“Victoria, did you really make us wait? Don’t you know the identity of Ms. Selena?” Erica asked after hearing what Johanna said.
“Yes, indeed, we’ve been waiting here for a while now. You know that we have an important visitor today but you still managed to be late,” Kc added, wanting to add fuel to the fire.
“Victoria, if you are having a hard time handling this project, I am willing to sacrifice to replace you,” Johanna pretended to be concerned.
“What are you all talking about!” Selena angrily retorted after hearing the outburst of the three.
Johanna pulled out a USB flash drive from her pocket and looked at it under the table, thinking it was effective, as this was her plan. The reason Victoria was late was that she hid her USB flash drive, which she now had in her possession. Earlier, she saw Victoria transfer the presentation to the USB, thinking to take it so that Victoria would have to search for it, causing her to be late.
There were two results; besides making the two prominent figures wait, she didn’t have the presentation to report. Johanna stood up, “Ms. Selena, if you don’t know, Victoria is just lucky to have this project. Maybe she overslept, which caused her lateness. I also doubt if she has a presentation to show us today,” she said, making everything she said sound realistic.
“Johanna, what are you saying?!” Manager Jen exclaimed.
“Manager Jen, why don’t you just tell Ms. Selena the real story about Victoria,” Johanna smiled, giving Manager Jen a knowing look, indicating to go along with her.
“Johanna, this behavior is not suitable in front of these two people, you should not fabricate stories about your coworker,” Manager Jen said icily.
Johanna was surprised that Manager Jen didn’t take her side. ‘What has gotten into this woman? Is she really this professional?’ Johanna thought, with a sense of doubt.
Erica made Johanna sit down. As Johanna sat, she whispered, “Madam, look at how angry Ms. Selena is. Let her speak first; surely, Victoria will receive a severe scolding. Ms. Selena might even transfer the project to you,” she was sure that Victoria would be reprimanded.
Johanna smiled wickedly before nodding, ‘Victoria, your time is up; you will surely be kicked out of the company.’
“You small people, do you know-” Selena began but was interrupted by Victoria’s polite apology.
“Ms. Selena, I’m sorry for making you wait. Someone tampered with my belongings, and I couldn’t find my flash drive. I even asked Manager Jen for another flash drive,” Victoria respectfully said, silencing Selena’s anger.
Selena, despite being angry, saw Victoria’s courteous demeanor and nodded before sitting down. “Okay, now that you’re here, let’s start the meeting,” she said.
Victoria nodded before handing the prints to them.
Johanna was surprised, “Ms. Selena, are you just going to overlook the wait this person made you go through?” She couldn’t believe what she was hearing.
Selena furrowed her brow, “What do you mean?” She looked at Johanna with disdain.
Noticing Selena’s intimidating gaze, Johanna didn’t know what to say. “Nothing, Ms. Selena,” she said before remaining silent, ‘Ms. Selena is being too kind; let’s see how Victoria will present,’ she thought as she held the flash drive in her pocket.
Victoria plugged in the flash drive before starting to show the presentation on the projector she had made.
Johanna’s eyes widened, “Impossible! How can you still have a presentation?” she exclaimed.
Victoria smiled at Johanna, “What do you mean by why do I still have a presentation? Did you have something to do with my missing flash drive?”
Johanna realized she had said something wrong, “Didn’t you say you lost your flash drive and your presentation was there?”
“When did I say my presentation was on that flash drive?” Victoria replied with a smile.
“Isn’t it?” Johanna was surprised, “If so, why did you take so long to search for it?” she asked in doubt.
Victoria smiled, “Why do you seem disappointed that my presentation is not on the missing flash drive? Do you have something to do with the disappearance of my flash drive?”
Johanna grew nervous, “What nonsense are you talking about, Victoria?” she stammered.
“Don’t worry, that flash drive has a tracker. I’ve already reported the incident to the police, and they said they can apprehend the person who took it because it’s against the law,” Victoria said with a smile.
Johanna immediately paled upon hearing Victoria’s words. She stood up, pulled the flash drive out of her pocket, and threw it on the table. She thought she would be in more trouble if the police were to locate her, and she would surely be exposed.
Victoria expected Johanna to be frightened.
“I never expected such a person in your team!” Selena remarked, looking disdainful after witnessing Johanna’s embarrassing act.
“Manager Jen, remove this person from the project. She was also the one trying to steal the project from Victoria at first. I don’t want this kind of person around!” Mr. Alejo said angrily.
Manager Jen nodded, “Johanna, you’ve disappointed me. As the team manager, you are no longer part of this project. Please leave the conference room,” she said coldly, pointing towards the door as a signal for Johanna to exit.
“Manager Jen, you can’t dismiss me! Maybe you’ve forgotten who I am,” Johanna arrogantly said.
“Ms. Selena, Madam Johanna holds a high position. If you notice, she’s wearing one of your teacher’s works, the blue tear pendant,” Erica proudly said, as if she owned the pendant.
Selena grinned, “What blue tear pendant? That’s made of a low-grade gem, nothing compared to the real blue tear made by my master.”
“Ms. Selena, this blue tear pendant was acquired by her husband at an auction,” Erica explained, not believing that Johanna’s pendant was fake.
“Acquired at an auction? Do you know if Mr. Rozzo was the one who got the blue tear pendant? Is Rozzo her surname?” Selena sarcastically remarked.
“Mr. Rozzo? Are you saying the wealthiest person in Italy?” Erica, shocked and disbelieving, begun to doubt Johanna’s identity. She took out her cellphone, searched about the auction, and exclaimed upon discovering the truth, “It’s true! Mr. Rozzo, the wealthiest person in all of Italy, indeed got the blue tear!”
“What are you waiting for? Get out! I don’t want to see people wearing knockoffs made by my teacher!” Selena coldly commanded.
Johanna didn’t know what to do. Her fake pendant had been exposed. She hurriedly left the conference room, head bowed in shame, and returned to her desk before slamming the table. “Victoria, I don’t know what luck you have, but I won’t let you stay happy!” she muttered to herself.
When Johanna exited the conference room, Victoria smiled and began the presentation. Erica and Kc also fell silent and listened to Victoria’s performance.
Mr. Alejo was amazed by the entire project plan. Selena mentioned that the plan could be executed smoothly, especially with Victoria’s capabilities. Manager Jen also agreed and expressed admiration. Erica and Kc, however, felt a sense of dismay and unhappiness.
The group left the conference room after a brief discussion. Only Selena and Victoria remained in the conference room because Selena wanted to speak with Victoria. If someone saw what happened next, they would be surprised by what they witnessed.