What She Overheard in Her Own Marriage novel Chapter 156

Noelle's brow furrowed in annoyance when the door burst open. But the moment she saw Kaia, her annoyance froze, quickly replaced by a flash of guarded wariness.

"Kaia, what are you..." Noelle stood up, feigning surprise.

The two executives hadn't expected Kaia to storm in either. They quickly stood up, offering her a respectful greeting, "Dr. Chavez..."

"Sorry to interrupt, but I have an urgent matter to discuss with Ms. Lawrence," Kaia said, keeping her tone professionally polished.

The executives naturally didn't want to get involved, looking to Noelle for a cue.

Noelle waved a hand. "You guys can step out. If Kaia is here, it must be important."

Once the door clicked shut, Noelle walked over to the seating area, preparing to pour some tea.

"Don't bother," Kaia said coldly. "I'm here to talk about the IP ownership for the Vitality Calm project."

Noelle paused, her smile faltering. She turned back to her desk and sat down. "Kaia, that... was a decision made by corporate. You're barking up the wrong tree. Their reasoning was resource optimization. After all, all those data points were originally generated here at Aethelstan..."

Kaia took two steps forward, planted both hands flat on the desk, leaned in, and glared at Noelle. "Have you gotten so used to stealing other people's work that you think it's your god-given right?"

Noelle's face turned completely white. Her lips parted, but no words came out.

Kaia crossed her arms. Dressed in a sharp black trench coat, she radiated a dominating, intimidating aura.

"Noelle, there's no one else here. Drop the act. I won't sugarcoat it. Before I agreed to bail you out, I gave Finnian two conditions, and he agreed to both. All rights and ownership of this project belong to Veridian Future. Aethelstan only gets authorization to use it. Don't try to use corporate as an excuse, and don't try to brush me off with some BS about 'resource optimization.'"

Kaia knew this wasn't just some standard restructuring—it was blatant theft.

Noelle's fingers curled slightly on the desk, her expression shifting. "Kaia, aren't you being a bit dramatic? Veridian Future and Aethelstan both belong to The Sanders Conglomerate. We all work for the greater good of the company. Why are you making things so ugly over one project's IP? We're both part of the Sanders family. Can't you see the big picture?"

"The big picture?" Kaia looked at her with pure disdain. "The sleepless nights, the endless hours in the lab, the agony of failed tests and starting over from scratch—and you think 'the big picture' just erases all of that? You've gotten pretty good at swooping in and taking the credit over the last six years, but this time, you're not getting a damn thing."

Noelle flushed a deep, humiliating red, as if she'd just been slapped across the face. Her lack of technical skill had always been a sore spot, but Kaia's aggressive, relentless attack wasn't exactly taking the high road either.

Back in the office, Noelle closed her eyes, her chest heaving.

It was the first time Kaia had ever marched into her office to cause a scene, making her a laughingstock in front of the entire staff. Her face burned with humiliation, feeling completely stripped of her dignity.

She had finally secured her place in the Sanders family, relying on Finnian's protection and Elaine's affection. If today's blowout sparked any ugly rumors within Aethelstan or corporate, she knew Grandma Josephine wouldn't let her hear the end of it.

"Kaia..." Noelle slammed her fist onto the desk in frustration. "You just can't stand to see me succeed, you vindictive bitch."

At The Sanders Tower.

Kaia, still in her black coat, marched straight into Finnian's office.

She slammed the file containing the 'Vitality Calm' project documents onto his desk.

"Mr. Sanders, I want a very good explanation."