?Chapter 1219:


    No matter how much the Ashton family fought or how hard Leah tried to get away, there was something to gain for them either way.


    “By the way, are you nning to go home for your birthday this year?” Waldo asked, watching Corrine closely for any sign of reaction.


    Corrine’s faint smile disappeared in an instant. She lowered her gaze, and after a brief silence, she answered softly, “I’m not sure. We’ll see.” She hadn’t celebrated her birthday since Kiley took her life that day.


    She struggled with whether to mark the day with a celebration or to spend it mourning her mother.


    Waldo saw the cold indifference in Corrine’s expression and already knew her answer.


    He hesitated for a moment, then spoke with care. “Corrine, she made her choices, and you’re not responsible for them. Why carry all that guilt?”


    Corrine didn’t reply. She simply nced at her phone. “It’s gettingte. I should get going.”


    Waldo could tell it was time to stop pushing. He watched Corrine walk away and called out, “Don’t forget to visit your grandfather.”


    “I will,” she replied without turning around.


    As Corrine stepped out of Pinvo Law Firm, she ran into the receptionist who had been dismissed.


    The receptionist, seeing Corrine, couldn’t hold back. “Miss Hond, right? I know youe from a wealthy family, and I know you could get me fired with just one word, but can you at least understand what it’s like for someone like me? Mr. Ford told me to turn away visitors without appointments. If you have an issue, take it up with him, not me! Just because I followed the rules and stopped you, you had Mr. Ford fire me. Isn’t that a bit much? Aren’t you being a bit of a tyrant?”


    Her eyes welled up with tears, and bitterness dripped from every word.


    Corrine’s expression stiffened, her usual grace reced by a colder demeanor. “You keep hiding behind rules, but let me ask you something. First, did you tell Waldo right away when I mentioned my purpose here? Second, when I told you who I was and asked you to call him, did you do it? Third, as a receptionist, it’s your job to assist everyone whoes through these doors. But you didn’t.”


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    The receptionist’s face shifted between confusion and frustration as Corrine spoke. “You kept ignoring me, and as a receptionist, you failed to do your job. So tell me, why should Pinvo Law Firm keep you around?”


    Corrine stayedposed, her smile gentle, but her words carried unmistakable weight.


    The receptionist stood frozen, eyes wide with panic as she searched for someone to intervene. When she realized no help wasing, she bit her lip and stammered, “Miss Hond, I’m sorry. I see where I went wrong. I really need this job…”


    “If you truly cared about your job, you would’ve handled things differently,” Corrine replied firmly. She had no interest in making anyone’s life harder, but she wouldn’t stand for disrespect.


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