The Abandoned Wife Dumped Him First (Victoria and Elias) novel Chapter 212

All eyes immediately fell on Felice.

"Felice," Mr. Blake said, his tone sharp.

Felice immediately stood up, her head bowed. "Mr. Blake, I was solely responsible for the Midlake Estates project. I take full responsibility for losing the bid."

Mr. Blake's expression turned grim. "Take responsibility? How? As the department director, you know exactly how much we invested in the early stages of this project. You stood in front of me and swore you were confident you'd win the bid. And now you think you can just wave this away by saying you'll 'take responsibility'?!"

Felice pressed her lips together, not daring to speak.

Sitting to the side, Victoria heard the name "Midlake Estates," and the corner of her mouth twitched almost imperceptibly.

Now she understood why Sunny had randomly asked if she was okay, and where Rose's smug confidence had come from.

It seemed this meeting had been arranged specifically for her.

Victoria closed her folder. Just then, her phone lit up with a screenshot from Sunny. It was the meeting announcement sent from headquarters an hour ago. The subject: Accountability for the lost Midlake Estates bid in the Southbank District.

The email had an attachment containing the list of selected firms and the reasons for rejection. The reason listed for Aurelian Central was stark: "Incomplete design submission. Unprofessional conduct."

"Actually, I don't think Ms. Donald is entirely to blame," Genevieve said softly, coming to Felice's defense. "While Ms. Donald bears some responsibility for the missing designs, this project had a designated designer. The final materials were submitted by that designer. It's just..."

Genevieve paused and looked at Felice with feigned confusion. "Ms. Donald, who was the lead designer on the Midlake Estates project?"

Felice looked up, hesitating to speak.

Seeing this, Mr. Blake grew even angrier. "What is it, Felice? Are you planning to take the fall for this and resign as director?"

"It was... Victoria," Felice said after a few seconds of silence.

Genevieve feigned surprise. "Oh, it was Victoria? Well... that explains it."

Mr. Blake frowned. "Explains what? What do you mean?"

"Well... I only found this out after I started here." Genevieve hesitated, as if wrestling with herself before continuing. "Before I arrived, the position I currently hold... it was widely rumored that it was going to Victoria."

"I am."

"Do you have anything to say in response to what Director Vale and Ms. Donald have said? Were you unhappy with the personnel decisions and deliberately sabotaged the submission by withholding the designs?!"

Mr. Blake's face was flushed with anger, his chest heaving as he struggled to contain his rage.

"I did not," Victoria said, her voice calm and her words precise. "When I submitted the project materials to Ms. Donald, the designs were in the portfolio."

Mr. Blake roared, "Then why were they missing when the submission arrived? If it wasn't you, did they just get up and walk away?"

The outburst made everyone in the room flinch, holding their breath. Victoria, by contrast, remained perfectly calm. "On the afternoon of the deadline, I was in a meeting with The Shawn Group's project department to discuss some implementation issues. Ms. Donald handled the submission herself. You can all verify this by checking the conference room booking records and the meeting minutes."

"And if those aren't available, I have a recording of the meeting." She pulled up a recording on her phone and played it. "The time stamp and conversation will prove it," she continued. "Furthermore, Ms. Donald and I personally verified the designs in her office before the submission deadline."

"So..." Victoria paused, glancing at a nervous Felice. "The question of why the designs were present when I handed them over, but missing from the final submission... perhaps that's a question for you, Ms. Donald?"