Next Man, Better Plan novel Chapter 78

Stephanie shrugged. “It wasn't me. She spilled it herself.”

Victoria cried foul. “Am I insane? Why would I sabotage myself with such important data? I’m the project lead! What good would it do me if the project fails?”

“Exactly. You’re only just realizing you’re insane.”

Stephanie smiled at her. “It might not do you any good, but it’s very convenient to have me to take the blame, isn’t it?”

Victoria was speechless. “You…”

“Alright, stop arguing!” Troy interjected. “Let’s figure out how to fix this! If we can’t deliver the data, we’re all in trouble!”

A colleague called for someone from the IT department. The tech specialist examined the computer and shrugged. “The motherboard and solid-state drive are soaked in coffee. It’s all sticky and burned out. I can’t clean it. To fix it, we’d probably have to send it back to the manufacturer.”

Troy immediately asked, “To the manufacturer? How long will that take?”

“At least a week, I’d say.”

Troy’s face fell. “Victoria, do you have a backup?”

Victoria shook her head, her eyes red with frustration.

Serena, always eager to stir up trouble, said, “In my opinion, we should just hand the culprit over to Verdant Grove Capital. Let Stephanie explain it to the client herself.”

At this, Victoria feigned generosity on Stephanie’s behalf. “The main responsibility for this is mine. I didn’t protect the data properly. If anyone has to apologize to Verdant Grove Capital, it should be me.”

But that wasn’t a reason for Stephanie to target Victoria. This wasn’t a personal grudge; it concerned the entire company’s interests. They had to consider the bigger picture.

Troy said sternly, “Stephanie, the evidence is clear. Apologize to Victoria, and we’ll handle this internally. I won’t report it to the boss.”

There were security cameras in the office, but Victoria’s desk was directly beneath one, creating a blind spot. When Stephanie passed by, her body had blocked most of the view. Victoria had counted on the camera not capturing anything.

Stephanie was suddenly reminded of a saying: in the office, there are no permanent friendships, only permanent interests.

It made sense. Troy was about to go on a long business trip, and with Victoria promoted to associate director, she would be in charge of the department.

Everyone else was just watching from the sidelines, refusing to take a side, which was a perfectly normal survival tactic in the workplace.