Manager Wilson's expression was cold. "The deed is done, so there's no use bickering about the technicalities. The supplier is hounding us for the 2 million dollars now. Fine, you two, come with me."
Alvera and Beverly left Manager Scott's office with Manager Wilson and followed him up to the 28th floor.
...
The three of them entered the CEO's office.
Roland glanced at Alvera before looking at Manager Wilson. "What's going on?"
Manager Wilson told him what had happened.
"I only found out about this mistake when the supplier asked for the money this morning," he explained. "Mr. Francois, this is a serious matter caused by these two employees. I'm not sure what to do now, so I've come up here for your help."
...
Manager Wilson avoided Roland's gaze nervously as he threw his pen down on the table.
Roland crossed his arms and looked at the two women standing in front of him. "Are you going to explain yourselves?"
"Mr. Francois, this really has nothing to do with me," Beverly said hastily. "I was just running errands and purchasing according to the form."
Roland raised his eyebrows and said coldly, "Is this how you work here at the Empire Group? Just following orders blindly and ignoring any mistakes or slip-ups?"
Beverly felt a little guilty.
"Or," he continued, "are you just looking for excuses for your carelessness? There was a mistake in the form, yes, but are you sure you're not at fault here as well, since you are in charge of purchasing?"
Beverly keep quiet, knowing that she was screwed.
Roland turned to Alvera. "And what about you? Any excuses? Or are you admitting fault?"
Alvera sighed. "I swear on my mother that I double-checked the form multiple times after I made it last Friday."
"So you think someone sabotaged you?"
Alvera nodded. "Yes."
Roland looked at Manager Wilson. "Go and check the security cameras in your office. Check if anyone touched Alvera's computer on Friday."
Manager Wilson hesitated for a moment before saying, "Mr. Francois, I'm sorry. The Administration Department's security cameras have not been working for a while, and we haven't got around to fix them yet."
Roland snorted coldly. "How long have they been out of order?"
"Less than half a month."
"Is half a month not enough time to fix a damaged camera? Manager Wilson, I'm starting to doubt if you're up to the job. Have you found yourself a replacement already?"
"I'm sorry, Mr. Francois, I'll get someone to fix the cameras at once."
Roland tapped his fingers on the table, silent in thought for a moment, before giving his verdict.
"Alright, Terry will deal with this. Since all of you are at fault here, I'll let you off with a warning this time. Don't do it again."
All three of them were stunned by what he said.
Bruce looked at Roland in surprise. Was this really the same Mr. Francois he knew who would throw a tantrum at the mere mention of a loss of a few hundred thousand dollars?
How could he be so calm about the loss of 2 million dollars right now?
Alvera was also surprised. She was expecting Roland to use this matter to humiliate her further, but he didn't.
"Why are you still standing here? Get out!"
"Yes, yes, sir." Manager Wilson nodded fervently and told Alvera and Beverly, "Come on, follow me out."
After they left, Terry came forward and said, "Boss, are you really just letting this slide? It's clear that Ms. Alvera was sabotaged."
"Do you think I would just let this slide? The saboteur knows about the damaged cameras, so it's definitely someone from the office. Even if we could determine who was first in the office or last to leave from the cameras in the corridors, it's still not definitive proof. Let's not alert the enemy for the time being. They will strike again when they see that Alvera is fine this time. In the meantime, send someone to keep an eye on the Administrative Department."
...
"Alright. What should I do with the extra printers?"
"Donate some, sell some, get rid of them as best as you can."
Terry acceded and left the office to deal with the various matters.
As Alvera returned to the office, she felt uneasy that Roland had just let her go without any punishment after such a big mistake.
For the rest of the day, her co-workers eyed her suspiciously as they went about their work.
Alvera knew that they had unanimously pinned the fault on her, but she didn't bother explaining herself.
...
She left the company promptly after work.
While she was driving home, her phone rang.
She put on her Bluetooth earphones and answered the phone. "Hello."
"Ms. Alvera, it's me, Owen."
"Hello, Mr. Perez. I recognized your voice."
"I am attending a gala in Calgary later, but I'm missing a partner. Would you like to come with me?"
"I'm not good at socializing."
"You don't have to socialize, you just need to accompany me."
Alvera felt a little awkward. She did not like going to such occasions, but this was the first time Owen had asked her for help.
He had saved her last time, so it was hard for her to decline his request.
"Alright, where should I go now?"
"You can come over to my company. That's where I am now."
"All right."
"So you think you can handle her?"
Roland smirked. "If you can take down Leah, then I can take down Alvera."
"You know I have a child with Leah, right?"
"Doesn't change the fact that you still couldn't get her."
He smirked at Brent, stood up, and walked into the crowd.
Brent smiled. He hadn't finished what he was saying.
When it comes to women, the loser is always the one who takes the relationship seriously.
He could tell that Roland was already losing by the way he acted so tensely.
He wouldn't mind enjoying a spectacular show like this.
In the crowd, Alvera thought she saw Roland out of the corner of her eyes.
At first, she thought she was hallucinating, but she realized he was actually there when she focused.
Roland was really walking towards them.
"Why was he here? Was the world so small?" she thought frantically.
...
Her expression tightened in nervousness as she asked Owen, "Mr. Perez, when are we leaving?"
"In a moment. I just need to go and speak with the organiser of the gala."
"Is it okay if I wait for you at the door? It's a little stuffy in here."
"Will you be okay waiting alone?"
Alvera nodded repeatedly, "I will."
"Okay then, I'll just be a minute."
Just as Alvera turned around to leave, Roland appeared in front of them. "Mr. Perez, glad to have you here. Why don't you come and take a seat? Brent and I have been waiting for you," he said.
Owen's gaze turned to Roland as they clinked their glasses together. "I was just about to go over, Mr. Francois, but you found me first. Is Mr. Moore already here?"
"There, we've been waiting for you since you came in."
Alvera was uneasy at the implication that Roland had been watching her from the very beginning.
Roland fixed his eyes on Alvera. "Your partner?"
Owen looked at Alvera and smiled lightly. "Yes. Ms. Alvera, say hello to Mr. Francois from the Empire Group."
Roland arched an eyebrow expectantly at Alvera. He was interested to see how she would greet him.
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