They Called It Scandal, We Called It Marriage

Lucy slammed a hand on the table and jumped to her feet.

"Selena, you insist on doing this the hard way, huh? If you don't hand over the draft and end up delaying the project, I'll immediately announce to the entire industry about how you're such a shameless slut! I'll utterly destroy your reputation so that you won't be able to find a job in the industry ever again!"

At that, the other team members raised their heads to glance over, their eyes shining with disdain for me and eager amusement at the drama unfolding.

Just a few months ago, they were still affectionately calling me "Lena" as I led them to collect their bonuses. Now, the company executives had banded together to pick on me, yet not a single one of them was willing to step forward to defend me.

In fact, some had even taken out their phones and were secretly recording the whole event.

After a brief bout of pity for myself, a wave of frustration and anger swelled within me.

I immediately unplugged the USB stick that was connected to my computer, then, as everyone watched in bewilderment, I raised it high in the air and smashed it against the ground.

With a crisp shattering sound, the casing broke into several pieces.

That still wasn't enough to alleviate my anger, so I stomped on the inner parts with my high heels. Several stomps later, the USB stick was nothing but a pile of scrap.

Dusting my hands off, I pointed at the remains of the USB stick and said, "The draft's gone. You wanted to take over the project, right? Well, better get to sweeping that with a broom then."

A dead silence swept through the office as everyone stared at the pile of scrap that was once the USB stick.

Liliana was the first to react, letting out a shriek.

"Selena Carter, have you gone mad?" Pointing at the scrap pile, she stomped her feet in anxious anger. "You deliberately destroyed an important asset to the company! Can you afford to take responsibility if we fail to submit a draft at the project handover meeting next week?"

Lucy was practically shaking with rage as she jabbed a finger at me and hollered, "How dare you! Call security immediately and have this bitch thrown out!"

As the situation spiraled out of control, Mr. Watson finally decided he couldn't just stand by and watch anymore. He quickly got to his feet and walked over to hold Lucy back.

"Enough! All of you, just stop talking!"

Then he turned to me, flashing a friendly smile that oozed insincerity as he tried to smooth things over.

"Selena, you've really let your temper get the better of you. Everyone only has the company's best interests at heart. What do you think you're doing by destroying such an important draft?"

He pinned me with a sharp gaze as he probed further, wanting to test my limits.

"Still, I know that you've always been a careful and meticulous person, so this isn't the only copy of that draft, is it?"

I simply stared back at him coldly, not saying a single word.

For a brief moment, his expression turned ugly, but he was quick to plaster that fake smile on his face again. Turning to Lucy and Liliana, he put on an act of berating them, "Seriously, you two! The truth of the matter isn't even clear yet, but here you are, kicking up a fuss already!"

After that, he switched his attention back to me and lectured as though it was for my own good, "Selena, we're family here at the company, so don't blame them. They're just doing this for the company's sake. After all, the rumors circulating outside right now are truly quite distasteful. They're simply worried that you'll become the target of gossip and get hurt."

Patting his chest, he generously promised, "Don't worry. For this multibillion-dollar deal, what's yours will be yours. Nobody will be able to snatch it from you! Once we've successfully signed this deal, I'll personally increase your commission by a few more points!"

Upon hearing that, Liliana grew anxious.

"Mr. Watson, how could you—"

"Shut up!" Mr. Watson glared at her. "Hurry up and apologize to Selena!"

Liliana bit her lower lip hard, her eyes reddening. She walked toward me reluctantly, then muttered in a voice that was hardly audible, "Sorry, Lena."

I watched their terrible acting and chuckled coldly to myself.

Mr. Watson, the sly old fox that he was, had realized that using the stick wouldn't work on me, so he had changed tactics by offering me the carrot.

Despite having seen through their intentions, I kept silent and merely nodded blankly.

As expected, during our lunch break, I was outside the pantry room when I overheard Mr. Watson attempting to cheer Liliana up in a low voice.

"There's no need to be so anxious and rush things. Selena has always been a careful person, so she definitely has some backup copies. If we push her too much right now, she might do something drastic, and then none of us will benefit. For now, we have to calm her down first. Once we learn where she's hidden the backup copies, that deal is yours!"