Chapter 114 The Heilbronn Group Unbinds From Her
The employee elevator opened, and the people waiting outside filed in, filling the elevator within seconds.
Chelsea looked at the crowded elevator with displeasure.
She had been domineering at the Heilbronn Group until now, and everyone in the company had always deferred to her. She thought, 'What a group of clueless fools! Not only did they ignore me, but they were also watching me being blocked from entering the elevator. Don't they know that they should let me in first?'
She waited at the elevator entrance for nearly ten minutes before squeezing into the elevator with her delicate bento box. When Chelsea arrived at the design department, Amy entered with a cup of coffee, brushed past her shoulder, and headed to the workstation. In the department, the two had the closest relationship, so Chelsea was puzzled by Amy's lack of greeting that day.
"Amy, a cup of coffee, less sugar, no ice," Chelsea instructed.
But the next moment, after Amy placed her coffee on the workstation, she sneered and said, "Chelsea, you can now take your cup and go home for your coffee. There is no coffee for you here."
Chelsea's expression suddenly changed. Amy had always been obedient to her, always following her instructions since her first day in the company. Now, she was being so arrogant, not even calling her Ms. Thompson, blatantly provoking her.
"Amy, how dare you speak to me like that? I command you to pour me a cup of coffee right now and then sincerely apologize, or I will have Mr. Heilbronn fire you."
Amy sneered and rolled her eyes, "Do you still think you're the boss around here? A habitual plagiarist like you is not worthy of being the Chief Designer of Heilbronn Group. It's an insult to us designers. Look at yourself; you don't deserve Mr. Heilbronn! Stop dreaming!"
Chelsea was so angry she was about to explode. "Who are you calling a plagiarist? Explain yourself to me!"
At this point, the people in the design department couldn't bear it anymore. If Chelsea and Amy were arguing, others wouldn't care, but once plagiarism was mentioned, everyone couldn't stay silent.
"Chelsea, do you know what the colleagues in the company call you behind your back? The Chief Plagiarist! You almost ruined the Heilbronn Group, and you still refuse to admit it. Swan has presented evidence. Don't you go online?!"
Chelsea muttered to herself, "I didn't plagiarize. How dare you!"
Returning to her workstation, she found that the executive chair she had specially requested from the HR department had been replaced. Amy was now sitting in her chair, and Chelsea's workstation was rearranged.
"Amy, are you out of your mind? That's my chair!"
Amy took a sip of her coffee without even looking at her. "Chelsea, this workstation no longer belongs to you. Such a high-quality chair is wasted on you. Sitting here, I can at least create a few designs for The Heilbronn Group. While you are sitting on it, you will only copy others and not even bother to change the names. How embarrassing! If I were you, I'd pack up and get out of here quickly, where no one could recognize me."
Fighting the urge to hit her, Chelsea said angrily, "Amy, are you not afraid of being fired? I'm going to see Mr. Heilbronn right now."
Amy sneered, "Haven't you checked the company's official website yet? Mr. Heilbronn probably doesn't want to see you right now."
Chelsea had a vague sense that something had happened. She broke out in a cold sweat, wondering if her plagiarism had been exposed. Quickly dismissing the thought, she believed her deception was flawless, and she had nothing to fear with the original design manuscript in her possession.
Still puzzled, she sat down, turned on her computer, and opened the official website.
The advertisement spot that previously featured the Eternal Heart necklace was replaced with an apology letter.
She read the apology letter carefully, feeling suffocated. It took her a while to realize that the company had dismissed her, and what hurt her the most was that Nathaniel hadn't informed her or sent her a termination email; he had released a statement on the official website.
The apology letter explicitly accused her of plagiarism.
By doing this, the entire design and fashion industry learned of her plagiarism scandal, which ended her career.
Chelsea tightly gripped the mouse with her right hand, feeling as if her soul had been sucked out, frozen in place.
She couldn't believe Nathaniel would treat her like this. It was he who had brought her into the Heilbronn Group, handed her the employment contract, and said, "Chelsea, with you joining the Heilbronn Group, the company will thrive."
Now, was he treating her as a pawn to be discarded when things went wrong?
Why?
Why was he so easily abandoning her?
Filled with anger, Chelsea picked up the carefully prepared bento box and headed upstairs. Regardless, she needed to find out the truth and demand an explanation from him.
Upstairs, Nathaniel was discussing public relations matters with several executives from the Public Relations Department. The plagiarism scandal had brought significant repercussions to the Heilbronn Group, and they needed to take some postive actions to reverse the negative public perception of the company. If the stain of plagiarism took root in everyone's minds, the company would be finished.
"Mr. Heilbronn, dismissing Chelsea isn't enough. She should be sued for violating professional ethics and damaging the company's image. We must now stand against her, supporting Lolly and originality, and show everyone that the Heilbronn Group is also a victim."
"Mr. Heilbronn, it's not the time for hesitation. The stocks are slumping every day. If you don't take action soon, the rooftop of the Heilbronn Group building will be crowded with shareholders in a few days. Moreover, the Heilbronn Group is innocent in this matter since no one instigated her to plagiarize, and with our current position, we wouldn't stoop to such disgraceful deeds. Everything is Chelsea's fault!"
Several executives were condemning Chelsea, urging the Heilbronn Group to quickly sever ties with her, not just in terms of the employment contract but also in various media outlets.
Nathaniel's face turned pale as he remained silent.
Outside the door, Chelsea overheard all the conversations inside. At that moment, she realized how pitiful her situation was. Everyone saw her as a rat to be stepped on.
She felt a chill in her heart.
Seeing the people waiting outside, Nathaniel turned to the executives and said, "You dismiss now. This matter is settled. Show me the PR copy when it's ready."
The executives nodded and smiled, "We will make sure Mr. Heilbronn is satisfied."
After the Public Relations Department personnel left, Chelsea, with tears in her eyes, walked into the room.
"Nathaniel, are you really going to abandon me? Why are you being so heartless? You know I came back to this country for you. You encouraged me to come back for a career, saying that we would take the Heilbronn Group to the top of the world together. You can't forget what you said!"
Nathaniel leaned back in his chair and took a deep breath, looking exhausted.
"Chelsea, please calm down, or it isn't good for your health."
He was afraid she might suddenly fall ill, and he couldn't live with that on his conscience.
With a trembling voice, Chelsea questioned, "Nathaniel, why are you hurting me too? You are the person I trust the most in this world! I entered this industry for you. When I was young, I vowed to become the best jewelry designer in the world, your loyal partner. I locked myself in the studio, working until my arms cramped, all to stand by your side. Now that I've become a designer, why don't you want me anymore?"
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