After a brief handover with HR, Bianca picked up her box of personal items and headed for the exit, aware of the company’s eyes on her as she walked through the lobby.
“Bianca.” Zoey appeared in the hallway, swiftly closing the gap between them and stopping Bianca in her tracks.
Bianca turned to see Zoey, still elegant in her usual style-a sleek black silk wrap dress-showing strong confidence and professional composure despite the situation.
Zoey crossed her arms, flashing a smile that Bianca could only interpret as a smug sneer.
In a low voice audible only to them, Zoey murmured, “Bianca, do you really think your resignation and a few tweets can damage my reputation? You’re naive. This trend will pass, and today’s events will be forgotten in days. You’ve achieved nothing; you just lost your job for nothing. Why did you do it?”
Bianca responded calmly, her lips curving slightly. “Those who plant seeds of wrongdoing will reap their own consequences. How long do you think your pride will protect you? We’ll see.”
“Don’t be stubborn. Despite your victory, you’ve actually lost to me. You’re just a perpetual loser who will never surpass me.” Zoey lifted her chin proudly, her eyes sharp and calculating.
Ignoring further conversation, Bianca sneered and turned away sharply, leaving without another word.
However, Bianca’s purposeful stride came to a sudden stop as Justin entered through the company’s entrance. He wore a sharp suit with a black coat draped over his shoulders, his expression serious, walking with brisk steps.
“Mr. Wilson, you’re back,” Zoey quickly changed her tone upon seeing Justin, switching to a flattering smile and moving to greet him.
Ignoring Zoey’s efforts, Justin stood in front of Bianca, his gaze coldly fixed on the box in her hands. “Bianca, you’re not the one who should be leaving.”
In a decisive move, Justin extended his hand, pointing directly at Zoey beside them.
“Zoey Carter should be the one leaving!”
Zoey’s smile froze, her confidence flickering.
Bianca looked up in surprise, meeting Justin’s probing eyes.
“Mr. Wilson, what are you saying?” Zoey asked incredulously.
Justin turned to her with a cold look.
“Even though I’ve been away, I know about your bet with Bianca. After losing, you should have resigned! Furthermore, the investigation found that you manipulated the audition voting, compromising fairness, and colluded with Josh Harvey, the vice general manager. He abused his power to promote you to director while you both accepted bribes. Is this true?”
All eyes in the company were glued to Justin’s words. Employees exchanged skeptical whispers, their attention now focused on Zoey.
“I can’t believe she was involved with Josh Harvey!”
“So, that’s how she rose up so quickly-through those kinds of methods!”
“Dressing up in black silk stockings every day just to attract men. How shameful!”
Zoey was stunned, her eyes widening. How could Justin know about what happened between her and Josh? It seemed impossible!
“Mr. Wilson, that’s not true! I am completely innocent in my dealings with Mr. Harvey. There must be a mistake or someone falsely accusing me!”
“False accusations?” Justin snorted coldly, pivoting his polished shoes and gesturing to his assistant behind him. The assistant promptly handed over records detailing hotel stays between Zoey and Josh.
Without hesitation, Justin tossed the stack of records towards Zoey. “Each of these bookings was made by Josh’s assistant, who admitted to arranging them for you and Josh!”
“Um…” Zoey stammered, still trying to argue. “You can’t just believe what the assistant says, and even if Mr. Harvey and I are together, it doesn’t affect the company.”
Ignoring her protests, Justin turned and signaled to his assistant. The assistant quickly powered on a laptop, revealing a folder filled with hundreds of pages of bribery records.
“How… How did you get these?” Zoey asked in a state of panic. These were records that existed only on her computer, carefully hidden and kept extremely confidential.
“Some actions inevitably leave traces once they’re done. And obtaining this information is straightforward for me,” Justin replied calmly, his authoritative gaze fixed on Zoey.
“I’ll give all these proofs to the police. With all the bribes you’ve taken, you’ll probably get several years in prison,” Justin said firmly.
Zoey went pale, her hands shaking uncontrollably. She dropped to her knees in front of Justin, gripping his pants desperately. “Mr. Wilson, Josh ordered all of this. He threatened and manipulated me! Please, have mercy. Don’t give this evidence to the police. I can’t bear the thought of going to jail!”
“Afraid of facing the consequences? That won’t work.”
Just then, a cold, composed voice spoke from behind Justin.
Everyone turned to see Michael, who walked in with a group of police officers in uniform following him.
Justin pushed Zoey away and turned to face Michael, asking, “Mr. Hayes, what brings you here?”
Michael glanced disdainfully at Zoey, who was lying on the ground. “Mr. Wilson, it seems that Phoenix Entertainment is infested with parasites. I’m here to help you root out these pests.”
With that statement, Michael approached Zoey and looked down at her. “It was you and Josh Harvey who planned Sophia’s tragic car accident. The driver has confessed everything. Just the charge of orchestrating such a terrible act is enough to put you behind bars!”
Bianca was shocked to hear that Zoey and Josh had plotted Sophia’s accident. She glared angrily at Zoey, her eyes filled with fury. “To win, you stooped so low as to plot against Sophia’s life! Do you have any humanity left?”
Zoey laughed wildly, her voice tinged with madness. “Don’t be so naive. In this competitive industry, climbing to the top requires using certain tactics. Sooner or later, you’ll do the same, willing to do whatever it takes to achieve your goals!”
“I won’t stoop to your level. I’ll achieve my goals using my own ethical methods,” Bianca declared coldly, her eyes fixed on the disheveled Zoey.
At that moment, Josh was escorted like a criminal, descending from the elevator. He kept his head down, hiding his eyes under messy bangs.
Seeing Josh brought in, Zoey suddenly stood up and pointed at him. She screamed hysterically, “It was him! He orchestrated the crash into Sophia’s car, and I had no idea!”
Ignoring everything, she rushed forward and grabbed his collar, tears streaming down her face. “Josh, didn’t you say you loved me and would do anything for me? Tell them it was all your plan. None of this has anything to do with me. Please! Say something!”
“Rubbish!” With disdain, Josh spat in Zoey’s face. “Naive! I’ve been done with you for ages. A woman like you, who is past her prime and without benefits to offer, isn’t worth my time!”
Enraged, Zoey trembled and slapped Josh across the face. “You despicable coward!”