Chapter 114 Give Her Your Place!
What else do I know?
Adeline gave a faint smile. "I know everything I need to know."
She casually picked up a pen and corrected Mia's drawing. "You're not a fan of Molly."
After a moment, Mia bit her lip and gave a stiff nod. "I'm not."
"Which is strange."
The woman yawned and spoke in a whisper audible only to them. "If you're not a fan of Molly, why are you so focused on her? You’re even willing to quit your job and go under the radar at the Foster Group."
Mia closed her eyes.
She didn't know how Adeline had come to know these things.
But she knew that Adeline's current role was as Jasper's woman.
If she knew all about her, then Jasper...
A sense of helplessness washed over Mia, engulfing her.
She sighed. "Am I going to be fired?"
"No," Adeline said, still examining the sketches for errors. "Only I know."
After a pause, she winked at Mia. "I'm just making sure our goals align. If they don't, I will have to tell Jasper."
Her words left Mia stunned.
She stared at Adeline's perfect face before finding her voice again.
"I…"
"Think carefully before you speak," Adeline interrupted with an excellent reminder.
Mia's hands clenched into fists at her sides.
"I hate Molly."
She didn't want to lie, to pretend to be someone she loathed.
If she lost this job, she could look for other ways.
"You're safe," Adeline sighed, sliding the revised blueprint back in front of Mia. We can chat after work.
Shocked, Mia gazed at Adeline's face. "You…"
"Adeline!"
Her words hadn't even found their way out when the arrogant voice of a middle-aged man echoed from the doorway.
Adeline set her brush down and looked up.
Marching toward her with seething fury was Jasper's father, Ethan Foster.
Ethan's weathered face was etched with rage.
He strode directly to Adeline, his hand flying up to deliver a slap across her face.
It happened too fast, too sudden, and his grip was firm.
With a resounding smack, Adeline's face turned to one side, a red mark swelling up instantly.
The stinging pain spread through her cheek.
Clutching her face, Adeline turned back with an icy gaze.
"Who the hell are you, and what do you think you're doing?"
Mia Turner stood up, stretching her arms protectively in front of Adeline. "Aren't you a little too old to start hitting people the second you walk in?"
"She had it coming!" Ethan Foster stood over Adeline, glaring down at her unwaveringly.
"Sir, please, calm down."
Lucia rushed out from the office, placating Ethan while signaling to those nearby, "Get some water... make coffee!"
Lucia was a relative of the Foster matriarch, after all.
How could others be oblivious to who Ethan Foster was when Lucia herself knew all too well?
Her heart leaped with vindictive joy when Ethan struck Adeline. "A successful man always attracts vixens like her. Why get so worked up? In time, Mr. Foster will get tired of her and toss her aside.She's not going to marry into the Foster family, so there's no need for such anger."
Finishing her speech, she lifted her head proudly and sneered at Adeline. "What are you waiting for? Come over here and apologize to Ethan!"
"Apologize for what?"
Mia rolled her eyes. "He was the one who hit her first, and now you expect Adeline to apologize?!"
"Of course,"
Lucia raised her head and sniffed, "She upset Ethan, so doesn't she owe him an apology?"
"Kid, you have no idea, do you?"
"This man, Ethan, is Jasper Foster's father!"
Mia's complexion changed abruptly upon hearing this.
Lucia pounced at the opportunity. "Ethan is upset because a woman like Adeline has ensnared Mr. Foster, and it's quite vexing."
"Isn't it right for her to be punished and to offer an apology? She should apologize!"
As Lucia's voice faded, a low murmur of agreement swept through the onlookers.
This was Mr. Foster's father—a force to be reckoned with!
Mia Turner's face registered absolute shock.
After a moment, she bit her lip. "I always thought a big shot like Mr. Foster would come from a family with manners and class. I didn't expect..."
Ethan Foster looked to be at least fifty years old, right?
He came here to hit someone just because his son was dating Adeline?
"He's acting no better than a common brawler..."
At Mia's words, Lucia bristled with outrage.
"Who are you calling classless? Who are you calling a brawler!?"
"Mia Turner, you've crossed the line! You dare insult Mr. Foster's family!"
"Just because Mr. Foster's family is off-limits, others are fair game to insult, right?"
No sooner had Lucia's words tapered off than Adeline lifted her head with a frosty gaze, standing protectively in front of Mia.
Her eyes were daggers fixated on Ethan Foster. "Mr. Foster went to see Jasper just now, didn't he? I'm guessing he said the same things to Jasper. But Jasper didn't take your objections and advice seriously, did he? So that's why you came here in a fit of rage to hit me."
Adeline's voice was as chilly as her stare. "You were unable to sway your son, so you decided to vent your anger on me?"
Ethan Foster's face soured as his inner turmoil was laid bare.
"Isn't it because you have no shame?"
Lucia glanced disdainfully at Adeline. "If you had behaved yourself instead of seducing Mr. Foster, Ethan wouldn't have displaced his anger onto you!"
"Oh?"
A cold, mocking smile crept across Adeline's lips. She saw Scarlett lurking by the door, eyeing the commotion. "If I'm not mistaken, she's tried her hand at Jasper too, hasn't she?"
Turning back to Lucia, she added, "And you—you've had your sights set on Jasper as well, haven't you?"
"If every woman who's tried to woo Jasper deserved a beating from Mr. Foster, then I admit, I've earned mine."
"Do they get off scot-free because they failed, whereas I deserve punishment for succeeding?"
With each word from Adeline, Ethan Foster's expression grew uglier.
Biting her lip, Lucia alternated her gaze between Ethan and Adeline. "One way or another, you owe me—and Ethan—an apology! Or else... Or else I'll triple your workload! Have you fixed all the overlooked flaws in the design drafts! Don't forget, you're still just an assistant apprentice; it's within my right to assign you this work!"
Adeline shrugged her shoulders nonchalantly. "Doesn't matter to me."
"Wait a second!"
Ethan Foster furrowed his brow abruptly, turning his head to face Lucia.
"What did you say her job was?"
Lucia sneered, "An assistant apprentice."
"To think someone with zero artistic background, no clue about design, and who got in here purely through a man's connections—she could only be an apprentice."
"Ridiculous!"
Ethan Foster glared at Lucia, "You're treating her as an apprentice? Have you lost your mind?"
Adeline is a celebrated master in the world of jewelry design!
To have such a master dismissed by Lucia as having no artistic foundation or understanding of design?
The entire Foster Group would be the laughing stock if this got out!
Even though he was irate that Adeline had taken Evelyn Quinn's spot, personal issues aside, professionalism should prevail!
With these thoughts, Ethan Foster gave Lucia a look, "Are you the head designer?"
The smile on Lucia's face froze.
She looked at Ethan Foster blankly, "Yes, Ethan... What happened?"
"Give her your position!"
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