I clutched my face, the familiar sting bringing back memories. Mom had slapped me the same way in my previous life, except that time I'd been tied beneath a helicopter, begging her for mercy.

I pulled myself together and met her eyes. "Mrs. Stafford, the emergency shutdown order came straight from the state government. I'm just being a responsible citizen. What's wrong with that?"

Hearing me address her so formally as Mrs. Stafford, she froze for a moment.

Isabel shoved me aside. "Responsible citizen? I think you're just itching to see Stafford Corporation collapse!"

She gestured at the floor-to-ceiling windows surrounding us. "Do you have any idea what a Category 5 hurricane means? These windows won't last five minutes before they shatter!

"Everything here will be destroyed! You expect me to just stand by and watch Stafford Corporation turn into rubble? I can't do that!"

But the truth was, all of Stafford Corporation's critical data was regularly backed up to the cloud. Even if the office were destroyed, we'd only lose some renovation costs at most.

I genuinely didn't understand what she was so hysterical about.

"Don't you think you're contradicting yourself?" My voice came out cold.

"If you know the windows are going to shatter, why are you dragging everyone back here to die with you?"

I made sure to speak loudly. The coworkers around us visibly trembled at my words.

"She's right. We're on the 16th floor. If the windows break, won't we all die?"

"The state government issued warnings to evacuate. This isn't a joke."

"Mrs. Stafford, I think Eden has a point. Maybe we should just shut down for a day…"

Even Mom looked stunned by this. After all, she knew perfectly well that this was exactly how Isabel had died in the previous life.

"Shut down? Shut down what?" Isabel suddenly whirled on the coworkers who'd spoken, screaming at them.

"If the windows really shatter, we'll huddle together! With all our combined weight, there's no way the wind could blow us away!"

Before I could argue further, Dad rushed in from outside with several workers in tow.

He turned to them urgently. "Board up the windows with plywood, and weld steel pipes next to every workstation. This needs to be done tonight! Spare no expense!"

Then, he wrapped his arm around Isabel's shoulders, his eyes reddening. "Sweetheart, I won't let anything happen to you this time."

Mom understood what he was planning. She immediately spoke up, her voice sharp, "See that? Now the windows won't shatter so easily, and even if they do, you can all grab onto the pipes."

Dad fixed everyone with a stern look. "When there's a problem, you solve it. You don't run away like Eden does!

"Isabel is the future successor of Stafford Corporation. How could she possibly let anything happen to you? If anyone refuses to comply, then get out now!"

I almost laughed. A Category 5 hurricane could uproot century-old trees and flip cars like toys. The corporate building sat right on the coast where the winds hit hardest.

In my previous life, grief had blinded them to what the office looked like after the typhoon tore through it. Even the floorboards had been ripped up. These flimsy precautions wouldn't stop anything.

When I didn't respond, Isabel slowly approached me, malice gleaming in her eyes. "Call the authorities right now and withdraw your report!"

Just then, a familiar voice came from the doorway, "No need. I already took care of it for you."

I looked up to see Shane Cross, my fiance of seven years, standing there.

Shane walked past me and went straight to Isabel's side. "Don't be scared, Isabel. I'm here. She can't hurt you."

The coworkers around us immediately erupted into chatter. "Isn't that Shane Cross, the eldest son of the Cross family?"

"Oh, my God, I heard he has a fiancee. Could it be Isabel?"

"That makes sense, doesn't it? One's the Stafford heiress, and the other's the Cross heir. They're a perfect match."

Shane smiled and nodded at these comments. He even glanced at me deliberately, his eyes full of provocation.

The sight made me sick. I turned and walked away.

Isabel called out triumphantly behind me, "Where's the HR manager? Fire Eden Stafford immediately! We don't need employees who are too afraid to face challenges!"

I'd just made it downstairs and was about to get in my car when Shane came running after me. "Eden Stafford, stop right there!"

His grip was painfully tight. "Why do you insist on antagonizing Isabel? Do you realize you almost got her killed just now?"

How was I the one who almost killed her? She was the one courting death all on her own.

I yanked my hand free and stared at him coldly. "Shane, let's break up."

He froze for a moment, then actually laughed. "Eden, you think way too highly of yourself, don't you? You're nothing but a fake heiress. You think threatening to break up with me will make me take your side?"

"Someone who'd turn in her own parents is a backstabber. The Cross family wants nothing to do with people like you!"

A bitter laugh escaped me. "Then, why did you chase after me?"

He sneered. "I'll be with Isabel tomorrow. If nothing happens to her, I want you to get on your knees in front of everyone online and apologize to her!"

If nothing happened to her? He was far too confident.

I didn't bother responding. I just got in my car and drove away. As far as I was concerned, he was already a dead man walking.

As soon as I reached my hotel, Mara sent me several screenshots. I opened them to find that many coworkers had agreed to come back to work after my parents' reassurances.

I sighed and decided to call them anyway. Most people made the same choice as in my previous life and stayed home, but several of them cursed me out.

"Eden Stafford, you're way too nosy!"

"Mr. Stafford, Mrs. Stafford, and Mr. Cross will all be there tomorrow. What's there to be afraid of?"

"You've already been fired from the company. Just stay out of it!"

"Ms. Stafford said everyone who shows up gets triple pay. You can't have it, so you don't want anyone else to get it either—is that it?"

There was no point reasoning with people hell-bent on their own destruction. I wasn't going to waste any more breath on people who refused to listen.

Early the next morning, ten minutes before the Category 5 hurricane made landfall, Mara forwarded me a live stream link. I opened it. The scene on screen struck me as both absurd and pathetic.

Isabel sat between Mom, Dad, and Shane, looking flattered by all the attention. Around them were the coworkers who'd chosen to stay.

"Everyone's saying there's a super strong Category 5 hurricane today, but why do I feel so warm?" She reached back to touch the floor-to-ceiling window.

"As long as the wind protection measures are in place, it's really not a big deal. Besides, with so many of us here today, there's strength in numbers. The company will definitely weather this storm together!"

Someone in the comments recognized the background as the office and asked, "Isn't there supposed to be an emergency shutdown? Why are you still at work?"

Dad jumped in before Isabel could answer. "Do you know what the real emergency shutdown means? It means stop slacking off, stop fantasizing, stop complaining, stop expecting something for nothing, and stop making excuses for your own incompetence!"

He spoke with such righteous conviction that the comment section immediately filled with praise. But some people felt uncomfortable with this and questioned it. Isabel promptly kicked them out of the live stream.

Just then, Mom called me. "You think paying trolls to attack Isabel online will work? That's pathetic! You're vile. No wonder Shane's done with you."

Before I could respond, a deafening roar erupted from the live stream. The hurricane had made landfall.

On screen, everyone pressed anxiously against the plywood behind the windows. As the wind howled, the entire office shook. But because the glass had the plywood reinforcement, it didn't immediately shatter after the first strong gust.

Everyone started cheering. "We're really okay! This is great!"

"If Ms. Stafford hadn't suggested coming back, Mr. Stafford wouldn't have thought to reinforce the windows! She deserves all the credit!"

Shane took Mom's phone and grinned at the camera, speaking directly to me, "See that? Just wait until after the hurricane. You'll be getting on your knees for Isabel and..."

Before he could finish, the second gust began its violent assault. A massive boom split the air.

Without warning, the glass exploded instantly. The tremendous impact sent shards flying in all directions at terrifying speed.

The entire office descended into chaos.

Then came Isabel's terrified screams, "Get off me! Don't grab onto me! We're going to fall!"