Chapter 53
“This is what you get for plagiarizing the Hay Group’s design!” Elsie sneered, eagerly anticipating Myra’s downfall. “Speaking of which, didn’t you draw a portrait for Director Hart? Why didn’t he speak up for you in front of the Hay Group?”
Myra, however, merely smirked in response. A cold gleam flashed in her eyes as she marched directly into Mr. Xavier’s office.
“Trouble-seeking wretch!” Elsie cursed under her breath, watching the door, curious to see what Myra was up to.
It wasn’t long before the door to Mr. Xavier’s office swung open with a fury. Mr. Xavier himself stood in the doorway, looking enraged. He had thrown open the door in a fit of rage, and the door banged loudly against the wall, making everyone in the design department jump.
A pleased expression crossed Elsie’s face. With the way things were going, she thought, Myra might end up leaving Bradfort City altogether.
However, just as Elsie savored the thought of never having to see Myra again, Mr. Xavier stormed up to her. Surprised, Elsie wondered if the design director was going to offer her Myra’s job. She quickly stepped forward, eager to take the opportunity.
Instead, Mr. Xavier, still visibly angry, said coldly, “Miss Foster, please come with me to Director Chase’s office immediately.”
Elsie, stunned, nodded hastily and followed him. As she did, she threw a triumphant glance over her shoulder at Myra, who had already emerged from Mr. Xavier’s office.
Meanwhile, Tilly walked over, frowning. “Myra…”
Myra turned to address her with a calm smile. “Don’t worry; Director Hart found out that Lily from the Hay Group was the one who plagiarized my design.” Now that she had seen how Elsie was treated, she deduced that the Hay Group had sold Elsie out in an attempt to cover their tracks.
Tilly blinked at Myra’s explanation, then broke into a wide grin. “I knew you were innocent, Myra! I knew my dreamboat wouldn’t let us down!” she exclaimed excitedly, casting a curious gaze at the elevator doors nearby. “But what about Elsie?”
Myra’s lips pressed into a thin line as she glanced at the elevators with a raised brow. “She’ll probably lose her job at the Chase Group.”
“Well, good riddance!” Tilly huffed indignantly. “I heard that Director Chase is looking into the whole mess too, which means he obviously believes you. I can’t wait to see how this plays out!”
Myra was taken aback by the news that Sean was investigating the plagiarism issue as well. She was both surprised and relieved that her side of the story was being taken seriously.
As expected, Elsie had been in Sean’s office for less than twenty minutes before word spread throughout the company: she was the one who had stolen Myra’s design and given it to the Hay Group. The Hay Group had clearly sold her out, blaming her for the theft while covering their own tracks. They claimed that Elsie had stolen the drawing and misled them into thinking it was her own design, thus implicating Myra.
With the truth now exposed, the Chase Group pressed charges against Elsie for stealing company trade secrets, and she was swiftly escorted away by police officers. Elsie never returned to the design department.
Some employees who had previously accused Myra of plagiarism now came forward to apologize, acknowledging the mistake.
Myra had never taken the accusations personally. On the other hand, Mr. Xavier approached her, offering consolation.
“Myra, your performance this time has earned everybody’s praise in the board meeting. The company has decided to reward you with an incentive—you will receive five percent of the project profits.”
“Thank you, Mr. Xavier,” she answered without much enthusiasm. She had never cared about incentives, only the chance to clear her name.
“Myra, I’m sorry for accusing you earlier,” he continued earnestly. “To be fair, everyone fell victim to Elsie’s lies. I promise this won’t happen again.”
Myra simply nodded, her expression neutral. Her thoughts wandered to the man who had helped clear her name, and she glanced at her phone, hesitating. She felt bad for not thanking Tony earlier when she was at the Hart Group. Despite wanting to call him, something held her back. Her instincts told her to stay away from him—after all, he had helped her, but she didn’t think he’d done it out of pure goodwill.
Yet, she still needed to express her gratitude.
After a moment’s pause, she made the call, but there was no answer. She exhaled a breath she hadn’t realized she was holding and put her phone away. She didn’t attempt to call him again.
Meanwhile, on the other side, Tony had seen Myra’s incoming call. Instead of answering, he pondered the reason for her call. After the ringing stopped, he waited, but she didn’t try calling him again.
A slight smile faded from his face. What an impatient kitten, he mused inwardly. He had done her a huge favor, and now she couldn’t even be bothered to thank him. She didn’t even try calling him back.
He swiped his phone to unlock it and was about to return her call when he heard a knock at the door. Leo entered, holding some documents. “Director Hart, the next meeting is starting soon. Here are the data and statistics.”
Tony placed the phone aside, his expression impassive, and accepted the documents from Leo. Without another word, he walked out of his office.
That evening, Myra left work early. Tomorrow, she would be going to the Hart Group to sign the contract. Upon arriving at the Chase Residence, she noticed the lights were on inside.
Eve, hearing the front door open, hurriedly instructed Greta to set the table. Then, she made her way to greet Myra.
Eve had heard about what happened at the company: Myra had created the design that impressed the Hart Group, clearing her name and proving her innocence. Most importantly, Myra was going to the Hart Group the next day for the contract signing. Eve was overjoyed.
“Myra, you’re home at last!” Eve exclaimed brightly.
Myra simply nodded, offering a hum in response.
Seeing Myra’s lack of enthusiasm, Eve assumed she was still upset over the harsh words she’d said the night before. Guilt flickered in her eyes as she took Myra’s hand. “Myra, are you still angry at me? I only said those things last night out of anger. I was worried about the Hay Group going after you. I panicked. Please don’t hold it against me.”
Eve’s apology sounded sincere, and Myra softened. She paused before speaking. “I’m not angry at you, Mom, but I have to admit I was pretty upset yesterday.”