent . Everyone was stunned by the swift , brutal , and absolutely devastating turn of events . The comments seemed to have short - circuited . The stream of vitriol came to an abrupt halt . " ?????? " " Re ... revoked ? " " Legal department ??? " " Am I seeing things ? Did the ML just defend the destiny thief ? " " WHAT HAPPENED ??? Can someone tell me what they talked about in there ?! " " Our baby girl ... is crying ? " 10:11 Chapter 2 " Wait ! He said the announcement was just about scores ? And the final decision was his ? So when he called Audrey into his office ... " After a few seconds of stunned silence , the comments resumed , but now they were a chaotic mess of confusion , disbelief , and dissent . " HOLY SHIT ! A PLOT TWIST ?! " " Okay ... I'm officially confused by the ML's actions . " " So what the hell did Audrey say in that interview ?! " " NGL , Claire's screaming meltdown was ... kinda cringe . " " Shut up ! Our girl was just stressed out ! The thief pushed her to it ! " " But ... Grant looks seriously pissed ... He even mentioned lawyers ... "