Chapter 26

Rachel’s face remained calm, as if it wasn’t her being dismissed. He didn’t even frown. Only she knew the truth – this was the numbness that came when grief had hollowed her out completely.

This wasn’t the first time William had done this. The moment Samantha whispered that Rachel’s LS Enterprise visit was a job-hunting attempt, and he believed it, the outcome had been inevitable.

Cecilia couldn’t stay silent any longer. Furious, she interjected, “Mr. Lewis, I can personally vouch for Ms. Lloyd. Her visit to LS Enterprise was purely personal. She never intended to jump ship.”

How could Samantha twist the truth like this? Cecilia had always been a straightforward person and couldn’t stand the fact that Rachel had been targeted ever since Samantha came.

She turned to Samantha. “Ms. Judd, do you have any proof that Ms. Lloyd was trying to switch jobs? And if you’re the one taking credit for contracts, maybe you should ask yourself how you got that position. You can’t even handle basic data and documents, yet you’re acting like a director. If people hear about this, they’ll think we’re a joke.”

“Cecilia!” Rachel called out sharply as she stepped forward and grabbed her friend’s arm. She whispered urgently in her ear, “Stop. Don’t say anything else.”

But Cecilia seemed to have grown a rebellious streak today and continued, “Why shouldn’t I speak up? She can’t even handle basic data analysis, yet she got parachuted into this position. I’d love to know who arranged that.”

A murmur rippled through the surrounding colleagues.

“Questioning Samantha right in front of Mr. Lewis? Cecilia’s lost her mind.”

“Exactly. No matter how you look at it, Samantha was parachuted in. Someone powerful must be backing her. And let’s be real, that someone is probably Mr. Lewis himself.”

“Even Ms. Lloyd, his own wife, got demoted. What’s Cecilia trying to achieve by playing the hero here?”

Rachel closed her eyes briefly. Cecilia had well and truly stirred the hornet’s nest. With William shielding Samantha so blatantly, he would never allow this public challenge to slide.

Besides, if even regular employees could see Samantha’s “powerful backing” was William… Did he really not know?

Of course he knew. He just chose to turn a blind eye.

Samantha, who typically couldn’t handle even the slightest criticism, was utterly unprepared for this public confrontation.

“Cecilia, you’ve misunderstood. I didn’t say anything bad about Rachel to Mr. Lewis. I was just worried that she might feel uncomfortable because I took the Oasis Project, or if she wants to change jobs because of it. I already told Mr. Lewis that Rachel has more experience and should take the project instead,” she explained.

Cecilia wasn’t buying it. “Then, why is the project still in your hands?”

Before Samantha could answer, William’s voice cut through the room: “Enough!”

His voice was so sharp, the office went completely silent. His dark, brooding gaze swept past Cecilia before settling heavily on Rachel. Even when he signed to her, his gestures carried an icy edge.

“Ms. Lloyd, this is your subordinate. Who allowed her to speak like that to a colleague?”

As the team leader, any mistakes made by subordinates naturally fell on Rachel’s shoulders. She knew William’s temperament all too well. He would never tolerate such insolence in his presence, especially when it involved Samantha.

Rachel stepped forward, shielding Cecilia behind her. “Mr. Lewis, Cecilia spoke out of turn. I apologize on her behalf. Since Samantha is in charge of the Oasis Project, that alone proves her capability. I beg you to overlook this first offense.”

She could accept losing her own position, but Cecilia had a five-year-old child at home, sick and dependent on her meager salary to survive.