Chapter 262
at Keith, Instead, she turned to the other tech companies and said, “I will pursue this matter to the end. And let this be a warning to
Audrey didn’t look at everyone here
“Any company that uses underhanded tactics will eventually pay the price for its own disgraceful actions.”
“Well said, someone agreed, followed by a smattering of applause.
Talia’s face turned an awful shade, ber expression twisting with emotions ton tangled foname
As the rest of the companies began to leave, the swayed slightly on her feet and reached out to grab Keith’s arm for support.
Keith’s brow twitched ever so slightly as he said, “Audrey, I know Talia was in the wrong. She put everything she had into this project, and if she loses it all, well… that’s the price she has to pay.
“But could you let it go this once? Don’t press charges. Just do it as a favor to me, alright?”
This time, Audrey finally looked Keith in the eyer and she sneered, “What she invested or lost has nothing to do with me. I’m suing her because she stole critical data from our company.”
Talia’s expression tightened. “You don’t have to take it this far, Audrey! She couldn’t bear the reality that she had lost to Audrey, of all people.
Talia glanced at Keith, trying to signal him. “We’re in the same social circle. Don’t make this ugly.”
Audrey let out a short, sharp laugh. “I don’t keep thieves in my circle.” That jab hit both Talia and Keith.
A flicker of anger sparked in Keith’s eyes, but he still addressed her respectfully. “Audrey, I promise”
“I don’t need your promises,” Talia
him off. She reached for the nearby laptop and added, “If you insist on going to court, I’ll see you there.”
With a sideways glance, she gradually slipped back into her haughty demeanor and said, “The video you played only shows me opening your laptop. It doesn’t prove I stole any data from your presentation. If this laptop were destroyed, what other proof would you have?”
As soon as Talia finished speaking, Jocelyn took the laptop and looked pleased with herself.
Keith’s expression cased just a little. But he knew full well this was all on Talia. Destroying evidence wouldn’t change the facts, and even if Audrey let it go, Yann definitely wouldn’t.
So, Keith shook his head in disapproval. “Talia, you really crossed a line here, What’s done is done. I’ll offer FlexiTech Group 10 million dollars in compensation..
He could accept paying up, and if Audrey didn’t want the money, he was even willing to hand over a profitable project in exchange–anything to avoid a Jawsuit,
Keith knew that if Talia ended up in prison, her life would be aver
But Talia gave a sharp, dismissive laugh. “It’s not like wanted things to get ugly. But some people just kept pushing and pushing. I had no choice but to protect myself.” She was addressing Keith, but her ojes were locked on Audrey,
She was hoping to catch a flicker of shock or fury on Audrey’s face–anything to prove her mask was cracking
Talia grumbled inwardly, “Why do I have to take the fall like this while she just breezes through everything like she’s in control? Unfortunately for Talia, Audrey’s expression remained perfectly composed, and there wasn’t the slightest hint of shock in her eyes.
To make things worse, Audrey glanced at James, and the two of them exchanged a knowing smile as if they had seen this coming all along
Chapter 262
“Since you’re in eager to settle this in court, I won’t let you down, Ms. Price,” Audrey said before turning to leave with hai tram:
Ajolt of parve surged through Talia. She scrambled to salvage the situation. “You can’t win without this laptop, Audrey Those two video clips stor hold up.”
But even as she said it, she pondered, ‘My company is almost as good as blacklisted, I’ve lost a ton, and I’m still willing to make it right. I’ve already swallowed my pride, so why won’t Audrey just meet me hallway?
“She’s not even guaranteed to win, so why does she look so damit confident?”
Audrey smiled and patted the shield logo on her laptop. “you hadn’t handed over the USB drive earlier, I really might not have had any ex besides what’s on your laptop.”
Talia’s every move had been anticipated. Audrey’s team had countermeasures in place for everything.
The moment Lucia plugged in the USB drive, the virus that had been planted in the laptop started transferring into the drive–slowing everything down just enough to avoid suspicion.
Then, when the USB drive was connected to Talia’s laptop, it embedded the virus into her system and started recordin
(both video and audio of her
Just now, when Lucia handed the USB drive to Audrey, she had used that brief moment to extract a copy of the tampered project slides from Talia’s laptop onto her own.
Realizing how it all played out, Talia wanted to slap herself hard,
She thought, ‘If I hadn’t made Lucia turn on her after the meeting…if i had just let Keith speak up for me, maybe Audrey with the lawsuit.
y wouldn’t have gone through
“All that talk about her laptop data being locked, and the backup stored online? Audrey fed me that lie just to make me drop my guard.
“I thought I was being clover and that I could turn the tables… but i walked straight into her trap. One mistake after another. It all went downhill from there, isn’t it?”
Talia’s eyes turned red as the thoughts ran through her mind. It was rare for her to feel this way, but for once, she actually wanted to cry. She quickly turned to Keith for help.
Keith, on the other hand, was still trying to process everything. His picw of Audrey had completely shifted. Everything she had done had gone far beyond what he had expected.
He had to admit that Audrey hadn’t won over Yann just with a pretty face or sweet talk. She had her own strengths.
Keith wasn’t sure about her technical skills, but when it came to handling a crisis or taking charge, she was already ahead of most people their age
But Audrey didn’t spare them another glance. She just left with her team, calm and composed.
Lucia took the chance to slip away too. Afraid Audrey would come after her next, she told Logan some excuse about a friend inviting her on a trip then left town overnight.
and
This whole incident turned FlexiTech Group into the talk of the industry. Their reputation had already been decent, but what really set off a wave in industry was how Audrey kept flipping the script again and again, catching everyone off guard.
As for StellarCore, the company on the receiving end of those slaps in the face, they weren’t so lucky, Netizens began boycotting and uninstalling their software, flooding the official website with insults and curses.
Talia thought that would be the end of it. But to her surprise, Audrey actually sent her a cease–and–desist letter
The lawyer representing Audrey was Malcolm William from Samson Legal. The moment Talia’s legal team heard his name, they all backed out one after another.
Chapter 262
Word of the incident reached Edmund quickly. He summoned Talia to Prico Manor for questioning.
Edmund tapped the table with his fingers as he asked, “This is the surprise you promised me?” His tone was slow and measured, his aged eyes full.
lidded.
He didn’t sound angry at all–more like he was talking about someone else’s problem. But Tala knew he was furious. So, she quickly said, “I’m sorry. Grandpa, I underestimated her.”
Edmund looked up and gave her a glance. “No. 1 think you overestimated yourself.”
He thought, ‘Talia has always been headstrong. Confidence is good, but too much of it becomes arrogance.
“She thinks managing two subsidiaries gives her the right to compete with her brother for the succession. She thinks being a little attractive means she can pick and choose from the best men out there?
‘Does Talia even understand who Yann is? Logan has spent years trying to control him through both open conflict and subtle moves, and in the end, even he gets crushed by his own son.
‘And Talia? She actually thought she could turn Yann into her weapon, carving out power and territory for her?!
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