By admin “What photo?” Charlie asked Alyssia. “Why did you delete it—was it by accident or on purpose?”
Alyssia lowered her gaze, staring at the polished floor of the Finance Department.
“It was on purpose,” Alyssia replied.
Katherine let out a massive sigh of relief.
‘See? I knew Alyssia did it on purpose!‘ Katherine thought smugly.
Katherine thought mockingly, ‘A rookie, fresh out of the gate, daring to flaunt her obscure knowledge right in my face. Did she really think it would be that easy to make a name for herself?
‘Let’s see how Charlie can still play favorites now!
‘Since becoming Editor–in–Chief at Vanguard Media, Charlie had built a reputation for fairness and impartiality–not even Brianna could get away with
special treatment.
‘Would Charlie really risk his hard–earned reputation just for Alyssia?
‘Isn’t he afraid this would completely demoralize the team?‘
In the heavy silence, Anne chimed in placatingly, “Actually, Alyssia’s error rate is practically zero. Even deleting the photo falls within the acceptable margin of error, so per company policy, she won’t be fined.”
‘Is the error rate really the point here?
‘The real issue is the deliberate deletion!
‘Deliberate–that’s outright misconduct!
‘If Alyssia can’t come up with a reasonable explanation, and Charlie still chooses to shield her, then everyone else will just have to swallow this injustice.
‘With an heir like Charlie, whose judgment is completely clouded by infatuation, Vanguard Media might as well kiss its future goodbye.‘ Katherine thought with a bitter sneer.
But now, no one dared to get on Charlie’s bad side.
Everyone held their breath… but weren’t they all just waiting for Charlie to make his choice?
“Alyssia, explain yourself,” Charlie said, his tone flat and impartial.
Alyssia nodded. “First, I admit I overstepped my authority–as the first proofreader, it’s not my responsibility to assess a manuscript’s potential risks. Second, I really should have informed Katherine and her editor after the corrections.
“But the thing is… I’m swamped with proofreading work, and I still need to…”
“What potential risks?” Charlie cut her off.
Alyssia finally looked up, meeting everyone’s gaze head–on.
“That photo… it’s of the late…” Alyssia’s throat tightened unexpectedly. She couldn’t understand why–she’d always been able to face Brianna’s jibes about her parents without flinching, so why was it so hard to say it herself now?
Alyssia took a deep breath to compose herself, then managed a small, forced smile.
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“It’s a photo of InveSight Capital’s late founder couple, taken just one week before their passing”
Charlie’s pupils… blew wide.
He stared at Alyssia before him, his breath catching in his throat.
She was smiling, but her luminous eyes shimmered with a shattered light–like a past he could never reclaim, like the affection he’d lost in the depths of
her gaze.
He was speechless.
The phantom roar of ocean waves crashing against cliffs thundered in Charlie’s ears.
Charlie felt as if his chest were drowning in the ocean depths.
“Alyssia…” Chartie murmured, his voice faint and unsteady.
The whole Finance Department was stunned into silence.
‘What’s gotten into Charlie?
‘What the hell just happened?‘ The stunned thought echoed through the Finance Department.
Alyssia’s smile froze on her lips until the corners of her mouth ached. Then, she abruptly lowered her head, forcing back her tears.
“I don’t have the authority to alter the manuscript content, but I thought deleting that photo could at least reduce some risk for Vanguard Media. I was worried that if Clairivera Group came knocking… it wouldn’t end well.”
Her voice was barely above a whisper, so subdued it created the illusion of meekness.
No one in Finance was buying Alyssia’s explanation–least of all Katherine, who looked especially skeptical.
Katherine, convinced she’d found Alyssia’s Achilles‘ heel, didn’t even care about Charlie’s presence. Raising her voice in front of everyone, she scoffed, “The bad blood between InveSight Capital and Clairivera Group? That’s ancient history! Would Clairivera really come after us over one old photo? Vanguard Media aren’t pushovers…”
Katherine deliberately raised her voice so everyone could hear. “When Leonard sued us for spreading false rumors about his relationship, didn’t we hold our ground?”
