Before Josefina even set foot back at the office, Kale's call buzzed through her phone. "Ms. Josefina, you need to check social media, Ruby's really done it now. Talk about shooting herself in the foot. She's such a blockhead."
Josefina ended the call with a frown and quickly pulled up her social media feed. There it was, in bold, scandalous letters: "Antonio Corporation Scam."
With a tap, the whole sorry tale unfolded before her.
Ruby had pulled a fast one, passing off machine-made damask as the handwoven kind, and had the nerve to charge the high-end price that came with artisanal goods.
Customers, realizing they'd been duped once their orders arrived and after a quick expert consultation, were up in arms at being swindled by Antonio Corporation.
The backlash was swift and fierce. Angry comments flooded the company's social media page, and disgruntled customers even blockaded the corporation's headquarters, all chanting for their money back.
And Ruby? She was pacing like a cat on a hot tin roof.
The woman sitting next to her was livid, her face the color of storm clouds as she spat out, "Ruby, I warned you not to mistake your own foolishness for other people's naivety. In this day and age, you still got the nerve to use such shameless tactics to cheat customers and tarnish our brand? Unbelievable."
How could Ruby, with her harebrained schemes, ever hope to outdo Josefina? The woman’s gaze was venomous, filled with rage as she glared at Ruby.
Ruby, feeling chastised and on edge, wanted to retaliate but the woman's glare had her feeling guilty as sin. "Erica, I thought no one would catch on, that's why I did it. It's all my fault, what do we do now?"
Erica couldn't even bear to look at Ruby, fearing she might just explode and crack open Ruby’s skull to see if there was anything inside but mush. Erica thought, which brain cell had Ruby used to concoct this fiasco?
Erica's anger was palpable as she paced the room, her high heels clicking ominously with every step, sending shivers down Ruby's spine.
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