Chapter 7
Roman turned to HR and demanded, “How is it that I don’t know about Serena’s resignation? Who approved her resignation letter?“]
He had only been away from the company for two weeks, yet no one had informed him of such a significant development.[]
The HR manager broke into a cold sweat, stammering, “Mr. Thornfield, don’t you remember? You personally approved Manager Chase’s resignation…”
Roman was initially skeptical, until HR produced the approval process. When he saw his own authorization clearly marked “Approved” in the completed tasks section, his heart skipped a beat.[]
Colleagues around him noticed his sudden change in expression and wondered what was happening.]
Ivy quietly took a few steps back, but Roman caught this small movement and looked at her questioningly.
Suddenly, he remembered that a month ago, he had left his phone in her care–it couldn’t have been anyone else.
Realizing this, Roman gave Ivy a cold stare: “You used my phone to approve Serena’s resignation…“[]
At that moment, news came from the Finance Department that someone had reported Ivy for embezzling company funds. The board had been informed and demanded severe consequences.]]
With those words, the room instantly erupted, everyone talking at once
- ce.
Only Ivy remained silent, continuously avoiding Roman’s questioning gaze.
Roman took a deep breath, struggling to maintain composure, and asked, “Who made this report?“]
The Finance Director wiped his sweat nervously and replied, “Mr. Thornfield, I’m not sure. It was an anonymous email.“]
Hearing this, Ivy suddenly looked up. Thinking it was just an email without any concrete evidence that couldn’t possibly be traced back to her, she scoffed, “You’re the Finance Director, and you’re bothering Mr. Thornfield with such baseless rumors?”
“I think you’re getting senile. Maybe it’s time to step aside and let younger people take over.“]
These words made Roman suddenly believe that someone was slandering Ivy. He sternly reprimanded the Finance Director: “Don’t make accusations without evidence. It affects company unity.“[]
Ivy’s eyes darkened momentarily as she realized that since Serena had already resigned, she could pin the blame on her.
Looking at Roman, she declared righteously: “Mr. Thornfield, these are false accusations. It must be Serena setting me up. You have to stand up for me…“]
“All these years I’ve worked diligently, always putting the company first. How could I ever do anything to harm it?“[]
She then shot a meaningful glance at Fiona who was watching from the sidelines.[]
Seeing this, Fiona remembered how Ivy had looked after her in the past and decided to back her up: “Mr. Thornfield, we’ve all witnessed Team Leader Lawrence’s contributions to the company. I believe she’s innocent.”
“It’s Serena who’s messed up countless projects over the years. Mr. Thornfield, Serena must have embezzled the money and fled, framing Team Leader Lawrence in the process!”
Other colleagues started discussing, some believing this theory, others skeptical.[]
Roman frowned deeply, unsure who to trust.
He said firmly, “Enough. We’ll investigate this matter thoroughly before drawing conclusions. I won’t wrongfully accuse an innocent person.”
Just then, the Finance Director received a phone call.
After a brief conversation, he straightened his posture, his tone becoming much more confident: “Mr. Thornfield, we just received new evidence regarding Ivy Lawrence’s embezzlement.”
As soon as the words were spoken, Roman was utterly stunned.[]
He never expected that what he thought was someone spreading baseless rumors about Ivy would turn out to be true.[]
His gaze toward her instantly changed, even showing traces of shock.
He thought about the salary, benefits, and even project bonuses he had given Ivy–all more than enough for her to live a comfortable life. Even Serena had never received such generous treatment. He couldn’t understand why Ivy would need to embezzle company funds:
With a grim expression, Roman asked the Finance Director again: “Are you certain Ivy embezzled company funds?“||]
The man nodded, his previously anxious demeanor becoming more assured.[]
After seeing the evidence presented by the Finance Director, Roman’s composure finally crumbled.]
He turned and threw the documents forcefully in Ivy’s face, then, still not satisfied, slapped her hard across the face and demanded:]
“Ivy, is this what you call working diligently and putting the company first? Explain these figures to me!“[]
“Did you really think I was an idiot?”
Ivy still tried to defend herself: “Mr. Thornfield, these are all fabricated! Please trust me, I didn’t do any of this…”
After seeing the evidence, other colleagues exchanged glances before turning on Ivy:
“So you were the culprit all along, not Manager Chase. You’ve deceived us all!“]]
“We even defended you! How could you do this to us?”
“You lying witch!”
Fiona suddenly remembered the day Serena resigned when news spread about a failed bid.
To protect herself from being implicated with Ivy, she volunteered information: “Team Leader Lawrence, wasn’t that failed bid project your responsibility? You blamed Manager Chase to clear yourself. I never thought you’d be this kind of person…“[]
Roman’s expression changed instantly at Fiona’s words.
Because of that very incident, he had been severely reprimanded by the board, even facing the possibility of being replaced as CEO.[]
Thinking about this, Roman glared coldly at Ivy. She continued shaking her head in denial, but no one in anymore.
the room believed her
“You’re fired. I will thoroughly investigate these matters, and if they prove true, we’ll settle this in court.“]
Meeting Roman’s cold gaze, Ivy began to panic. She tried to act cute and beg for forgiveness as she had done before, but Roman
remained unmoved.
At that moment, she knew Roman was serious and there was no escape.[]
Realizing this, she deflated like a punctured balloon, sitting motionless on the floor.
Eventually, Roman called security to remove her.
Sitting in his office with a somber expression, Roman stared at Serena’s resignation letter, lost in thought.[]
He reflected on how many times he had overlooked Serena for Ivy over the years.[]
He had only wanted to help Ivy because she seemed lonely and helpless, but how had things ended up like this?
That day, Roman personally reported Ivy to the board of directors.[]
The company formed a special investigation team to look into the matter.]]
Within days, they had results–Ivy would face massive financial penalties and years in prison.[]
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