Chapter 70 The Truth
Charles stared for a good ten seconds before it clicked—this Isolde was Finnian's wife, the one who'd made such a splash at the party. "Ms. Porter?" he asked, still a bit unsure.
Isolde nodded, clearly pleased he remembered her, though she wasn't sure if it was for the right reasons. "That's right, Mr. Percy. You've got a sharp memory!" she said, trying to keep it light. "So, are you here for Diana's promo event? Pretty impressive, huh? If we could team up with the Percy Group, we could offer a lot."
"What? Are you the one who helped Diana cheat?" Clara suddenly shrieked, making everyone jump.
Charles frowned and snapped, "Clara!"
Clara quickly backpedaled, seeing all eyes on her. "Ms. Porter, are you saying you set up Diana's promo event?"
Isolde recognized Clara as Diana's nasty stepsister. She waved it off with a calm smile. "I just worked with Diana. She used our software, and I gave her a little extra help with internal permissions."
"Isn't that just rigging it?" Clara shot back, clearly upset. She couldn't believe Diana had managed to sell those old products so easily.
Isolde's smile faded. "Ms. Williams, you need proof to make such accusations. Our company runs a legit business. We just give a bit more exposure. Whether people buy or not is up to them; we can't force money out of their pockets."
Clara was left speechless. Charles got it now—it wasn't the Richardson Group's doing, but Diana's own skills. He looked a bit awkward, coughed into his fist, and said, "Your software is impressive. I'll have my assistant reach out to draft a detailed collaboration plan."
Isolde was pleased to see the deal moving forward, but Diana didn't look too happy. Charles would listen to anyone but her. So, she decided to keep quiet.
Charles realized he'd misjudged Diana and said, "Since it has nothing to do with the Richardson Group, the investment stays." Diana stared straight ahead, indifferent, like the investment didn't matter to her.
After that, Charles didn't want to stick around. He stood up, nodded to Isolde, and left the room. Clara stomped her foot and hurried after him.
For a moment, it was just Diana and Isolde in the room. Isolde's tone turned serious. "Is that your stepsister? She's a real piece of work. Good thing I came to clear things up with Mr. Percy. Diana, you need to speak up if there's a problem. Mr. Percy doesn't seem unreasonable."
"He's not unreasonable; he just doesn't listen to me. Thanks, Isolde. If you hadn't come, he would've cut off the investment to the Spencer Group." Diana flopped onto the sofa, her legs aching from standing.
Isolde sat next to her, trying to comfort her. "You did great today. Why would he pull the investment? Only an idiot wouldn't want to make money."
Diana sighed, "Someone sent a ton of gifts during the live stream today. Charles found out it was Billy and thought I had something going on with him."
Isolde's eyes lit up with curiosity. "Oh right, your live stream went viral! I heard Billy is the future heir of the Richardson Group. You're really lucky! His family's powerful, just a notch below the Percy Group."
Diana smiled, but it was a bit forced. "Charles would never let me be with Billy. He wants me to be alone forever after I leave him. He'd be thrilled if I ended up miserable and alone."
Isolde frowned, thinking hard. "Do you think Mr. Percy might be jealous? Maybe he realized he loves you after the divorce?"
Diana's face changed like she'd just heard the craziest thing ever. "Isolde, you can't say that in front of Charles. If he hears it, he'll think I'm clinging to him and being delusional. He'd really lose it." When Charles mentioned pulling the investment, Diana wasn't this freaked out.
Isolde kept pushing. "If he doesn't care about you, why is he so possessive? Even if you're not with Billy, he's still all over you."
Diana thought for a second and then said seriously, "Maybe he's just used to me being into him. Once he sees I want to be with someone else, it bugs him. Even if he doesn't like me, he wants me to be around forever."
Isolde shook her head, not really getting their messy relationship. But since today's drama was over, she invited Diana to dinner. Diana waved her off, saying she still needed to talk to the employees. She wasn't just an intern anymore; it was time to reintroduce herself. She told Coralie to gather everyone in ten minutes.
When everyone filed into the conference room, Clara's crew looked pretty sour. Some of them had pushed Diana around when she was just an intern. Axel looked the worst; he thought Clara had something going on with Charles, but it turned out Diana was the one with the real connection.
Seeing no one speaking up, Diana took charge. "I don't like long meetings, so let's keep this quick. First off, I'm the other general manager. But my last name isn't Wipere; it's Spencer. I pretended to be an intern to get to know you all better. Some of you really surprised me."
Diana paused, her eyes sweeping over the room with a faint smile that made a few people shiver. "But don't worry too much. The Spencer Group values talent. If you're capable enoughand don't play dirty, you'll get promotions and raises. That's all. Any questions?"
After her speech, people started whispering. Someone from Clara's group couldn't help but ask, "Are our groups still the same as before?"
Diana nodded, "Stick to your original groups. Any changes depend on Ms. Williams' decisions."
What a joke! Diana wasn't about to trust anyone who wanted to switch sides now that they knew who she was. Seeing there was nothing more to discuss, she dismissed the meeting, letting everyone process the news.
However, a few from Diana's group stayed behind. They'd always had a feeling Diana was someone important. For example, during meetings, she never needed to check with upper management; she always had the answers. Now knowing she was the other general manager, they felt both shocked and proud.
They'd done a great job today and felt pretty triumphant, so they started asking for rewards. "Ms. Spencer, we've worked so hard. Do we get any rewards?" They were all smiles, full of trust in Diana.
Diana smiled and nodded. Even if they hadn't asked, she had already planned it. "You've all worked hard. I'll have the finance department issue bonuses. Keep up the good work."
When everyone left, Diana went back to the reception room and asked Isolde if she wanted to grab dinner. But Isolde looked all serious, staring at her phone. "Bad news, Diana."
Diana's mood took a nosedive, and she got all nervous. "What happened? Did Charles change his mind? Or is there something new with your ex?"
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