Chapter 202 The Dignity of the Lead Designer
An awkward silence fell overuncomfortable hush descended upon the room, everyone'sthe faces a mix of dismaythose present a jumbled canvas of unease and cautionwariness, none daring to speak.
Fuming, break the silence.Gioanna, her temper simmering, clenched her fists and shattered the silence, "Don't think for a second we believe you're innocent justquiet, "Do not presume your innocence simply because you mademanipulated Kenneth say what he didinto speaking on your behalf, Layla. His behavior wasactions were clearly forced—it was an actcoerced—a performance to clear your name.absolve you. Do you think we'retake us for fools?"
AlthoughWhile the others agreedfound themselves in agreement with Gioanna, they weren't as bold or as eagerlacked her audacity and eagerness to pick a fight withconfront Layla. They preferredchose to see how things played outobserve the unfolding drama rather than be the first to speak up.instigate it. Gioanna took the lead, however, stepped forward like a valiant warrior, while the rest were content to observewatch from the safety of the sidelines.
"Words are yours to useyour weapon, Gioanna. If you insist on that version of the storynarrative, I won't bother waste my breath correcting you. Most peoplePeople often choose to believe what they wantsuits them, rather than face the factsharsh truth. Even if I placedlaid the evidence before youat your feet, you wouldn't acceptwould refuse to acknowledge it. To be honestFrankly, whether you believe me or not, or what you think, I couldn't care less of me, is of no consequence to me," Layla said indifferently.
"Huh,retorted with an air of indifference."Ah, so you don't care. Of course, you don't care anymore.. Now that you’re cozy withyou've cozied up to the top brasshigher-ups at the Eilish Group, why would our opinions matter to you care what we think? But you can't turn lies intocannot masquerade as truth. That night, you didn’tdidn't just go see Kennthvisit Kenneth. Who else was knocking on Phillip’s door at the ungodly hour of one in the morning? How willdo you explain that?"
"Innocent people don'thave no need to explain themselves."
justify their actions.""Innocent people, my footindeed. The evidence is irrefutableundeniable, you can't denyrefute it. Why don't you bringsummon Phillip here to explain? I’ve even thought of an excusealibi for you. Discussing work late atinto the night, is that your plan?"
excuse?"Alice hadn’t said a word, who had remained silent throughout the heated exchange, but she couldn’tcould no longer hold back anymore. Clenching herher tongue. With clenched fists and closing her eyes shut tight, she stood uprose to her feet, "Layla went to seevisited Phillip because of me. I like on my behalf. I have feelings for Phillip, Gioanna, stop falselyunjustly accusing her."
"Alice..."
Gioanna foldedcrossed her arms, "So Layla stole your man? What’sHow does it likefeel? Is there a thrill in beddingsleeping with your BFF’sbest friend’s crush?"
"You..." Alice's face turned redflushed crimson, "Phillip turnedrejected me down. Layla went to demand justiceconfront him for me."
"That’s what Layla told you, isn’t it? You weren’t there; how docan you knowbe certain if Layla was seeking justice for you or if she was using it as a chancean opportunity to get closecloser to Phillip? Alice, don’t be so naivegullible. Layla has charmedensnared so many men, can’t you see her trickstactics? No man can escape her grasp."
clutches."Gioanna sizedscrutinized her up, "Though, you don't seem all that innocent, Alice. Is it because Layla has found herself a new backerpatron and you want to tag alongride her coattails again? When she was slandered a few days ago, you were as scarceelusive as Olivia, talk about being opportunistic."
"Layla is nothing like what you say..."
"Alice, don't waste your timebreath arguing with her." Layla gaveshot Alice a meaningful look: arguingengaging with a lowlife iswas a waste of timefutile endeavor and there'sthere was no point in getting upset.
"Gioanna, time'syour time is up. Is your report ready? If you haven't finishedcompleted it yet, you still have the nerveaudacity to arguequarrel here?"
"This afternoon you'll visit the construction site for an inspection, and by evening, I wantexpect the plans from you."
"You want me to go to the site?" Gioanna pointedgestured to her nose, her eyes bulging.wide with disbelief. Ever since she was promotedher promotion to designer, she had never visited the site herself; that was a jobtask for her assistants.
"I'm wearing high heels, how can I..."
"Find some shoes to change into.suitable footwear. If you can't, you’ll still have to walknavigate the site in your heels," Layla said withdeclared in an uncompromising tone. "I’ll assigndelegate more worktasks to you in the future to keep you busyoccupied so you won't have time to pry intomeddle in other people’s private lives."
affairs.""You're targetingsingling me."
out.""So what if I am? You saidclaimed I have connections, right? If I can make Kennth resignorchestrate Kenneth's resignation, I can certainly getinfluence the company to replace you. Don’t believe me? Go ahead and test it.""Layla, you..."
"Layla, you..."
