Yvette''s face turned ghostly pale. She thought, ''How could it turn out like this?'' Keith was confident that Caroline was not the mysterious expert, wasn''t it?


    Thepetition ended. Shakira waited for her team to return to NI meeting room. They heard a noisymotion inside. just as they reached the entrance. Shakira was about to go in when David, who hadgged a step behind, suddenly took two big strides forward, blocking her way. He chuckled arrogantly. "Ignorant girl, let''s see how you handle this now." After saying that, he walked right in. Seeing Charles who smiled and stood up to greet, he went straight to shake the extended hand. Both Charles and the others were lost for words.


    David, who was convinced that Shakira and her team were done and was unaware of the announcement on "Warmth" website, assumed that the project was a sure thing and started bragging. "Don''t worry, Mr. Gordon. I''ll supervise Mr. rk throughout the course. He''s very capable. With his skills and our team''s effort, I believe we''llplete this task excellently," said David.


    As he said this, he shot a taunting nce at Benton. Unexpectedly, Benton burst outughing, clutching his stomach.


    David sneered. "Benton, how can you still beughing."


    "Uh? Haha." This made Bentonugh even harder, like a crowing rooster, unable to say anything else.


    David shook his head and thought, ''Look at that. Benton really can''t stand losing. He''s gone crazy over such a small issue.


    At this moment, his reliable secretary Jeff quietly came up to him, trying to keep his head low. "Mr. Harris, take a look up."


    David was not happy. "What are you whispering about? Speak up


    Jeff took a deep breath and spoke clearly and loudly, "Mr. Harris, look at the screen. Our team lost."


    "What did you say?" David was taken aback, lifting his head to look at the screen frozen in the final frame ahead. His eyes widened in shock as if he had been struck by lightning. Charles finally pulled his hand away, wiping the sweat from his palms. "David, you''ve messed up this time."


    David''s mind went nk, with his entire body stiff for a moment. Suddenly, he turned and grabbed Keith, almost pushing his head against the screen. "Didn''t you say we had this won?"


    Keith looked rmed. He thought it was impressive to have broken through nearly 40%, and hadn''t figured that the opponent was merely 0.01 away from breaking through the firewall of the top security team domestically.


    "Th-there must be something wrong with this. No one could have done this, especially against the Lopez Group-" said Keith.


    "You think others can''t do it just because you can''t do it?" Sean retorted sharply. "Keith, Warmth has already announced it. You impersonated a lead engineer to gain personal benefits; get ready to receive a letter from Warmth''swyers." Terrified, Keith confessed immediately. "No, this has nothing to do with me. I''m not the one pretending. It was her who told me to say I was a key team member. It was all her idea."


    "You spineless coward," murmured Yvette. She was so angry with Keith that she could barely resist the urge to hit him.


    David was trembling with anger. "Yvette, do you really think that the whole department and I are fools?"


    Yvette''s face, which was already pale, lost thest bit of color. She stared in disbelief at Keith, who had betrayed her.


    "Mr. rk, how can you nder me like this? You were the one who first imed ''Warmth was your creation and was indispensable to the team. Now that things have gone wrong. Are you trying to shift the me onto me?" Frantically, Keith almost lunged forward. "You''re lying, you''re lying. You were the one who-"


    "What are you doing? This isn''t a ce for your antics." Fortunately, the security team acted quickly, pinning him to the ground and silencing his noisy mouth.


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    Yvette curled up, with tears filling her eyes as she trembled in fear from Keith''s outburst. "I don''t know why this happened. If I had realized he was a fake sooner, I would''ve never brought him to thepany."


    "Mr. Harris, Mr. Gordon, please trust me. I was deceived too. Thankfully, Shakira brought Mr. Reynolds and Miss Goodman to reveal his true colors. If we had signed the contract, the mistake would have been harder to fix," Yvette cried and was filled with regret. "I thought she was involved with Keith, but it turns out she''s innocent after all."


    "Since he was introduced by Finn, of course, Yvette wouldn''t suspect. Who would have thought he had such evil intentions?"


    "Being innocent is one thing, but neglecting responsibilities is another. If Shakira hadn''t stepped in, our department would have be the biggest joke in the Lopez Group because of the whole mess."


    "Exactly. She wasn''t careful enough. Does she think a few tears will just cover it up?"


