Chapter 688 Protect Her Once
President's Office.
Anthony was chillin' in his chair, with Terry standing next to him.
Across the desk were Mira and Juniper.
Mira had her chin up, while Juniper was nervously biting her lip.
Mira started, "Mr. Eilish, Mr. Pena wanted me to pass this message to you."
"Losing the contract on your first try, Juniper? How could you mess up that bad?" Terry snapped.
"Mr. Eilish, Mr. Pena is seriously pissed this time. This screw-up cost both our company and the Pena Group big time. Mr. Pena thinks you should fire Juniper," Mira said, all confident.
"The contract didn't get lost on my watch. I wouldn't mess up something so basic," Juniper shot back. "You took over halfway through."
Looking back, it seemed super shady.
Mira fired back, "What are you implying? That I lost the contract on purpose to frame you? It was your first signing, and I was just helping out. I can't believe you're trying to dodge responsibility like this. It's too much."
Terry chimed in, "Juniper, it's wrong to suspect Mira. She's been with me for years and never messed up. She's always been dedicated to mentoring others, and everyone respects her. She'd never do what you're accusing her of."
Juniper smirked. "But I wouldn't lose the contract either."
"But the fact is, the contract is lost. That's the result, whether you admit it or not," Mira said, looking all hurt as she turned to Anthony. "Mr. Eilish, you know my track record. Juniper is blaming me for her mistake, which is really too much. I'm just passing on Mr. Pena's message, and I didn't expect her to react this way. I think she's unqualified and extremely selfish. I suggest you fire her!"
Mira spoke with conviction.
Terry looked at Anthony. Since Anthony liked Juniper, he probably wouldn't fire her. But Anthony was always fair and impartial. With such a mess, he had to give an explanation.
Terry waited for Anthony's call.
Anthony looked at Juniper and, after a few seconds, said, "You didn't lose the contract?"
"It wasn't me," Juniper shook her head firmly. Would he believe her? She cared deeply about his opinion. It didn't matter if the whole world didn't believe her, as long as he did.
Anthony said, "I'll look into this. You all can leave now."
'Just like that?' Mira was freaking out. 'How could he be so biased towards Juniper?'
Mira said anxiously, "Mr. Eilish, it's a fact that Juniper lost the contract, and she even tried to blame me. This behavior is super shady and should get her fired. Everyone in the company knows about this. If you don't fire her, it'll be chaos. What about the company's rules?"
Anthony said coldly, "I said I'd investigate. The matter is still under investigation, and it can't be proven that Juniper lost the contract."
If this couldn't prove it, then what could? Mira was burning with jealousy and directly confronted him, "No matter what, the contract was lost on her watch. There's no need to investigate. Isn't the result the most important thing? Mr. Eilish, you're clearly protecting her."
"Mira!" Terry gave her a warning look. What was wrong with her today, speaking so out of turn?
"I'm just telling the truth. Not firing her will make it hard to maintain order," Mira insisted.
The more Mira acted all shady, the more Juniper was sure she had swiped the contract.
Contracts don't just vanish into thin air; someone had to have taken it, and Mira was the one most eager to see her gone.
It was so obvious!
But the annoying part? Juniper had zero proof to pin it on Mira, so Mira could keep pointing fingers at her.
Anthony ordered, "Get back to work."
Mira tried again, "Mr. Eilish..."
Anthony shot her a look, and she clammed up, realizing she was pushing it too far.
"Sorry, Mr. Eilish. I was just thinking about the company and your rep," Mira said.
She shot Juniper a dirty look, snorted, and stormed out.
Terry said, "Mr. Eilish, I don't think Juniper would mess up like this, but Mira's been with me for years and she's even less likely to. If you don't punish Juniper, the other employees might get riled up."
Anthony knew this. Juniper was usually laid-back but super careful at work, so he didn't buy that she was at fault.
As for Mira...
Anthony narrowed his eyes.
Everything had to be based on evidence, not just hunches.
Anthony said, "I'll investigate."
He was gonna clear her name, no doubt.
Outside, the office was buzzing about the whole thing. As soon as Juniper stepped out, everyone swarmed her. "Juniper, no one wanted this to happen. You were just too careless. How could you lose such an important contract?"
"Yeah, be more careful if you join another company. Don't lose another one."
"True, but hey, you still have Mr. Woods. You could always be his secretary, and then you two could be together every day. Wouldn't that be sweet?"
"Yeah, but don't forget us old colleagues. We should still hang out often."
"And hook us up with some boyfriends."
Listening to these so-called comforting words, which were actually just gloating, Juniper felt sick.
Juniper said, "I'm not getting fired."
"What?"
"Losing the contract but not getting fired?"
"How is that even possible!"
"The company's rules are always strict. Someone got canned for a minor mistake before. This issue involves tens of thousands of dollars. Getting fired would be lenient; not holding you accountable is already a favor."
"Yeah," everyone echoed in shock.
"Juniper, is Mr. Eilish protecting you?" Someone asked, more jealous than anything, thinking it was unfair.
"No, the matter is still under investigation. We'll talk when the results are out," Juniper explained, not wanting to drag Anthony into any drama.
"What's there to investigate? Isn't it obvious?"
"Is Terry protecting you?"
"Mr. Eilish is such a stand-up guy; even Terry can't protect you."
"Mr. Eilish said he'd investigate thoroughly, and there's absolutely no favoritism towards me," Juniper defended Anthony. "Everyone's busy lately, so don't worry about my business. Just focus on your work. That's the most important thing!"
With everyone's eyes on her, Juniper straightened her back and headed back to her desk.
Juniper thought, 'Since Mira's out to get me, this is just the beginning, and there will be more to come. I have to find a way. This time, Anthony's got my back, but I can't let him take the heat because of me.'
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