Chapter 119 Hard to Justify
Having set everything up, Harry headed back to the Lewis Mansion.
"Dad, I've got the scoop. Our Everjoy Clinic is dealing with substandard and fake drugs, and it's all Chloe's doing. She threatened to quit and forced Benjamin, the head of pharmaceuticals, to bring in the fakes and pocket kickbacks." Harry spoke carefully to Victor.
Harry never wanted it to come to this. However, the vast Lewis Family business couldn't be left to her.
Harry's son, Oscar, just wanted to stir up trouble for Chloe, so Harry decided to frame her completely. "We also found out that the troublemakers today are all Maria's relatives. Her family planned to use Chloe's control over the company to get more benefits."
Victor angrily slammed his hand on the table, making Harry's heart skip a beat in fear. If Victor found out their family was behind this, it would be a disaster. But there were no turning back.
Harry suggested, "Dad, you should go to the company tomorrow and question Benjamin yourself."
The following day, Chloe got to the company early.
Larry wanted her to look into the counterfeit drug issue, and Benjamin was the one in charge of supplying drugs to Everjoy Clinic.
First thing in the morning, Chloe called Benjamin to her office.
"Ms. Lewis, you wanted to see me?" Benjamin walked in, hunched over, looking humble.
"Benjamin, you've been handled the drug supplies for Everjoy Clinic. I need you to check if there are any substandard or fake drugs in the clinic."
Benjamin glanced around and leaned in, whispering, "Ms. Lewis, have they been found out?"
Chloe frowned. "Found out what?"
Benjamin immediately pleaded, "Ms. Lewis, I'm retiring in a year. I don't want to be involved in this anymore. Can you let me retire honorably? Please don't drag me into this."
Chloe looked confused. "Retirement? What do you mean by saying dragging you into this? Benjamin, I'm just asking you to check for counterfeit drugs in the clinic. If there are any, find out how they got there. I need answers fast."
Just then, the door to the chairman's office swung open.
Victor walked in with Harry, Jack, and some other executives.
"Grandpa, why are you here?" Chloe quickly stood up.
"If I didn't come, Everjoy would be ruined by you." Victor said sternly. "Chloe, even if you take benefits, you need to know your limits. Bringing in substandard and counterfeit drugs is a serious crime. Do you know how much damage this could do to Everjoy's decades-long reputation?"
Chloe was completely stunned. "Grandpa, you think I'm involved in counterfeit drugs?"
"Mr. Victor Lewis, it's all Ms. Lewis's doing."
Benjamin knelt beside Victor, clutching his pant leg, and cried, "Ms. Lewis forced me to do it. If I didn't comply, she would fire me. I'm about to retire, and if I get fired, I won't have any retirement benefits. My family will struggle to survive."
"What?" Benjamin's words shocked Chloe. She took a step back, her face turning pale. "Benjamin, what are you talking about?"
Benjamin pulled out a card. "Ms. Lewis, here's the $100,000 you gave me. I've worked diligently for the company for twenty years and have never done anything illegal. This incident is the biggest stain on my life. Mr. Victor Lewis, I can't stay in the company after this. Please don't blame Ms. Lewis. She's young and capable but easily led astray. Give her another chance."
"Benjamin, you're lying!" Chloe's face went pale, and her body was trembling with anger as she pointed at him.
"Ms. Lewis, I warned you that bringing in counterfeit drugs would cause big problems. You kept assuring me nothing would happen and even threatened to fire me. That's the only reason I agreed. I was foolish."
At that moment, Chloe realized Benjamin was framing her. "Grandpa, I didn't do it."
"Enough," Victor scolded. "Chloe, there will be no exceptions for such matters. Hand over the chairman's position to Harry. You'll serve as vice president and learn from him for a while."
With that, Victor turned and left.
Although Chloe had made a big mistake, her abilities were undeniable. Plus, Chloe had significant connections. It wasn't easy to cut her off completely, so Victor demoted her instead.
Harry shook his head slightly and sighed. "Chloe, you're still young and have a long way to go. I hope you learn from this."
"I didn't do it," Chloe shouted.
"Benjamin, tell Mr. Victor Lewis I didn't do it. Why are you framing me?"
Harry helped Benjamin up from the floor. "Benjamin, you can't be entirely blamed for this. It's Chloe's abuse of power that led to this. You're sixty now. You should retire early."
"Thank you, Harry." Benjamin kept apologizing and then left the office.
"I thought Chloe was dedicated to the company, but she did this out of personal greed."
"Luckily, nothing major happened, or Everjoy would be finished."
"Can Chloe be forgiven for such a huge mistake?"
"Why keep someone like Chloe in the company? She should be fired."
The executives of Everjoy sighed.
Hearing these comments, Chloe cried in grievance.
'Why? I’ve been wholeheartedly dedicated to the company, working tirelessly for the past few days. Why am I being framed?' she thought.
Chloe cried uncontrollably and ran out of the company.
Back at the Lewis Mansion, Larry was up and sweeping the kitchen, wearing an apron and humming a tune.
He heard crying from the living room. Walking out, he found Chloe, who had just gone to the company, sitting on the sofa, crying incessantly.
"Chloe, what's wrong?" Maria asked with concern.
Scott, who hadn't been to the company since Chloe became chairman, also asked, "Chloe, what happened?"
"Dad, Mom, I didn't do it. Why did they slander me?" Chloe cried.
Larry put down the broom and walked over, asking with concern, "Chloe, what's wrong?"
Chloe recounted what had happened at the company.
"I didn't do it. I really didn't threaten Benjamin. I don't know why he's so sure it was me. The substandard drug issue has nothing to do with me."
Sam cursed, "Despicable, truly despicable. I'll go to the mansion right now and explain everything to Grandpa."
With that, he stood up to go.
"What are you doing?" Larry scolded. "Do you want to make things worse? If you go there rashly, Grandpa won't believe you."
"But what should we do? Are we just going to let Chloe suffer and take the blame?"
Larry lit a cigarette, taking a deep drag. "How about leaving Everjoy and starting your own business? With Chloe's connections, the new company would grow quickly."
"No way," Maria objected. "That would mean letting them win. We can't give up."
Scott asked, "Then what should we do? It's clear that Harry's family conspired with Benjamin to frame Chloe. Now that Benjamin is firmly saying Chloe arranged it, it's hard for us to defend ourselves."
Log in with Google Account
Chapters
Favorite
Settings
