Chapter 186 Questioning an Improper Relationship
By then the Translation Departmentwas in an uproar.
"So, was that assessment really rigged?"
Everyone was voicing their dissatisfaction for the colleagues who didn't make it, especially feeling sorry for Lucia.
"Lucia was also the top scorer in the written test!"
"As for the interview, I heard Mr. Semona's questions were really tough. Lucia and a few others couldn't answer them. Could it be that only Regina managed to answer them?"
"She definitely answered them, but I have every reason to suspect that Mr. Semona cheated for her, like giving her easier questions on purpose or leaking some of the questions beforehand."
Lucia saw the overwhelming support for her and felt a mix of happiness and resentment.
She thought, 'Even someone like Douglas is infatuated with Regina, completely smitten. How charming can Regina be?'
Lucia couldn't forget the way Douglas lost control over himself for Regina.
She gritted her teeth, her face looking grim. Ever since she took those photos at the dinner last night, she hadn't slept well.
Of course, she wanted to use those photos to create a scandal and ruin Regina, but Douglas was also involved, which made things tricky for her.
Because in trying to destroy Regina, she was also damaging Douglas' reputation.
After all, with such an incident, Douglas' image in the company would be completely shattered. He would definitely be furious and find out who was behind it all.
Lucia was afraid Douglas would trace it back to her, so she didn't dare to post it directly.
She racked her brains to avoid being found out and finally decided to anonymously send those photos to a popular online spill account.
That morning, the spill account exposed the incident.
Douglas acted quickly, deleting the news as soon as it appeared, so the online impact was still relatively contained.
However, word had still gotten around the office.
Yet Regina seemed oblivious to the commotion, focused solely on preparing for the afternoon meeting.
Only two people in the company were aware of the relationship between Regina and Douglas: Miranda and Janet.
But without any action from Douglas, Janet was in no position to comment or clarify anything about their relationship.
As for Miranda, usually active online, she was completely offline today. Swamped with work, she was on a business trip.
"I wonder how this situation will be handled."
"Honestly, I'm a bit worried for them."
"A married man, a married woman, boss and subordinate—how are we supposed to define their relationship?"
"I think the last assessment was definitely manipulated. They said they were selecting a presidential assistant from the entire translation department, but I bet Mr. Semona was just conducting a targeted selection."
"But isn't Mr. Semona known for hating nepotism and those who rely on connections? Over the past year, he's ruthlessly cleared out anyone caught using connections or being a parasite. He wouldn't keep this biggest parasite close to him, would he?"
"Exactly!"
"Let's just wait and see if he addresses this in the meeting this afternoon."
"We need a clear and satisfactory explanation!"
"If this isn't handled fairly and justly, it'll be hard to win people over!"
Regina had everything set for the 3 PM meeting. But just as she was about to head to the conference room, Jason walked into her office.
"Mrs. Semona, please wait a moment."
Regina was momentarily thrown off by Jason's use of "Mrs. Semona" instead of "Ms. Valrose." She focused on his instruction to "wait."
"What's going on? Isn't the meeting supposed to start at 3?"
It was already 2:50.
Jason replied succinctly, "It's Mr. Semona's request."
Regina was even more puzzled.
But with Jason's directive, she didn't press further. In the company, unless specified otherwise, everything was done according to Douglas' instructions.
In the vast conference room at this moment, a group of executives had already taken their seats, their expressions solemn as they sat on both sides of the long table. Douglas, seated in the main chair, seemed as calm and unperturbed as ever. Douglas was always this way—except when it came to Regina and her matters, which could make him lose control repeatedly. In every other aspect, even if it was the end of the world, he remained steady.
The meeting was being broadcast internally, meaning anyone from any department in the company could watch the entire meeting live on their phones if they wished.
After several minutes of tense silence, Enrique Coleman, one of the company's executives, couldn't contain himself.
"Mr. Semona, before we begin today's regular meeting, I must address two issues," he said.
Both issues, in fact, were related to one person.
"First, due to public opinion, the stock price of the Century Group has fluctuated this morning. I hope you can provide a reasonable remedy plan."
"Second, I hope you can clarify the last assessment. Only by providing a fair and impartial result can we satisfy the company's employees. This is not a small matter. If it's true, according to company rules and regulations, it should be punished."
"Mr. Coleman, you've spoken well and asked good questions. I intend to address these issues," Douglas replied calmly, much to their confusion.
They thought, 'How could someone appear so casual after being caught in an infidelity scandal?'
Douglas gave a signal to Jason with a look. Jason understood immediately and executed the order.
He manipulated the large screen in the conference room, playing a video related to the assessment. Everyone could clearly see how smoothly and quickly Regina responded during her interview.
Simultaneously, Douglas also showed the interview videos of the other four candidates. With a comprehensive comparison, it was easy to distinguish who was better and who was worse.
Janet and the two other executives who participated in the interviews were surprised. They thought the interviews were conducted in a confidential environment, but Douglas had recorded them, apparently with premeditation, given the angles. They had been completely unaware in the conference room.
Faced with such solid evidence, everyone had a lot to say but didn't know how to start.
Seeing their silence, Enrique took a deep breath and continued his questioning.
"Mr. Semona, you can't avoid the important issues. Technically, you should first explain your relationship with Regina, a company employee, before discussing the assessment. Do you have an improper relationship with her? Is that why you leaked the written and interview questions to her, allowing her to stand out in that fierce competition?"
Listening to Enrique's accusation, Douglas chuckled, picking up on some unexpected keywords.
"Fierce competition?" he said with a growing smile on his lips. "How do I feel like she didn't have any competition in that race at all?"
Even at this point, he was still so blatantly defending Regina.
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