Cristelle looked at Izzy calmly, “Izzy, we both know who’s the foul person among us. I’m just glad that I finally got to see your true face today.”
Izzy rolled her eyes. She was so sure that the judges would be on her side, “Stop lying, Cristelle! Everyone in Team B knows you have no talents whatsoever. So lying is meaningless,” she turned to the judge’s seat, “I can promise you on my mother’s name that the design is mine. Cristelle Friesley stole my idea.”
“I can prove Izzy’s words,” one of the colleagues stood up, “I was right there when Izzy drew the draft. I witnessed how she generated the idea and added details!”
That girl standing up suddenly became the center of attention. All the journalists snapped at her with their cameras nonstop.
Fritzi frowned as her eyes skimmed across the two identical works. And then, she let out a sarcastic smile. Elle leaned in and whispered something into Fritzi’s ear. Fritzi turned around and told Linford what she had just heard.
Linford managed to keep a straight face after hearing what Fritzi said. He acted as if he knew everything.
Cristelle felt so betrayed as her colleague suddenly stood up and accused her. It was her idea. How could these people do this to her?
“Izzy! That’s enough!” A voice suddenly called from under the stage. Juliette stood up, her hand clasping her phone, “Stop lying.”
Juliette just received a message from Alfred. Linford knew everything, but he just let Izzy continue acting on the stage like a clown.
“I saw it, Izzy. You copied Cristelle’s work when she was asleep. You’re a great team leader, Izzy. But I can’t lie to you. I’ve seen everything!”
Izzy went pasty pale. She couldn’t believe that Juliette would betray her at the moment like this.
“What the heck are you talking about, Juliette? Are you out of your mind? Why would I copy my design from her? She’s nothing!” Izzy screamed on the stage like a madwoman.
That colleague who faked to be the witness also went bristled, “What the heck are you talking about, Juliette? You can’t lie like that!”
“I’ve seen everything, Izzy. Just stop. You will only make a fool of yourself,” Juliette sighed. The hall fell silent as all the cameras focused on Juliette’s face.
The way Juliette looked at Izzy was sympathetic. Luckily, she had never tried to do any nasty things. Or she would have been caught on camera as Izzy did.
“Izzy, you looked at Cristelle’s draft book that day after she fell asleep on the desk. After that, you cleaned everything up and even poured a cup of tea into the sink. What did you add to that cup of tea? Did you drug Cristelle so you can steal away her idea?”
“It’s not me!” Izzy screamed, “I’ve never watched her drafts! It was… It was just a random notebook! You’re making things up, Juliette! You’re as nasty as Cristelle Friesley!” Izzy still refused to give up at a difficult moment. She knew they could do nothing without any evidence.
“Stop this, Izzy! We’ve got one more camera in our office. Everything you did that day has been recorded!” Juliette threw out the key evidence.
“What? What are you talking about?” Izzy couldn’t believe what she had just heard, “There is more than one camera?” Izzy had completely exposed herself by saying that. They didn’t even need to watch the surveillance footage anymore.
“Izzy, admit your mistake. It’s still not too late,” Juliette sighed heavily.
Izzy knew she had completely lost this battle. Her knees buckled as she fell against the floor. Criticisms and sharp comments generated from the crowd rushed into her ears.
Izzy covered her ears as she cried loudly on the stage. She looked so pathetic.
Izzy was the leader of Team B, and what she did completely ruined the image of the FD of the company. She would surely be kicked out later. Linford didn’t even cast a look at that woman. His eyes had been on Cristelle’s face all the time.
This woman was so silly. Why didn’t she speak up for herself? She’s too innocent and pure. Linford had seen her drafts when she fell asleep that day. He wouldn’t have known the truth if he didn’t drop by that day.
Cristelle noticed how miserable Izzy was. She wanted to walk forth and help her to stand up, but she knew she was the biggest victim of this drama. So she decided to step off. A couple of workers went on the stage, trying to take Izzy away.
Izzy cast one last look in Linford’s direction, her voice sad and full of emotions, “Mr. Bradley!”
Linford didn’t even bother to look up. He only had his eyes on Cristelle.
That whore!
Izzy went out of control. She dashed in Cristelle’s direction and grabbed an iron rack before Cristelle realized anything. Izzy had already thrown the rack at her legs.
The hard rack hit Cristelle’s shin, and she fell off. A couple of bodyguards got on the stage and seized Izzy under control. Linford went on the stage immediately and picked Cristelle up in his arms, his voice anxious, “Why didn’t you dodge? It was so dangerous!”
****
The event became a total mess. Some employees went on the stage to keep the order. Linford carried Cristelle out of the hall, ignoring the curious gazes that fell on their bodies.
Cristelle felt a bit uncomfortable in his strong arms, “Sir… I can walk by myself. You don’t need to carry me.”
“Your injury is the company’s responsibility, Cristelle,” Linford looked pretty angry, “Don’t force it.”
The way he talked right now was a bit intimidating. Cristelle knew better than to argue with this man right now. Besides, that rack did get her good. Her shin was bruised, and it was swollen. She definitely couldn’t walk as fast as a normal person now.
Linford carried her in his car and told the driver to go to the nearest hospital.
Cristelle’s injury was not serious, but it still needed to take her at least one month to recover. The doctor handled her wounds and gave her some instructions about her diet for the next month. She also needed to stay in the hospital for a while.
“Doc… I… I still have my babies at home. They’re too little. They need me,” Cristelle refused to stay in the ward.