Chapter 91 Chelsea Felt Humiliated
The plagiarism incident continued to ferment on the company's intranet, quickly giving rise to a buzzword, 'sending the wrong file.' Everyone used these words to imply plagiarism, and some even anonymously posted teasing comments,
[I'll also send the wrong file someday to see if I can become the chief designer in the design department.]
Aurelia admired Chelsea's thick skin. She acted as if nothing had happened, and after just one night, she returned to her usual proud posture, looking down on others as if she were superior to everyone.
She completely treated her colleagues as if she were the boss lady, despite most of the design department staff lacking backgrounds. Knowing about her unusual relationship with the CEO, no one dared to provoke her. Even though they felt resentful inside, they still treated her as a boss, addressing her warmly as Ms. Thompson.
If it weren't for the fact that the boss hadn't explicitly stated that Chelsea was his girlfriend, those employees would probably have directly called her Mrs. Heilbronn.
Whether others believed the statement email she sent or not, she believed in it herself. After all, she stubbornly refused to admit anything, and no one could do anything to her. When facing her, they still had to address her respectfully as Ms. Thompson.
This delighted her accomplice, Amy.
When Aurelia went to the restroom to get water, she encountered Amy sitting on a high stool, drinking coffee.
Amy saw Aurelia smugly raise her chin and said, "Aurelia, aren't you planning to apologize yet? Let me tell you, Mr. Heilbronn is about to return. If you don't apologize soon, you'll miss your chance."
Her expression seemed to say, 'Any woman who dares to offend Mr. Heilbronn, be prepared to face the consequences.'
"You’d better think about how to replenish the department's budget quickly. Be careful. Mr. Heilbronn will be the first to deal with you when he returns."
"Joke, Chelsea and I are good friends. Mr. Heilbronn definitely won't deal with me."
Aurelia chuckled as she filled her cup at the water dispenser. She thought, ‘This fool really sees Chelsea as a ladder to climb up, not realizing she is being used.’
In the afternoon, Nathaniel sent an email with just a few words, [Agree to re-evaluate the rankings.]
Since everyone's work had already been publicly posted this time, in the past, for the sake of fairness, evaluations were done anonymously. This time, they decided to use a public evaluation method.
The Heilbronn Group quickly issued a notice inviting people from all walks of life to participate in the evaluation. Public opinion was the most accurate; after all, these jewelry pieces were meant to be sold, so catering to the public's aesthetic taste was of great importance.
People could support the work based on their preferences, and the piece with the most popularity would be the winner of this competition, ensuring fairness.
Aurelia downloaded the new works uploaded in Chelsea's email and found them to be mediocre at best. After all, Norman had invested a lot in Chelsea's upbringing since childhood, so being too subpar wouldn't be acceptable.
The announcement quickly sparked enthusiasm among netizens.
People would occasionally glance at the works and give likes to their favorites as they passed by.
For most people, luxury brands like this were only to be admired from afar, making this their closest encounter with the Heilbronn Group's jewelry.
In just half a day, the number of likes on dozens of works from the design department had already diverged.
The ring Chelsea hastily produced ranked second, while the most liked piece surprisingly came from the quietly competent assistant in the design department, Aurelia, which surprised everyone.
What angered Chelsea the most was that netizens unanimously believed that the bracelet designed by Aurelia had the style of the talented designer Lolly.
The last time she heard such high praise was when the company's top management gave feedback on the necklace pendant design she submitted upon joining the Heilbronn Group. Chelsea was grinding her teeth in frustration. Aurelia, who could only do household chores, didn't deserve such high praise.
Moreover, Aurelia's bracelet design had far more likes than the ring Chelsea designed.
Chelsea was infuriated. The first place was supposed to be hers, but a single post had ruined her reputation at the Heilbronn Group. The substitute piece she had hastily put together overnight was being overshadowed by Aurelia, making her feel humiliated as the chief designer of Heilbronn Group jewelry.
She stared at Aurelia's workstation, her hatred fermenting deep within her.
That evening, as usual, Aurelia left work. As she passed by Nathaniel's parking spot in the underground garage, she noticed Chelsea's car parked there while Chelsea's usual spot was empty.
Chelsea seemed to want to stick a sign on her forehead saying that she was the CEO's wife, afraid that others wouldn't associate her with Nathaniel.
The shamelessness of it all shocked Aurelia.
She slowly drove out of the underground parking lot, and while waiting at a red light, she called Betty at home, asking her to make some Clam Chowder and prepare some side dishes. With the weather getting warmer, her appetite had decreased, and she only wanted to eat something light.
As soon as she hung up, she heard a commotion from behind her car. She rolled down the window and looked back. Her bodyguards, Felix and Jack, had dragged the driver from the car behind hers and thrown him on the roadside, raining blows on him.
She was taken aback. Her first instinct was that this person was coming for her, surely another one of Chelsea's schemes.
During rush hour, the road had turned into a long line of traffic. Soon, the police arrived to disperse the onlookers and take the brawlers away. After a few honks from the cars behind her, Aurelia realized her car was blocking the way, and she merged back into the traffic. Her mind still replayed the scene as if she had seen Chelsea through the car window, but she couldn't be sure.
Felix and Jack, along with the beaten driver, were taken away by the police. It wasn't the time for questioning now.
She could only wait quietly for the police to call her for bail.
She had planned to attend a yoga class before heading home for dinner, but now she had lost all mood and was worried about Felix and Jack not being around in case she encountered danger.
Aurelia turned the steering wheel, made a U-turn, and headed back to Bloom Villa. Upon arriving home, she quickly freshened up in the bathroom. Seeing the shampoo on the shelf reminded her that she had promised Nathaniel to mail it to him yesterday. It was almost dark now, and the package hadn't been sent out yet.
If that picky man found out she hadn't taken care of his matter, he would be upset when he returned.
She dialed Nathaniel's number on her phone. In yesterday's video call, he said many suggestive things, but he didn't provide the most crucial information, and she still didn't know the address to send the package.
After a few rings, a robotic female voice came through her phone.
She couldn't get through; his phone was off.
Aurelia figured he might be in a meeting or had an important contract to sign, so she thought of Zack's number and dialed it, only to find that his phone was unexpectedly off, too.
Why were they unreachable? What were they so busy with that they both had their phones off at the same time?
Aurelia had a simple meal, but the events on the road left her feeling uneasy.
Felix and Jack were the bodyguards she had hired, and for them to get into a conflict on the street, they must have sensed that the other party was a threat to her. The thought made her shudder.
Chelsea couldn't sit still any longer and once again showed her claws.
She spent the night holding her phone, waiting for a call, but all she got was silence.
Nathaniel preferred peace. When they moved in, Reed had sent several servants over, but Nathaniel had sent them all back, leaving only Betty, who was skilled at cooking.
The vast mansion was so quiet at night that it felt like a frozen space.
Aurelia turned on the light and lay down until midnight, feeling restless. Then, absentmindedly, she opened Facebook, and the first thing she saw was Chelsea's post.
[Finally, the day is coming.]
The post was accompanied by an image of two tightly clasped hands.
Aurelia saw the clear and delicate wrist adorned with a watch handcrafted by a famous Swiss artisan, and she felt like she was suffocating.
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