Chapter 220

“Okay,” Debra nodded in agreement, following Joe to the adjacent lounge.

“Madam, is there anything special you’d like to eat?” Joe asked.

“Just pour me a cup of tea, please.”

“Of course.” Joe moved to the tea set. Debra sat on the sofa and asked, “How has Juan been at the company lately?”

“Mr. Nichols? Lately, he’s been distracted and drinking more than usual. Today is the most normal he’s been in a while. It’s all thanks to you, Madam.”

“He’s been drinking?”

“Don’t you know? The last time Mr. Nichols went to McKinney Group, he was drunk. He’s been drinking too much these days. I’m really worried about him.”

“Why did he suddenly go to McKinney Group? Do you know?”

“Um… not really.”

Debra could tell he was hiding something. She lowered her gaze thoughtfully. Joe must know something, but knowing and telling were different. After all, her status was dubious, even to the board members, let alone others.

“I see. Well, you can go now. I’ll handle him. I’d like to rest a bit.”

“Yes, Madam.”

Once alone, Debra pulled out her phone. She hesitated before sending a message to Ben.

Debra: [Help me investigate the recent movements of the Nichols Group. The more detailed, the better.]

Ben: [Okay.]

Debra couldn’t shake the feeling that something was amiss. Juan’s recent behavior, his willingness to let her join Nichols Group meetings, and his generous gift of 20% of the shares—it all seemed too good to be true. There had to be more to the story.

Across town, Leanna scolded Shelia harshly.

“If you can’t handle this little task, are you even a graduate student from Arcane Academy? Is your skill level so poor?”

Shelia wilted under the criticism; her eyes cast downward. “I’m sorry, I really don’t know how to do it.”

“You don’t know? Aren’t you a top student? I heard you wrote on your resume that you wanted to be a vice GM. With your current skill level, do you think you deserve your ambition?” Shelia’s face paled, and Leanna sneered, “Redo this proposal. If it’s not done well, don’t bother coming to work tomorrow.”

Shelia bit her lip. “I’ll get it done.”

Once Shelia was gone, Leanna picked up her phone and dialed Debra’s number. In the lounge, Debra glanced at the caller ID and, ensuring the room was free of cameras, answered the call.

“Didn’t I say not to call me recently?”

“Ms. Frazier, I didn’t mean to bother you, but I think there’s something wrong with Shelia.”

“What kind?”

“Her resume shows she’s been studying finance for years and has excellent grades, but the proposal she made is full of basic mistakes. It seems off.”

“Basic mistakes?”

“Yes, many professional terms seem to be copied from online. I checked her browsing history, and some industry stock analyses she did were a mess. I suspect her qualifications or grades might be fake.” Debra frowned doubtfully. “Shelia has been personally trained by Juan, so how can her qualifications be in question?”