Chapter 176
Chapter 176
He's even asking me to keep it a secret. The more I think about it, the more certain I am of it.
“Did you dismiss her just to play along and allow her to vent her frustration?”
“What else can it be?” Cocking his brow, Artemis asked with an indiscernible smile, “Since she's the woman I'm enamored with, shouldn't I indulge her?”
Stumped, Dwayne scratched his nose before breaking into a sheepish smile. “Of course you should. I'm just worried that the fuss being kicked up by Ms. Bailey might drastically affect Luther Group. Although the fall in stock price isn't a big deal, my concern is—”
Amidst a wave of his hand, Artemis replied in a nonchalant tone, “Just let her be. In spite of my limited abilities, I'm still able to shelter her from the threats looming about her head.”
Dwayne's eyes were filled with mixed emotions.
Has he been driven mad by his affection for Bailey? Just to elicit a smile from her, he is willing to accommodate her actions at the expense of Luther Group's reputation. This is a really big sacrifice to make. Is he not worried that the situation goes out of control and deals a devastating blow to the company?
“Did you decide to go along with the shareholders' wishes just so they would beg on their knees for her to come back?”
Artemis snorted before replying in a mocking tone, “I'm sure you have seen for yourself how ruthless they were in the conference room just now. If only they had listened to Bailey and agreed to let her deal
with the matter, Luther Group would have avoided any trouble. Instead, they kicked her out in their smugness, assuming Emmy Boutique would hold her accountable. Unknown to them, they are faced with someone who's even more merciless than they are.”
No sooner had he spoken than the elevator bell rang.
After the door opened, Artemis stepped out and continued, “That bunch of old fogeys love to throw their weight about. When they realize they have made a mistake by forcing Bailey out, they will definitely beg for her to return. However, there's no way the woman I fancy will forgive them easily. They might be able to get rid of her on a whim, but they will fail to recruit her unless they grovel at her feet.”
Dwayne was speechless.
No one spoils women the way Mr. Luther does!
That afternoon, the Luther Group public relations department issued a statement: The lead designer at our headquarters, Bailey Jefferson, has condoned her subordinate's plagiarism of Emmy Boutique's kidswear from two years ago. Due to her unscrupulous actions, the board, after much consideration, had decided to strip her of her position.
Once the news broke, the entire world was shocked.
Given Bailey's popularity on the international stage, any controversies involving her would definitely attract everyone's attention.
As for the statement issued by Luther Group, it cemented the impression that Bailey had condoned the
act of plagiarism by her designer.
Suddenly, all those who were envious and jealous of Bailey began to malign her on the internet. They would condemn her with harsh words to incite the public into boycotting her.
Back in the Luther Group design department's office, the smug-looking Jessica was chatting on the phone while leaning back in her swivel chair.
“What do you think? Are you satisfied with what I've done? Now that Bailey has personally been fired from Luther Group by Artemis, she's being ridiculed by the general public. Soon, her reputation will be in tatters.”
Rhonda's delighted voice rang out from the phone. “I'm more than satisfied. With the board's pressure, even Artemis was unable to protect her. All that's left now is for us to instigate Emmy Boutique into suing her alone. When that happens, I don't see any way that b*tch can escape.”
Jessica burst into hearty laughter. “This feels f*cking amazing! Since she's been chased out and abandoned by Artemis, it would be impossible for her to recover. Anyway, don't you worry. I've gotten in touch with Emmy Boutique's legal department, and they will initiate legal action against her.”
“That's good.” Even though Rhonda had calmed down, she was still unable to hide her elation.
Now that Bailey's name in the design industry is almost ruined, I'll move on to the medical industry next. With Cadence's help, I'll have her accused of being responsible for losing the lives of a few. When the time comes, she would truly have fallen from grace with no hope of making a comeback.
“As for Emmy Boutique, you should continue to egg them on. Tell them to strike when Bailey is at her
lowest so that she'll be sent to prison, or else they would lose the chance to uphold their rights if they allow her to find her feet.”
Curling her flaming red lips, Jessica broke into an insidious smile. “Don't worry. Bailey is my mortal enemy; only one of us can come out of this alive. Since I do not wish to lose, my only choice is to ensure her destruction.”
She had barely finished when an arrogant expression painted her face amidst the softening of her tone. “Now that I have successfully gotten rid of her from Luther Group, she no longer enjoys Artemis' protection. I'm sure you'll definitely be able to find a way to eradicate her permanently.” Belonging to NôvelDrama.Org.
At that, Rhonda's hysterical laughter was subsequently heard from the phone.
Meanwhile, at Shelbert Condominium, Bailey opened the room door to be greeted by an anxious Victoria standing there. She could not help but raise her brow and ask, “Are you being hounded by some kind of monster?”
Panting heavily to catch her breath, Victoria grabbed Bailey's arm once her pounding heart began to calm down.
“You asked me to bear with it for a few days and told me that you'll definitely deal with the matter. Instead, you ended up being removed in disgrace by those old fogeys from Luther Group's board. Do you know what they're saying about you outside? They claim that your firing from Luther Group is evidence of your wrongdoing in the plagiarism incident. D*mn it, with your capabilities, why would you even need to copy from someone else?”
Bailey pulled Victoria into the living room before closing the door behind her. Settling the latter down on
the couch, she handed her a glass of water. “Have a drink.”
Upon taking the glass and downing it, Victoria was stopped by Bailey just when she was about to continue ranting.
“Why are you behaving like a child when you're already an adult? Is it necessary to overreact to something so trivial? Vicky, do I look like a pushover to you?”
Stunned, Victoria narrowed her eyes. “Is there something you're not telling me?”
Bailey reached out to pinch her cheek with a smile. “Why are you even surprised? I have been hiding plenty from you. In fact, I've already lost count of the number of times I did it.”
“Bay...” Victoria's voice trailed off as she gave Bailey a reproachful look.
“All right now. I know you're just worried about me, but it really isn't necessary. Someone is trying to set a trap to destroy me. Based on my character, I'll definitely jump into it so that I can take my enemy down.”
“Pfft.” Victoria burst into laughter. “Fine. I was just panicking out of concern, thinking that you took the blame for my mistake by getting Mr. Luther to fire you.”
Bailey flicked her finger on Victoria's head. “What are you talking about? Since when did we do anything wrong?”
“Oh, right, we didn't do anything wrong. It was just a slip of tongue. Anyway, what are you planning now that you got Mr. Luther to fire you?”
Bailey cracked a mysterious smile. “You'll find out in two days. I heard how the group of shareholders from Luther Group has been giving you grief by accusing you—the eldest daughter of the Saunders family—of coming to work in Luther Group with an agenda, so I'm going to deal them a devastating blow on your behalf this time.”
VIctoria was speechless.