“Anna Garcia! Is this how you talk to me?”
Harry was exasperated when I shouted at him.
“But that’s the truth!” I retaliated.
I looked at him in the eyes without backing down. I did not care if he was the supervisor.
“Do you know I can sack you right this second?”
Harry hurled threats at me because he felt humiliated when I yelled at him in front of everybody.
“And do y’all know I can fire all of you?” Michael’s voice came from behind all of a sudden. “What’s with all the ruckus early in the morning?”
Michael’s voice was cold and raspy.
Everyone looked away as he swept his gaze across the office. The women fell into silence and even the supervisor straightened his back.
I turned and looked at him with my eyes red.
“What happened?”
Michael turned toward me and asked without betraying any emotion in his voice.
I told him everything from the very beginning.
Michael’s eyes were burning with anger when I was done telling my story.
“So none of you took it?” His fierce glare sank through them as he interrogated the women.
They were shaking under Michael’s harsh questioning.
“No, we didn’t do it. Anna is the one who’s trying to set us up.”
The women came forward one by one and mumbled the same answer.
“Really?”
Michael’s gaze hardened as he scrutinized their faces.
“We really didn’t do it, Mr. Shaw…”
I could tell they were lying from how their voices trailed off weakly.
“Since y’all said no, then I’ll find it until I get it.”
I was touched seeing Michael standing up for me, but I could not dismiss the bugging thought of my colleagues finding out about our relationship.
Michael gestured at his secretary to start searching.
My gaze followed the secretary anxiously. I was genuinely afraid that the document was lost. The people from Benyx Corporation would be here anytime soon. They would definitely want to see the design during the meeting. It would be too late for me to start penning it all over again.
I clenched my fists as the search continued. It did not take long before the secretary located it in one of the drawers of the table.
When one of the women saw the secretary retrieving the document from her drawer, her face turned pale. Even her cronies started quivering in fear.
“So? Is it you, or is it not you?”
Michael took the document from his secretary and smirked.
The woman who turned out to be the main culprit could not even bring herself to look at Michael.
“What’s with the silence? You were so articulate just now.”
The smirk on Michael’s face slowly faded as the rage in his eyes intensified.
Joyful Success was known for its strict discipline toward employees, so naturally, Michael was incensed by their actions.
“Mr. Shaw, we’re just trying to pull Anna’s leg. We really didn’t mean it.”
The woman had the audacity to say it was all just for fun.
“Do you think it’s funny? I know you did this to me because you dislike me. You clearly knew I need this document for the meeting later, but you hid it deliberately. I don’t see how this is funny.”
I finally spoke my mind. Initially, I wanted to just let bygone be bygone and forget what happened yesterday, but what they did today was just too much.
“I’m sorry, Anna. We’re really just trying to prank you. Please forgive us.”
Those women were full of tricks and schemes. They knew Michael saw through their act now that he found out they took my document. He would not let them off unpunished, so their last resort was to beg for forgiveness from me.
They flocked around me and held my hand, pretending as if we were close friends. I looked at them repulsively, wondering how people could be so fake.
I ignored them and took the document from Michael before going back to my work desk. It was up to Michael how he wanted to deal with them. I had already proven that they were the ones at fault.
The women did not expect me to be so cold-hearted. They were now entirely under Michael’s mercy.
“None of you are receiving your bonus this year. If something like this happens again, count yourself fired.”
Michael spared them one last glance and walked into his office, leaving the women behind in shame.
Although Michael did not sack them, depriving them of their annual bonus was already enough of a punishment for them. Joyful Success’ bonus was a huge sum and no one would lose it without feeling their skin peeled.
“What are y’all waiting for? Get back to work!”
Harry bellowed at them while the women were still recovering from the shock.
They looked at me spitefully before returning to their seats.
They were not friendly to me, to begin with, so there was no point trying to save them. I would readily do to them what they did to me if they continued the act.
By the time I finished sorting out the design plan, the representative from Benyx had arrived. It was the same female manager from last time.
I was not entirely glad to see her. After all, she asked Michael out for dinner the last time she came. I knew she wanted to have a chance with Michael, but he turned her down.
Despite my displeasure at her arrival, I still had to be friendly toward her since she was the company’s client.
