Everything was a deal until divorce novel Chapter 70

Chapter 70 Just Tell the Truth

Finished

Sienna leaned in and told her, “Just tell the truth. It wasn’t your fault. But Mr. Vale gets scary when he’s mad, and you just got here… If he thinks this is on you, you might not even pass probation.”

Stuff like this had happened before. The last new hire just packed up and left the company the same day.

Arden kept her head down and gave a soft “okay.” Bonnie was already at the elevator, and when she saw Arden still standing there, she snapped, “Are you coming or not?”

Arden followed her into the elevator. Inside, Bonnie said, “This whole thing is your mistake. You know how you’re supposed to explain it.”

Arden looked at her. “The mistake was mostly yours. I told you to double–check everything, and you didn’t. You just submitted it. How is that my fault?”

Bonnie didn’t expect her to push back. She wasn’t just stubborn, she actually dared to argue.

Now Arden fully understood why Sienna had been so harsh with her. Helping people like Bonnie? Never again.

They reached the 28th floor quickly.

Lucien was standing outside the office. He looked slightly surprised to see Arden with Bonnie, but his expression returned to neutral right away.

Bonnie flashed him a polite smile. “Lucien, we’re here. Mr. Vale asked to see us.”

Lucien knew what this was about. Dorian had gone off just minutes earlier over a huge discrepancy in one of the project budgets, and apparently, the case had something to do with Arden.

He knocked on the door. “Mr. Vale, Bonnie’s here.”

“Bring them in.”

The moment they walked in, Dorian looked up. His eyes immediately found Arden, and his gaze swept over her slowly.

She kept her head down and didn’t dare make eye contact. The tension in the room was suffocating.

Even Bonnie looked rattled, unable to glance toward the man seated at the head of the table,

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Chapter 70 Just Tell the Truth

Dorian’s voice was ice. “Explain. How does a mistake this basic even happen?”

He slammed the proposal folder down onto the table.

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Bonnie quickly stepped forward. “Mr. Vale, Arden handled the numbers in that proposal. I even told her specifically to double–check.”

She threw all the blame on Arden without hesitation. That’s when Arden finally understood how ruthless people could be. She looked up and met Dorian’s eyes.

“I did double–check the numbers,” she said calmly. “But after that, I gave the file to Bonnie and told her to review it one more time before submitting. She didn’t.”

Dorian noticed how flustered she looked. Her skin was pale, her cheeks flushed with anxiety, and her hands were clenched at her sides, fingers white from tension. Her eyes stared straight at him, lips pressed together tightly.

Smart enough to defend herself. Good.

Bonnie cut in again, “If you can’t even check numbers right, what can you do?”

Arden fired right back. “And what kind of experienced employee submits a proposal without reviewing it first? I’m in Sienna’s team, not yours. I didn’t even have to help you. I did it out of kindness. And now that something went wrong, you’re blaming all of it on me?”

Dorian finally pieced it together. Bonnie had used her as a scapegoat. But Arden wasn’t stupid- she knew how to stand up for herself.

Bonnie opened her mouth again, but Dorian tapped his pen sharply on the table. “Bonnie, this was your project. Once you submit a proposal, you’re responsible for every word and number in it.”

That shut her up fast. “Get out. Your annual bonus is canceled. Screw up again, and you’re fired.”

Arden let out a breath of relief. She had been terrified he’d use this as an excuse to fire her.

Back on the 26th floor, as soon as the elevator doors opened, Bonnie shot her a deadly glare. “You did that on purpose, didn’t you?”

Arden blinked. “I helped you out. How does that make it intentional?”

“You wanted to make me look bad.”

“I don’t think as dark as you

do.”

Arden hurried back to her desk and took a deep breath to calm herself down. Talia leaned over and whispered, “So? What happened?”

14:52 Tue, Feb 3

Chapter 70 Just Tell the Truth

Finched

“Mr. Vale didn’t blame me. He said it was Bonnie’s fault.”

Talia made a sound of disbelief. “That explains why she looked like she was chewing nails. Serves her right. And wow, Mr. Vale’s actually… pretty fair, huh?”

Arden nodded. “Drinks on me. What do you want?”

“Latte for me.”

Arden turned to Sienna. “What about you?”

Sienna looked up,

about to say she didn’t want anything. But those eyes across from her were

just too pretty, full of hope. She gave in.

“Milk tea with pudding.”

Arden smiled with relief. “Clark?”

“Black coffee. No sugar.”

Arden made a note of the orders, then pulled up Lucien’s contact on WhatsApp.

“Lucien, what do you and your boss want to drink? My treat.”

Lucien stepped into the office and said, “Sir, Mrs. Vale wants to buy us drinks. She’s asking what you’d like.”

Dorian opened his phone, clicked into WhatsApp… and frowned. “There’s no message from

her.”

“She messaged me.”

Dorian’s face darkened. “Why didn’t she message me?”

Lucien raised a brow. “How should I know?”

Maybe it’s because you always look like you’re about to murder someone. She’s probably scared of you. But Lucien didn’t dare say that out loud.

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