Chapter 258: The Villainess In Her Story

Isobel arrived early that Monday morning, as she usually did.

She had expected to find Dean already waiting in her office, but his assistant told her that he had been summoned to the CEO’s office.

Isobel thought nothing of it.

She simply nodded and returned to her work, immersing herself in the project that had been keeping her occupied for days.

By mid-morning, however, Dean still had not returned.

Isobel needed the results of the focus group discussion for the beta version of Lexan. Without the data, she couldn’t move forward with the next stage of the project.

She finally pushed back her chair.

"I’ll just get it myself."

She left her office and took the elevator down one floor to the Marketing Department.

The moment the elevator doors opened, however, something felt different.

The atmosphere was very wrong.

The usual hum of conversation seemed to fade as she stepped into the department.

Several employees looked up. Then quickly looked away.

A few whispered among themselves.

Isobel slowed.

Her brows drew together.

She could feel their eyes following her as she walked past the reception area. The whispers were too low for her to make out the words, but the tone was unmistakable.

Something had happened.

And somehow, she seemed to be at the center of it.

She glanced around, trying to understand.

What is going on?

She spotted a young marketing officer standing near one of the workstations. The woman had been hired personally by Claire and had always been openly loyal to her.

Isobel approached her.

"Excuse me. I need the focus group results for the Lexan beta test. Do you know where Clair is?"

"Why are you pretending not to know?"

The woman’s sharp interruption stopped her cold.

Isobel blinked.

"I’m sorry?"

The young woman folded her arms.

"Don’t act like you have no idea what happened."

Several heads turned. The room suddenly seemed much quieter.

Isobel looked from one employee to another.

"What happened?"

The woman’s expression hardened.

"Director Claire Landers resigned."

For a moment, Isobel simply stared at her.

Claire resigned?

She hadn’t heard anything about it.

The woman gave a bitter laugh.

"Of course you didn’t."

"What is that supposed to mean?" Isobel asked trying to maintain her composure.

"You know exactly what it means."

Her voice was loud enough now that everyone nearby could hear.

"Ever since you came here, Director Claire has been treated like she was the problem. And now she’s gone."

A murmur rippled through the department.

Someone whispered, "She was forced out."

Another voice answered, "Everyone knows it."

Isobel’s expression darkened.

"If she was forced out," she said calmly, "then it means she must have done something that violated the company’s code of conduct."

"How could she have done that?" the marketing officer shot back.

Her voice carried across the department.

"Miss Claire is one of the most professional people in this company. She’s been here for years. She built this department before you even arrived."

She took a step closer, her expression hardening.

"And you? You just joined the company, yet you somehow managed to curry favor with the boss almost immediately."

A few employees exchanged knowing glances.

The young woman continued, her resentment becoming more obvious with every word.

"Director Claire always warned us about you. She saw through you from the beginning. That’s why she was against you."

Her eyes narrowed.

"So don’t stand there and pretend you had nothing to do with this."

Isobel frowned. She did not like the way the woman talked to her.

She didn’t immediately answer. Instead, her gaze dropped to the woman’s employee badge.

The name meant nothing to her.

She looked back at the woman’s face.

She must have been hired recently.

That explained why she had never seen her before.

Judging by how fiercely she was defending Claire, Isobel suspected she wasn’t simply a loyal employee.

She was one of Claire’s people.

Isobel slowly lifted her eyes to the young woman.

"You spoke very boldly, Miss Chen."

Her voice remained calm, but there was a quiet edge to it now.

"I can report you to HR for slandering me."

Miss Chen’s eyes widened. She instinctively took a step backward.

Only then did the reality of the situation seem to sink in.

She wasn’t arguing with another ordinary employee.

She was speaking to a manager.

And she was only a staff member.

Perhaps Isobel’s youthful appearance had made her forget the difference in their positions. Until now, she had spoken with the confidence of someone who believed she had nothing to lose.

That confidence vanished in an instant.

"I... I..." she stammered.

The arrogance that had been so evident on her face moments earlier disappeared.

She lowered her gaze, suddenly aware that several of her colleagues were watching her.

Isobel didn’t raise her voice.

Her position spoke loudly enough.

"So you believe Claire was forced to resign because of me?"

The woman lifted her chin.

"I.. I don’t believe it." Her voice faltered. "I just felt that you caused it."

Isobel signed.

She had walked into the department expecting nothing more than a report.

Instead, she walked straight into a storm.

Her gaze moved across the room.

People who had once smiled at her were now watching her with suspicion.

Some looked angry. Others looked away, unwilling to get involved.

And a few seemed almost satisfied to see her standing there alone.

Isobel swallowed.

Claire really resigned?

Why hadn’t Morgan mentioned it during breakfast? He was perfectly calm that morning.

And what about Dean?

Why had he been summoned to the CEO’s office?

A disturbing thought surfaced.

Did my brother find out something?

Or worse—

Did something happen because of me?

Before she could ask another question, the marketing manager, another of Claire’s loyalist spoke.

"Don’t worry. I’m sure you’re happy now."

Isobel slowly turned toward her.

"Happy?"

The woman’s eyes were filled with resentment.

"Miss Claire is gone."

She paused.

"And you got exactly what you wanted."

The words landed harder than Isobel expected.

She hadn’t wanted Claire gone. Project Lexan was in a critical stage and Claire was in charge of gathering the feedback of the beta testers.

But judging by the faces surrounding her, no one in the department seemed willing to believe that.

Isobel realized that Claire’s resignation might have consequences far beyond the executive floor.

She had just become the person everyone in Marketing blamed.