Chapter 303 Can You Sell Sebastian to Me?
"Adeline! Get out here!"
"Come out and apologize! On your knees!"
"Don't play dead in there, Adeline!"
Ava's angry voice, backed by a crowd of supporters and hired muscle, echoed through the hallway outside the design department. Banners and signs waved above the crowd, making it look like a chaotic protest.
At the center of it all was Ava, her face even more bruised than the day before, looking theatrically miserable.
"I admit," she cried, "I shouldn't have spread rumors without checking. But Adeline, wasn't your reaction a bit much?"
"I had a date today! Ruined! Not only did I lose my date, but I also lost the job I just started yesterday!"
"Adeline, you owe me! For my injuries, for the emotional distress, for everything!"
Inside her office, unaware of the drama outside, Adeline worked with her noise-canceling headphones on.
Anne, Robert, and Timothy exchanged uneasy looks, unsure what to do.
Finally, Lucia opened the office door, looking concerned and frustrated. "Adeline, do we need security to get them out?"
Adeline looked up, frowning as she took off her headphones. "What's going on?"
The moment the headphones were off, the noise from the hallway flooded in, full of angry shouts and accusations.
She listened for a moment, then chuckled, shaking her head. So, after failing with online smear campaigns, they went for a public spectacle.
"Let them be," she said calmly. "Offer them water and set up a decibel meter. If the noise goes over the legal limit, call the police for disturbing the peace."
Lucia frowned. "Are you sure we shouldn't deal with this directly? It's causing quite a scene."
"And how should I address it?" Adeline asked, her gaze steady. "How do I prove I haven't slept with someone I haven't?"
Lucia was speechless. Rumors like these were like smoke; impossible to grasp, hard to dispel.
"What about the chat logs Ava released?" she asked, grasping at straws.
Adeline smiled wryly. "Do you really think someone would incriminate themselves so blatantly in writing?"
Lucia fell silent, conceding the point. "I understand."
With that, she left Adeline to her work.
The design department's door stayed shut, guarded by security monitoring the noise levels.
Outside, Ava stared at the water bottle Lucia had handed her, utterly bewildered. Not only was Adeline unfazed, but she was also ready to use their protest against them! This woman was ruthless!
"What's all this commotion?"
Just when Ava was about to give up, a new voice cut through the noise.
It was Aurora, Sebastian's mother, the woman Adeline had met at the restaurant the day before.
Ava's eyes lit up. She tossed the water bottle aside and rushed towards Aurora. "Mrs. Carter! It's you!"
Aurora, taken aback by Ava's disheveled appearance, instinctively stepped back. "I'm sorry, do I know you?"
"I'm the assistant Adeline fired yesterday," Ava gushed, "the one who overheard your conversation with her! You were right about her!"
"She accused me of spreading rumors and had me beaten up!"
Aurora's brow furrowed slightly, then smoothed into a sympathetic smile. "My dear, you have my deepest sympathies. Adeline is as indiscreet as she is ruthless."
"Mrs. Carter," Ava asked, hopeful, "are you here to see Adeline too?"
"Indeed, I am," Aurora replied, her smile turning steely.
When she mentioned her encounter with Adeline to Andrew the previous day, Sebastian had overheard it. Now, at home, he was inconsolable, refusing to eat or drink until she apologized to Adeline.
Apologize? Hardly. She was here to ensure Adeline and Sebastian parted ways, permanently.
The protest was an unexpected bonus.
She glanced at the banners, then turned back to Ava. "My dear, creating a scene like this won't achieve anything. We seem to have a connection, you and I. Want me to take you inside?"
Ava's eyes widened. "Are you sure? Can we get past that?" She gestured towards the imposing figures guarding the design department's entrance.
"Leave that to me," Aurora said confidently. She signaled for Ava's entourage to lower their banners and followed her.
The security guards stepped forward, blocking their path.
Aurora smiled, pulling out a photo of herself with Jasper and Stella from the signing ceremony. "Adeline's project requires a rare gemstone, and I am the supplier. Are you saying a partner can't even enter the department?"
The guards hesitated. One of them hurried inside to consult with Lucia.
Lucia, aware that Adeline's project involved a rare and valuable stone, instructed, "Let the supplier in. She might need to speak with Adeline directly."
The guard nodded and returned to the door, ushering Aurora through with a respectful bow. "Please, come in."
The moment the door opened a crack, Ava and her companions surged forward, overwhelming the two guards.
The design department was breached.
Aurora, a triumphant smirk on her lips, followed the mob as they stormed Adeline's office.
The commotion had finally penetrated Adeline's noise-canceling bubble. She had removed her headphones just as the office door flew open.
A quick glance at her phone revealed a message from Jasper: [No matter what happens today, keep your focus on the project.]
She took a deep breath and typed a reply: [Mrs. Carter is here to see me. Should I expect you as well?]
Before she could hit send, Aurora swept across the room and slammed a check onto her desk.
"So, you seduced my son for his money, did you?" she spat, her voice dripping with disdain. "Five million. That should be enough for a low-class designer like you to never have to work again."
"Leave Sebastian. Now."
Adeline stared at the check, a humorless laugh escaping her lips. So this was Sebastian's mother, the woman who had raised such a kind and gentle soul. How ironic that she was so utterly repugnant.
"Mrs. Carter," Adeline said, amused, "are you implying your son is only worth five million?"
She pulled out her own checkbook and scribbled down a figure, adding a single, mocking digit to Aurora's offer. Slamming it on top of the other check, she met Aurora's gaze, her eyes alight with challenge.
"Five million and one. I'll take him off your hands for that."
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