Chapter 160
Rachel didn't respond, her eyes glued to Ethan's proposal on the big screen. "Mr. Smith, why is my proposal under Mr. Brown's name?"
Michael frowned and turned to look at the screen behind him. He saw Ethan's proposal and didn't notice anything off, then turned back to Rachel. "This is Mr. Brown's."
The proposal looked just like the one he saw yesterday, definitely Ethan's. But Ethan looked guilty as hell.
When the proposal first came out, Ethan knew something was up. The proposal with his name on it wasn't his. He was surprised but didn't want to make a scene. A mistake was a mistake, and he got the collaboration slot because of it.
So, he wasn't about to admit the proposal wasn't his, but he didn't expect it to be Rachel's, and she actually called it out.
"Michael, you're full of it!" Rachel was livid when she heard Michael say it was Ethan's proposal. She was shaking with anger and didn't bother with formalities, calling him by his first name. "This is clearly my proposal. Slapping Ethan's name on it doesn't make it his."
Everyone was stunned. Michael narrowed his eyes. "Are you saying we switched your proposal to Mr. Brown's?"
"Isn't that obvious?" Rachel glared at him, clearly pissed. "I can't believe you'd sink so low to get Ethan the collaboration slot."
If her proposal was bad and got rejected, she'd accept it. But it wasn't. Her proposal was great, or Ethan wouldn't have stolen it and gotten the slot. She wasn't letting this slide.
Looking at the furious Rachel and then at Ethan, who was looking down, guilty as sin, Michael realized Rachel was telling the truth. Ethan actually stole Rachel's proposal and passed it off as his own!
Michael's eyes narrowed dangerously, and the room got chilly. "I didn't put his name on it," Michael said seriously, looking at Rachel.
Rachel's anger cooled a bit. "Really?"
"I wouldn't stoop that low," Michael replied.
Rachel bit her lip. She could tell he was being honest.
"Mr. Brown, since Mr. Smith says it wasn't him, it looks like it was just you. Explain to me why my proposal has your name on it!" Rachel demanded, glaring at Ethan.
The others, always ready to stir the pot, started chiming in. "Yeah, Mr. Brown, is this really your proposal?"
"Yeah, explain yourself."
Ethan listened to their doubts, his anger boiling over. He slammed the table and stood up. "What can I say? Of course, this is my proposal."
"But Ms. Williams says it's hers," someone else said.
Ethan looked at Rachel, his eyes flickering, and forced himself to stay calm. "How do you know it's yours?"
"Can't I recognize my own proposal?" Rachel scoffed.
Ethan felt even guiltier but still wouldn't admit it. "Then how did your proposal's name become mine? I haven't even been to Skyline Corporation or the Smith Manor, so how could I steal it?"
Rachel was momentarily stunned. Ethan hadn't been to Skyline Corporation, and every time she finished a part of the proposal, she locked it in a drawer or took it home. There was no way he could have bribed someone at Skyline Corporation to steal it.
And Michael said he didn't change her proposal's name, but her proposal did end up with Ethan's name. What was going on?
Seeing Rachel's silence, Ethan felt emboldened. "Since you can't answer, then you..."
"David," Michael suddenly spoke. Ethan looked at him, feeling uneasy.
Michael tapped his fingers on the conference table. "Did you personally receive Ms. Williams's proposal?"
"Yes." David nodded.
Michael raised his chin. "It seems the problem occurred after you received the proposal."
Rachel heard this and stared at David, her eyes full of suspicion.
David knew she suspected he was bribed by Ethan and quickly waved his hands. "Ms. Williams, please believe me; I didn't do anything." He was Michael's assistant and couldn't be bribed by anyone else.
Michael had promised David 0.5% of the founding shares if he stayed for ten years. Given Smith Corporation's market value, that 0.5% was worth over two billion dollars. Why would he trade that for a bribe of a few million?
"Then why did my proposal become his?" Rachel pointed at Ethan, determined to get to the bottom of this.
David smiled bitterly. "I'm sorry, Ms. Williams, I really don't know. I personally handed your proposal directly to Mr. Smith without any interruptions."
Suddenly, David's eyes widened as if he had just realized something. Michael looked at him, his eyes narrowing. "Did you figure something out?"
David hesitated. "I thought of a possibility, but..." He glanced at Ethan, his eyes conflicted. Ethan felt nervous, his face looking grim.
"David, please just say it!" Rachel urged him.
David looked at Michael, seeking his approval. Michael nodded. "Go ahead."
David then felt confident enough to speak, "Shortly after I received Ms. Williams's proposal, Miss Brown showed up to deliver her proposal. I went out to get Miss Brown some coffee, leaving the proposals in the reception room. At that time, only Miss Brown was in the reception room."
It turned out that Rachel's proposal had been swapped by Mandy. Michael lowered his eyes, filled with disappointment.
"You're talking nonsense!" Ethan slammed the table and glared at David. "How dare you slander Mandy." He knew the proposal was indeed swapped by Mandy. But so what? He could never admit it.
"Mr. Brown, I pride myself on being fair. What I just said is absolutely true. If you don't believe me, I can retrieve the surveillance footage from the reception room." David looked at Ethan, displeased.
He had worked for years to get to where he was now. How could he falsely accuse someone for no reason? Wouldn't that be losing his job for nothing?
Hearing David say he could retrieve the surveillance footage, Ethan's face turned pale.
Rachel mocked, "Mr. Brown, your daughter is really filial. She even did something so low just to help you."
"How shameless!" someone chimed in.
Ethan blushed. He had never felt so embarrassed, not even when he was taken to the police station. Back then, no one knew what he'd done, but now everyone knew Mandy had swapped the proposal, and some even thought he was behind it. He could already hear the industry gossip.
At that moment, Ethan resented Rachel for exposing the truth, Michael for not handling it privately, and most of all, Mandy for causing this mess.
"Mr. Smith," Rachel said, noticing Ethan's silence and shifting her attention to Michael, "Since the truth is out, how do you plan to handle this? Will you still let Mr. Brown have the collaboration slot, or..."
"Given the circumstances, I hereby announce that Mr. Brown's collaboration spot is revoked and awarded to Ms. Williams. Any objections?" Michael cut her off, his gaze sweeping the room.
Everyone shook their heads. "Of course not."
After all, the collaboration slot rightfully belonged to Rachel. And they had just seen Rachel's proposal, which was indeed excellent.
"Mr. Brown, what about you? Do you have any objections?" Michael called out to Ethan.
Ethan forced a smile. "Of course not." Even if he had objections, there was nothing he could do about it.
Michael nodded and turned his gaze back to Rachel. "Is that enough now?"
"Alright then." Rachel's eyes lit up. She finally got the collaboration slot and won the bet with Frank! Rachel clenched her fists in excitement.
Michael sensed her happiness, a brief smile on his lips. He was about to speak when Rachel interjected, "No, this is not enough!"
Her words caught everyone's attention. Rachel appeared quite greedy. Reclaiming the proposal's credit and the collaboration spot wasn't enough for her; she wanted to leverage the situation to ask for even more benefits.
Ethan shouted angrily, "Rachel, don't go too far!"
Rachel glanced at him indifferently. "As a victim, I have every right to stand up for myself. But Mr. Brown, you're the one at fault here, and instead of apologizing, you're accusing me. Isn't that going too far?"
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