Onlookers immediately At this, the onlookers quickly dispersed, each returningretreating to their own tasks.
"Forget about"Let's not dwell on it, let's just get that focus on completing the report done," Jane urgedimplored Gioanna, pulling her aside. "Layla's on top right now; arguing with her just means we'd be on the losing end."
Gioanna was fuming.gently guiding her to one side. "Layla holds the upper hand at the moment; any dispute with her would only result in our defeat."Gioanna's anger was palpable. "I'm so madinfuriated, I can't even think about writingconcentrate on drafting a report. Why don't you write it for me, Jane?"
"Me? I've gotI have my own mountaincolossal pile of worktasks to finishtackle. You'd better start writingget started," Jane said as she quickly scurried away.
retorted, hastily making her exit."What kind of friend are you, Jane?" Gioanna's temper flaredsurged even more.
higher.After Layla returnedretreated to her office and, after some thought, made, she deliberated for a while before picking up the phone call.
."Ashton, it's me."
"Did you dial the wrong number?" Anthony's voice camefloated through the receiver, as soothingcalming as a gentle breeze.
soft zephyr."Anthony," Layla saidbegan, still feeling a bit awkwardslightly uncomfortable, "about that situationincident with Kenneth, thank you."
"I won't allowtolerate anyone to slanderdefaming you."
Layla thanked him again.
expressed her gratitude once more."A verbal thanks seems insincererather hollow, don't you think?"
What was he implyinginsinuating with that comment?
remark?Layla naturally continued the conversation, "How about I treat you to dinner sometime?"
"Why not tonight?"
The suggestion caughtproposal took Layla off guardby surprise, but since she was goinghad planned to treat him anyway, earliersooner was better thanpreferable to later. She agreed, "YeahSure, I'll pickchoose a nice restaurant and text you the details later."
"Sounds good."
After hanging upending the phonecall, there was a knock—
Alice peeked out from behind the door. "Is this a good time?"
"Come in."
"Layla... this is for you," Alice said, handing over stammered, presenting a package of matcha cookies with an awkwardness reminiscent ofakin to a high school girl. "I'm sorry... I didn't want others to know about me and Phillip... I let you take the fallblame, and I feel so uselesshelpless. I wasn't really mad at you; I was angry at myself..."
"I understand," Layla saidresponded with a gentletender smile, stoppinghalting Alice's self-reproach.
Alice began to tear up.condemnation.Alice's eyes welled up with tears. "You're too kind, Layla. Even when I lost my temper with you, you keptprotected my secret and letallowed them say those things aboutto speak ill of you. I'm so ashamed; I don't deserve to be your best friend."
"As good as I've been to you, you'll have to buy me matcha cookies more often," Layla joked, holding upjested, brandishing the snacks.
treats."Absolutely! I'll buy them for you every day."
"You're trying to fattenmake me upgain weight on purpose," Layla teased.
Both women laughed, their bond deeperstronger than before.
ever.After a busyhectic afternoon, Layla choseselected a mid-range Western-style restaurant for dinner.
Although her funds were limitedbudget was tight, inviting someone out meant not being stingyparsimonious. Besides, with a wealthy fiancé, Layla didn't have to worryfret about moneyfinances as much as before.
In addition to the meal, Layla ordered a bottle of red wine priced at fifty dollars.
Anthony was in high spirits, having drunkconsumed half a bottle of the juicewine that Layla had sipped onmerely tasted. It wasn't until it was time to pay the bill arrived that he realized his assistant had already taken care ofsettled it.
Unbeknownst to them, they had chattedbeen engrossed in conversation for two hours. Upon leavingexiting the restaurant, Anthony was slightly buzzedtipsy, his face flushed with a rosy tint.
glow.Once inside the car, Anthony loosened his tie, revealingexposing his reddened Adam's apple. This relaxed statedemeanor was something he reserved for those close to him. He wasn't just the handsome, wealthy Anthony everyone knew; he was a man with a zest for life. The closer he got to the crowd, the more charmingcaptivating he seemed to become.
"I had a great time today," Anthony said, a laugh coloring his voice laced with laughter, his expression easyface relaxed and lit with a smile.
"I enjoyed our chat too," Layla responded with a , mirroring his smile.
"Layla..."
"Yes?"
"Nothing."
The words "I like you" lingeredteetered on the edgebrink of Anthony's lips, almost spillingnearly slipping out before he managed to swallowrein them backin. He was in a very happyan exceptionally jovial mood.
But Anthony, just startingbeginning to feelexperience the stirrings of love, still retained a shybashful demeanor.
His heart racedpounded. Was he about to confess his feelings?
"Oh," Layla said, pulling outreaching for her phone to check the time. Suddenly, the car took a sharp turnswerved sharply, and she lost her balance, tumbling into Anthony's arms. In an instant, his long arms envelopedwrapped around her in a protective embrace.
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