“I terminated her employment,” I replied evenly, “because she’s inefficient, unnecessary, and only joined this company because you pressured me to hire her. As for the meetings…” I tilted my head slightly. “I’ve decided I don’t want to hand over everything to you anymore.”
Sebastian froze for a brief second, surprise flashing across his face before anger quickly replaced it.
“So you’re making decisions like this without even consulting me?” he demanded.
“I don’t need to consult you,” I answered calmly. “This company belongs to me. I make the decisions.”
His jaw tightened, a muscle twitching visibly. “That doesn’t give you the right to—”
“You’ve already handled more than enough,” I cut in, stepping forward. “And you haven’t handled it well.”
Candela sniffled softly behind him. “Ma’am… if I made a mistake, please give me a chance to explain—”
“Don’t speak,” I snapped sharply.
She flinched, lips quivering.
Sebastian moved closer, his presence suddenly intimidating. “Isabella, you’re acting unreasonable. You can’t just fire someone because you’re upset.”
“Upset?” A cold laugh escaped me. “You think this is about emotions? After everything that’s happened?”
His expression darkened. “This is ridiculous. I’m your husband.”
My tone hardened. “What’s ridiculous is that you still believe being my husband means you get to control me.”
For a split second, something flickered in his eyes — unease. Because he realized I wasn’t backing down.
“You are not firing her,” he barked. “I won’t allow it!”
“I already did,” I replied coolly. “It’s effective immediately.”
His hand slammed against the wall beside my head, close enough that I felt the air shift.
“You’re testing my patience, Isabella,” he warned.
I held his gaze steadily. “Maybe I am.”
His breath faltered slightly. He saw it then — the change in me. Something he couldn’t manipulate anymore.
After a moment, he stepped back, forcing his expression to soften.
“Alright,” he muttered, running a hand through his hair. “If that’s what you want… we’ll go with your decision. For now.”
Candela lowered her head, wiping at imaginary tears. “Ma’am… I’ll pack my things. Thank you for the opportunity. I’m sorry if I did anything that upset you.”
I didn’t respond.
Sebastian gently placed his hand on my shoulder, his voice suddenly calm, almost coaxing. “Let’s not argue anymore. We’ll talk about this later, okay? For now… I accept your choice.”