Oops I Banged the CEO novel Chapter 190

“I have nothing inappropriate going on with Yvonne. Just because you play dirty doesn’t mean you should drag others down with you.” Cedric, usually cool and withdrawn, couldn’t help but snap back at Linda to defend Yvonne.

Linda’s lips curled into a gentle, almost mocking smile when she saw how anxious he was to explain himself. “Oh? Then tell me, as an outsider, how did you even get into the company? Why are you wandering around our department? Wasn’t it Yvonne who secretly gave you all this information?”

“Our lab works in partnership with the Hamilton Group. I’m a visiting specialist. I have proper credentials.” Cedric lifted the badge hanging around his neck. “And I checked in at the front desk. Rather than wasting time slandering others, maybe you should start taking responsibility for your own actions.”

“I’m just making conversation. Why are you so nervous unless you have something to hide?” Linda shot back, twisting the conversation, clearly trying to muddy the waters and wriggle out of blame.

Yvonne and Cedric weren’t particularly close, but she’d always known he could be stubborn. Now that he’d come rushing to the company, she couldn’t just stand by and do nothing when he was being dragged into this mess.

With her pale face set in icy calm, Yvonne glanced at Linda’s feigned innocence and said coolly, “Linda, the evidence is right in front of you. Why are you still insisting you’re innocent?”

“These documents were shredded into pieces, yet somehow the stamped, most incriminating pages managed to survive almost intact. It’s hard not to suspect someone deliberately planted them to frame me.”

“But you admitted it yourself just now! Everyone saw you!” Nydia retorted sharply.

Linda forced a smile that didn’t reach her eyes. “Yvonne got my assistant fired, so I wanted to get back at her and rile her up. It doesn’t count as a real confession.”

Her nerves were made of steel; even backed into a corner, she refused to admit guilt.

“William, take those shredded papers outside and have them reconstructed,” Marico ordered in a low, commanding voice.

Linda was caught off guard yet again.

“I only trust facts and the truth. You can confess now, or wait for the results,” Marico replied, standing tall among the crowd, his presence commanding and cold. His dark gaze bore into Linda, expressionless but icy enough to freeze hope.

Even his tone was glacial, cutting through her last ounce of optimism.

“Mr. Hamilton, I’ve worked tirelessly for this company for years. Even if I haven’t achieved much, I’ve given my heart and soul! And now, just because of one junior employee, you’re convinced it’s all my fault? Do you realize how demoralizing that is for loyal staff who’ve followed you for so long?” Linda’s voice grew more emotional, her eyes turning red.

Yvonne stood quietly off to the side, her gentle features serene and radiant, unmoved by the drama.

Linda’s words were meant to undermine Yvonne’s abilities, to imply that her looks were the only reason Marico was taking her side.

“Years of dedicated service are certainly admirable. But if you’ve been undermining the company all this time, that’s even scarier,” Yvonne replied, her voice calm as a breeze, a subtle hint of lingering fear flickering across her face.