    Yvette was lost for words.


    Sean turned to Shakira and muttered, "Damn. With acting skills like that, why is she even bothering with business battles instead of heading to the entertainment industry?"


    Shakira gave a slight smirk. "She wanted to break into the entertainment industry, but sadly, her path got blocked."


    "Oh, right. You''ve got half the credit for blocking her way. With the giarism scandal on the inte and grabbing resources meant for their artists, could she still break into the entertainment industry? Are her fans that desperate to pick up scraps?"


    Charles stepped forward again, sincerely apologizing to Sean and Caroline. "Mr. Reynolds, Ms. Goodman, I''m sorry. We were misled by some nasty rumors, and you were treated unfairly. I apologize." He bowed deeply.


    Sean, with his hands in his pockets, was unimpressed. "Just apologizing isn''t enough, is it?"


    Charles quickly got it. "Don''t worry, Mr. Reynolds. We will ensure those making mistakes face strict consequences." He then turned to instruct David. "Deduct the quarterly bonuses of all team members who were in charge together with Yvette, and re-evaluate their positions."


    As soon as the punishment was announced, there was an uproar in the second team. "What the heck? Are we all being punished for her mistake?"


    "What can we do? She''s a rich heiress who insists on doing things on her own instead of using her connections. We''re just extras and are used as stepping stones in her story."


    "Damn it. I knew she was doomed the moment Mrs. Ortíz kicked her out yesterday."


    "Dragging us down just because she can''t handle it. How shameless!" These angry words disregarded Yvette''s feelings. She kept her head down and was too embarrassed to meet their gaze


    Listening to those trash talks against Yvette was music to Sean and Caroline''s ears; they felt absolutely delighted.


    3


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    At that moment, Brian appeared at the conference room doorway with a group of people. "Mr. Reynolds, Mr. Lopez would like you to join him on the rooftop to discuss the project partnership. Senior executives of the Marketing Department will follow." Shakira was surprised. "Does Mr. Lopez want to discuss this project himself?"


    Brian nodded to her. "It''s about the coboration with Yonder Digital; we can''t afford to take it lightly."


    Caroline quietly cheered from the side. "Yay. I get to meet Walter


    Shakira was lost for words.


    The group followed Brian to the CEO''s office on the rooftop. Yvette spotted Fiona among the crowd. When Fiona caught her eyes, she turned and walked away.


    Yvette, upset, ran after her and blocked her path. "Fiona, you are trying to trouble me on purpose, aren''t you?"


    Fiona rolled her eyes. "You asked me to find someone, and I did. You''re the one who messed it up."


    She shook off Yvette''s hand andughed with scorn. "When it was time to boast, you sure praised the Nelson family. When there''s a problem, you want to me it on me. Tsk, fortunately, it''s the Nelson family that''s being embarrassed." Watching Fiona''s arrogant back as she walked away, Yvette''s eyes were filled with angry red veins.


    After Yvette and the others arrived at the CEO''s office, they were surprised to meet some familiar faces from the Security


    Department again.


    They came out of the office looking disgruntled, staring at them bitterly. Brian exined, "The firewall was almost breached, so Mr. Lopez has ordered them to fix it within three days." Hearing this, Charles and his group were embarrassed and avoided eye contact, feeling guilty. Shakira, however, stayed calm and focused, seemingly unfazed.


    "Mr. Reynolds, pleasee in." As the honored guest, Sean was the first to walk into the CEO''s office. The stunning panoramic floor-to-ceiling windows caught his eye and were impressive. Sitting behind his desk, Walter exuded a strong presence. "Mr. Reynolds, please have a seat. I''ll finish dealing with my internal staff before we discuss our coboration in detail." "Sure." Sean guided the curious and sharp-eyed Caroline to the guest area and sat downfortably to watch the scene unfold.


    Walter slightly furrowed his eyebrows and looked towards the marketing team with an intense and authoritative presence.


    "With such a low mistake, you guys hardly deserve to be called elites." Walter sneered coldly, pausing before scanning the room and focusing on Brian. "Where is she?" Everyone in Charles''s group was tense, wondering who he meant. Then, Brian quietly brought Shakira out from the back of


    the room.


    Walter fixed his intense gaze on her. "Come over here."


    Shakira thought, ''Why do I feel like Big Devil wants to eat me up