Chapter 69 Cheating
Diana heard the commotion outside and figured Clara's promo event had wrapped up. Stepping out, she saw a crowd around Clara, who looked pretty fed up, while everyone showered her with praise.
"Ms. Williams, you were incredible. This event was top-notch."
"Yeah, totally! Everyone was blown away. If we stick to Ms. Williams' plan, the company's gonna crush it."
They were all talking over each other, not noticing Clara's growing frustration. She saw herself as a top-tier student and a Percy Group elite. But this event was a mess, and these folks congratulating her just made her feel like their collective IQ had dropped.
Clara pushed through the crowd and spotted Diana, who had a smirk on her face. That just made Clara even angrier. She stormed over, demanding, "Diana, the company isn't a playground for your tricks. What did you do to clear out that inventory?"
Everyone was taken aback by Clara's aggressive tone. The two teams were supposed to work together on the Spencer Group project for a win-win. 'How did it come to this?' they wondered.
Diana shot back, "Tricks? What tricks could I possibly have? Ms. Williams, we're competitors. Since your event went off without a hitch, shouldn't you be busy with follow-up instead of grilling me?"
Clara remembered what Axel had said and snapped, "You exploited a platform loophole to cheat and make yourself top of the live streaming rankings, didn't you?"
"Cheat?" Diana paused, giving Clara a once-over. "Ms. Williams, that kind of thinking really fits your logic." One sentence, but it said everything.
A teammate tried to pull Diana away, signaling her not to go head-to-head with Clara. Just then, Charles came out of the reception room and saw the two squaring off, his brows knitting together.
He'd just gotten a message from Nolan, who not only found the live streaming anomaly but also identified the gift sender. It was Billy.
Charles was livid. Diana had some nerve. She must've spoken her mind at Billy's place last time. She'd quickly cozied up to Billy, which was just shameless.
"Diana, if cheating is your way to success, then you're oversimplifying things," Charles said, convinced Diana had cheated.
Diana turned to him, eyes full of confusion. "Mr. Percy, you believe her just like that? Without any proof, you think I cheated?"
Charles' lips pressed into a thin line. He couldn't believe Diana could pull off such success so quickly. Plus, this involved Billy.
"Your words mean nothing to me. I said before, if you cause the Spencer Group to lose money, I'll stick to my original plan." Charles' voice was calm but loud enough for everyone to hear.
The employees had mixed reactions, suddenly realizing there was no Remy, no intern; Diana was another manager.
Some employees, remembering how they'd targeted Diana before, felt embarrassed and wanted to slip away. Axel was shocked, looking for Coralie, only to see her surprise seemed genuine. Diana had kept everyone in the dark.
"Mr. Percy, if you're convinced I cheated, I have nothing to say. But the Spencer Group won't lose money under my watch. You should worry more about Ms. Williams. I think her plan is..." Before Diana could finish, Clara dragged her into the conference room. Charles' eyes darkened as he followed.
"Diana, how could you say that about me! And in front of everyone," Clara exclaimed, gripping Diana's hand tightly, as if she wanted to crush it.
Diana shook Clara off, rubbing the red mark on her wrist, her tone dripping with disdain. "And when you accused me of cheating in front of everyone, did you think about how that would affect me?"
"Enough, Diana. You cheated and now you're trying to drag others down with you," Charles cut in, his cold gaze locking onto her.
"Mr. Percy, whatever methods I use are none of your business. I'll present the results when this is over, and then we'll see if I really cheated." Diana didn't want to waste her breath arguing. Charles wouldn't believe her anyway, so why bother?
Charles sneered, "What? Are you going to tell me how Mr. Richardson helped you? Diana, you really are persistent."
Clara's mind raced as she wondered, 'When did Diana start relying on Billy? She's stringing along Charles while also clinging to Billy? What is it about Diana that always captivates men?'
Clara gritted her teeth but kept her composure, adding, "Diana, how could you sell yourself just to beat me?"
Hearing them talk like this, Diana realized it was indeed Billy who had sent the gifts. Even though she hadn't asked for it, Billy's gifts had boosted the live stream's popularity.
Diana took a deep breath before saying, "If that's what you think, there's nothing I can do about it." With that, she turned to leave. There was no point in trying to communicate with them anymore.
"Stop, who said you could leave?" Charles' low voice halted her. He placed the documents Nolan had sent in front of her. "The evidence is conclusive. What do you have to say now?"
Diana glanced at the documents. People online had already identified the gift sender as Billy, the heir to the Richardson Group. With Diana's pure and beautiful appearance, netizens quickly imagined a love story, and even Charles wasn't immune to the speculation.
Knowing his thoughts, Diana stared at Charles with piercing eyes. "I've said it before. I have nothing to say. From the beginning, you all assumed I cheated. Denying it won't change your minds, and admitting it won't either. Mr. Percy, what do you want me to do?"
Charles was silent for a moment before speaking slowly, "Cut off all ties with the Richardson Family, or I will stop all investments in the Spencer Group."
"If that's Mr. Percy's decision, then I have nothing to say." Diana's expression remained unchanged. Trying to control her with money was naive. Whether or not the Richardson Group was involved, Charles would find an excuse to stop the investment. In the end, the reason didn't matter; he just wanted to achieve his goal.
As Diana spoke, Charles' expression darkened even more. "Are you so reluctant to part with Billy?" he asked.
Before Diana could answer, the office door opened, and a cheerful voice broke the tension. "Diana, today's performance was great. You're trending!"
Isolde smiled brightly, increasingly feeling that Diana was a treasure. This collaboration with the Spencer Group was totally a win-win! But as Isolde looked closely, she saw a man and a woman, recognizing the man as Charles.
The other must be Charles' secretary, so Isolde immediately stepped forward to greet him, "Mr. Percy, hello. I'm Isolde. I previously proposed a collaboration to you. Do you remember that?"
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