She Was Never Just a Pretty Face novel Chapter 46

Jolie's face drained of color.

But she had survived in high-society circles for years.

She was incredibly quick on her feet—

"Luther, she is my aunt, yes."

"But she works managing the estate, and I work at Aegis Group. In principle, there is absolutely no conflict of interest or overlap in resources. Furthermore, I have constantly advocated for Hilda to host this banquet. It's her own inability to handle it that's the issue here. Why is she suddenly trying to deflect the blame onto my relationship with my aunt? My aunt has worked tirelessly for this household for years... For Hilda to attack her so baselessly is a blatant abuse of power! How is my aunt supposed to manage the staff after this? Hilda thinks management is so simple. Does she think leadership just means slapping your subordinates? If that were true, any random maid could be an executive manager, couldn't they?"

She truly had a gift for spin. In a matter of seconds, she hurled the blame right back onto Hilda.

Luther's expression softened slightly. When he looked at Hilda, his tone hardened. "Apologize to Yara, hand the vendor files over to Jolie, and head back to the apartment. Let's not bring this up in front of my grandmother. I won't mention it either. There's no need to cause her unnecessary stress."

Nathan and Eleanor had no objections to this resolution.

In truth, their biases had already shifted.

As adorable as little Annie was.

And as legitimate as Hilda was by marriage.

—She simply couldn't compare to Jolie's competence.

Hilda's gaze slowly swept across the faces of everyone present.

She knew her position in this family all too well.

She lowered her eyes, let out a soft chuckle, and raised the second document. "And what about this? Is this contract the work of an honest, hardworking manager? I dug deep into the employment files. Every single driver and maid working here is supposed to have a direct contract with the Sanford family. It's a benefit the family provides to ensure the staff has full pensions and security when they retire. But our dear manager here kept everyone in the dark. She secretly hired an outsourced agency and forced all the staff to sign third-party contracts. Not only does she skim $1,200 from everyone's monthly paycheck, but the $1,800 medical and pension contributions that the Sanford family pays out also vanish directly into the agency's pockets. And by pure coincidence, this outsourced agency is managed by a proxy, while the actual majority shareholder is none other than our very own Yara Lovell. Which means, every single month, Yara has been bleeding the staff dry to the tune of sixty to eighty thousand dollars."

Yara's face turned completely white.

Panicking, she desperately tried to explain herself to Nathan and Eleanor—

"Don't listen to her!"

"It's completely fabricated!"

"Using outsourced contracts is standard industry practice nowadays! I never intended to pocket any of it. Sir, Madam, you have to believe me! She's lying! She's intentionally trying to frame me!"

Nathan was not a man easily fooled. He walked over to Hilda, took the file from her hands, and flipped through it. The evidence was meticulous, every stolen dollar tracked and accounted for with terrifying clarity.

[Last month, she walked off with a crystal vase from the parlor.]

[During the Lunar New Year bonuses, she skimmed two hundred bucks from every single envelope.]

[When Sophie's daughter got hired, Madam explicitly signed off on it, but Yara extorted four thousand dollars in 'finder's fees' from Sophie anyway. The woman has no conscience.]

Eleanor was furious.

Yara was so terrified she crumpled to the floor.

As for Jolie, her beautiful face was chalk-white.

She had never, in her wildest nightmares, anticipated this outcome.

Hilda slowly walked over to her. Leaning in close to Jolie's ear, she whispered in a soft, dangerously gentle voice—

"I'm sorry, Jolie."

"But starting today, I'm done playing nice."