‘Does she really think an old photo could possibly matter more than the reputation of the Clairivera Group’s heir?
‘Charlie was willing to stand up against Leonard’s lawsuit for Alyssia. So what’s the big deal about having the PR department handle some minor complaints from Clairivera Group?‘ Katherine thought mockingly.
Katherine was making a calculated gamble–staking everything on the hope that, after this incident, Brianna would finally value her.
‘Either way, I’m already on Charlie’s blacklist. If I can’t latch onto another powerful patron, I might as well kiss my career at Vanguard Media goodbye.’ Katherine thought.
Charlie’s expression had gone beyond mere grimness–it was a storm of emotions defying words.
For the first time, a tempest brewed in Charlie’s eyes.
“Since you’re writing about InveSight Capital, shouldn’t you know its history?” he asked.
Katherine froze.
Rather than feeling reassured by Charlie’s calm tone, Katherine felt a chill run down her spine. No, it wasn’t talking to him that scared her–it was the terrifying look on his face at that moment.
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His expression suggested the deserved to hang for some heinous crime.
Charlie pressed on, his voice icy and sharp as a blade. “Vanguard Media has never covered inveSight Capital Do you know why?
Katherine wanted to shake her head, but her neck stiffened.
“Go ask your supervisort” Charlie practically roared. “And while you’re at it, ask them who really co–founded the Vanguard Media Finance Department
Charlie slammed his fist against the frosted glass partition just outside the office.
A thunderous crash shattered the silence.
Everyone jumped at the sound.
The glass instantly spiderwebbed with cracks, and blood oozed from Charlie’s hand.
Alyssia’s heart lurched at the sight.
It was his old injury.
It was his old injury from last time at her apartment, when he’d forced open the cabinet. Some of the wounds were deep, and with his hand always in use, they healed slowly. Now, just when they were mostly healed–about eighty percent–they split open again.
Brianna looked up, simultaneously shocked by Charlie’s explosive rage, stunned by the injury on his hand, and–utterly bewildered.
‘Who co–founded the Finance Department?‘ she thought.
Charlie turned back, catching Brianna’s bewildered expression. With a cold sneer, he said, “Exactly. Your father only joined Vanguard Media much later. So what exactly does the Finance Department have to do with your family?”
Charlie wondered, ‘They bask in the shade of trees planted by their predecessors, then have the audacity to carve their own names into the trunks as if claiming all the credit.
‘Yet when the original founders return, they must beg and pay just to claim a tiny patch of shade under their own trees.
‘Brianna–a shameless usurper, flaunting her stolen power with not an ounce of decency.’
The legal counsel knocked on the Finance Department’s door and poked their head in. “Mr. Dixon, I tried reaching you on WorkChat earlier, but you didn’t respond…”
That was why she came there in person.
“We have just received an official warning from Clairivera Group, alleging that employees from our Finance Department colluded with their insider to steal confidential images from Clairivera. They demand we take immediate action to prevent further leaks and impose strict disciplinary action on those
involved.”
A bombshell dropped.
Katherine’s face went ashen,
The rest of the Finance Department was utterly aghast, rendered completely speechless.
Clairivera Group was there!
Clairivera Group really did show up at Vanguard Media’s door over that single photo–furious, in full force; demanding immediate answers.
The legal counsel continued, “Clairivera Group has already issued an official statement: the senior executives responsible for the photo leak have been terminated, with legal prosecution to follow. As for us…”
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Charlie turned, his icy gaze fixed on Brianna. “This is yours to handle,” he said coldly “Work with Legal, Think you can manage that”
Brianna nodded numbly.
There was no reason to stay there now.
s heart.
Charlie knew better than to explain further–each word would only carve deeper into Alyssia’s h
His phone rang.
Charlie glanced at his phone, ignored everyone, and strode straight out.
Alyssia was momentarily stunned, then, heedless of all the watching eyes, she rushed out after him without a second thought.