Chapter 149: If I Can’t Provoke, Can’t I Even Hide?
Chapter 149: Chapter 149: If I Can’t Provoke, Can’t I Even Hide?
Arabella Donovan’s words helped Mackenzie vent all her pent-up frustrations, and she actually started to feel much better.
"Mackenzie, it’s my fault. I was so busy with work that I neglected you. I didn’t even realize you were going through such a terrible time. I... I’m the worst!"
"I know you didn’t mean to, and I was the one who deliberately hid it from you. You can’t blame yourself for this."
Mrs. Donovan couldn’t stand watching the young couple be so awkward with each other. She cut right to the chase, "Old habits die hard. A person’s character doesn’t just change over time. If Mackenzie really had a run-in with her back in school and is now unlucky enough to be working under her, I bet she’s been making your life difficult, hasn’t she?"
"Is that true? What did she do?" Mackenzie’s mother-in-law grabbed her daughter-in-law’s hand, frantic with worry. "Don’t hide it from us anymore. Tell us everything. I’ll have your back!"
"She doesn’t just target me. She orders everyone in the department around like they’re her personal servants. Just a couple of days ago, she even berated two new girls until they cried."
’Tsk, tsk. What a power trip! Is the company not afraid of going bankrupt after hiring a pampered princess like her for a management position? She’s going to run off all the employees.’
Everyone in the room: "..." ’It’s not entirely out of the question. Maybe we should just... run?’
But talk is cheap. The average working stiff doesn’t really have that much of a choice.
"But, probably because of our past issues, she’s been targeting me more lately. And... she seems to be very interested in my new design."
Mrs. Donovan’s reaction was swift. "What do you mean? You don’t think she’s planning to steal your work, do you?"
Mackenzie didn’t say a word, but her silence spoke volumes.
Mackenzie’s mother-in-law’s face darkened. "This is going too far."
But Arabella Donovan just curled her lip in disgust.
’She doesn’t just want to steal Mackenzie’s work. She’s also planning to frame her for stealing the company’s valuable jewelry. The trap is already set; she’s just waiting for the right moment in the next day or two to make Mackenzie walk right into it!’
Upon hearing this, Mackenzie’s in-laws nearly jumped out of their seats. "Why don’t you just quit? If we can’t afford to provoke her, can’t we at least avoid her?"
Mackenzie’s husband chimed in, "That’s right. There are plenty of other jewelry companies. If you’re not happy here, we’ll just find another one. Or you could take a break for a while, spend some time with our child, and get a change of scenery."
Mackenzie’s husband knew his wife had her own ambitions. She didn’t want to be stuck at home as a housewife, bogged down by trivial matters, and he had always been very supportive of her pursuing her dreams.
But this was different. The other party was intentionally trying to harm her, and they had no proof. Their hands were tied. If something were to go wrong, it would be too late for regrets.
It would be better to just leave before anything happened, to get away from that venomous woman and figure out a new plan.
Mackenzie was startled by Arabella’s warning, but she couldn’t help feeling indignant.
She had been with this company for a long time and worked so hard to get where she was today.
Besides, the work environment, the compensation, and even her colleagues all met her expectations for the job. The only problem was that one bad apple!
Most importantly...
"If I quit now, she’ll definitely steal my new design and pass it off as her own. I’ve already been burned by her once over something like this. If it happens again, I just..." Mackenzie was about to explode just thinking about it.
This was the very thing that had been gnawing at her, making her so depressed these past few days that it was even affecting her physical health.
Hearing this, Arabella’s eyes lit up. "Mackenzie, you said you’ve been burned by her over something like this before? Does that mean she’s passed off your work as her own in the past?"
"Yes."
"In that case, do you have any proof of it?"
"Proof?" Mackenzie was taken aback. "I do, but her family is very influential. Back then, the school was basically under her family’s thumb. Even if I had presented the evidence, it would have been useless. I’d still have been accused of plagiarism, so..."
"So you never presented the evidence and had no choice but to let it go."
Mackenzie nodded.
"Is the company you work for now also owned by her family?"
"...No, I don’t think so. I’ve never heard of her family having any connection to the company."
"In that case, why not try reporting this to your company’s senior management?"
"Well..."
’Mackenzie’s direct supervisor at the company went through something similar when he was younger. He despises this kind of vile behavior—using family influence to steal other people’s work and claim it as your own. As long as Mackenzie can produce evidence to prove her story, he will definitely help her get that woman kicked out of the company.’
Mackenzie froze, and a wave of delight washed over the others.
"Serena has a point. Why don’t you... give it a try? The worst-case scenario is you quit and don’t have to put up with this nonsense anymore. But if your company’s management is reasonable and helps you get justice, then you can definitely keep working there."
"...Alright."
"That’s the spirit." Arabella took a bite of the fruit Mrs. Donovan handed her and said reassuringly, "There are plenty of fish in the sea when it comes to jobs. If it really doesn’t work out, just find a new one. There’s no need to make yourself miserable over trivial matters. Isn’t it all the rage with young people nowadays to embrace the ’burn it all down’ and ’maintain a steady state of chaos’ mentality? Don’t let anyone get to you, especially not yourself. What a beautiful state of mind, right?"
Mackenzie: "..." ’It certainly is beautiful.’
"Speaking of which, what was the name of that jewelry company Mackenzie works for?"
"I think it’s called... House of Aethel Jade."
"PFFT—COUGH, COUGH, COUGH..." The moment Mackenzie’s mother-in-law said the name, Arabella choked. The sudden fit of coughing scared everyone, and they rushed to pat her on the back and hand her water.
After finally catching her breath, Arabella grabbed Mackenzie’s mother-in-law’s hand. "What did you just say the company’s name was?"
"House of Aethel Jade. Is something wrong?"
Arabella looked mortified.
’No wonder those jewelry designs looked so familiar. So it’s them.’
’Them?’ Mackenzie’s in-laws exchanged surprised glances.
’Mr. Kerr, I’m so sorry! I didn’t mean it when I wished for your company to go bankrupt just now!’
Mackenzie’s husband and the others looked at her questioningly, only to see her wearing an equally peculiar expression.
The owner of their company was indeed surnamed Kerr. The general manager was also a Kerr—the owner’s son, in fact. They just didn’t know if the "Mr. Kerr" their young cousin was referring to was the owner or his son.
Mrs. Donovan, however, subconsciously straightened her posture and said meaningfully, "What a coincidence. Hector happens to be the brand ambassador for their group. In fact, not too long ago, thanks to Serena, he signed several more product contracts and became their lead spokesperson for this year’s new collection."
Mrs. Donovan’s statement was packed with information. Hector Donovan was a celebrity, a famous award-winning actor, so it wasn’t strange for the Aethel Jade Group to hire him as a brand ambassador. What was truly intriguing was the implication that Hector had managed to secure the endorsement for the new collection by riding his sister’s coattails.