Chapter 156: Sent to the Base Camp
Chapter 156: Chapter 156: Sent to the Base Camp
The hearts of her cousin-in-law and her family hammered in their chests, their faces turning grim.
’Still, since Mr. Kerr is so cooperative and happens to share a common enemy with my cousin-in-law, it couldn’t hurt to do him a favor.’
With that thought, Arabella Donovan covered the mouthpiece of her phone and called out, "Sis."
Her cousin-in-law immediately ran over. "Serena, is something wrong?"
Arabella Donovan leaned in and whispered a few things to her. Her cousin-in-law couldn’t help but laugh as soon as she finished. "What’s the big deal? I haven’t done anything to be ashamed of, so why would I be afraid of being watched? Tell him to go ahead. I have no objections."
Arabella Donovan immediately gave her an "OK" sign and went back to her call with Kieran Kerr.
"Mr. Kerr, from what you’ve said, it sounds like your company is facing some internal turmoil. While my sister-in-law has no desire to get involved in these conflicts, she could easily get caught in the crossfire. There’s no guarantee someone won’t try to target her. Have you considered installing a security camera near her workstation? You might find... a pleasant surprise."
Kieran Kerr was no fool; he instantly understood Arabella Donovan’s implication. His eyes glinted. "That’s possible, but would your sister-in-law mind...?"
"Not at all, not at all. I just asked her. She doesn’t mind in the slightest."
Hearing her say that, Kieran Kerr became even more convinced that the camera would be a huge help. He said hurriedly, "Excellent. I’ll have someone go to the office and install it right now."
"Thank you."
’This is great. Once the camera is installed near my cousin-in-law’s workstation, we can catch that Manager Lane or one of her minions stealing the jewelry to frame her, and then we can have them arrested. If we’re lucky, we might even get to take Manager Lane on a little trip to the police station. It will give Mr. Kerr a perfectly valid reason to fire her and solve my cousin-in-law’s problem once and for all. Perfect!’
Her fifth aunt and uncle looked overjoyed, their anxieties finally put to rest.
The younger couple, however, were already thinking several steps ahead. They glanced at each other, a restless excitement brewing.
’If we really get the chance to call the cops and send Evelyn Lane in, what a coincidence that would be! We’d be delivering her right to his home turf!’
’Knowing my husband, he wouldn’t show any favoritism. But even if he handles it strictly by the book, this is something that woman brought on herself. Getting caught is just the consequence of her own evil actions, and it’ll be more than enough to make her suffer!’
The more the cousin-in-law thought about it, the more excited she grew. The frustration that had been pent up inside her for so long finally began to ease, replaced by an indescribable sense of glee!
Arabella Donovan exchanged a few more pleasantries with Kieran Kerr before hanging up. Letting out a soft sigh of relief, she turned to her fifth aunt and the others waiting for an update and told them everything. "The problem with my cousin-in-law is taken care of. That Manager Lane only got her job through connections. Mr. Kerr didn’t know about it before, but now that he does, he’ll definitely handle it. All you have to do is go back and wait for an update."
"And about what we talked about earlier—telling upper management that she plagiarized your work—I brought that up with Mr. Kerr, too. If you bring in the evidence tomorrow, someone will meet with you. Once they’ve verified everything, they’ll help you publicize the matter throughout the industry and reclaim the honor that is rightfully yours."
Her cousin-in-law hadn’t expected such a wonderful surprise. Overcome with emotion, she stepped forward and grasped Arabella Donovan’s hands, her eyes welling with tears. "Serena, thank you. I never imagined that this issue, which has plagued me for so many years, would be resolved today. I truly don’t know how I can ever thank you."
Seeing her mother thank Arabella Donovan, the little girl hurried over, wrapped her arms around Arabella’s leg, and whispered, "Thank you."
Arabella Donovan couldn’t resist reaching out to gently pinch the child’s tender, chubby cheek. "If you want to thank someone, you should thank Mr. Kerr," she said, slightly embarrassed. "All I did was say a few words. He’s the one doing all the work."
"That may be true, but if you hadn’t been the one to ask, why would Mr. Kerr have bothered to help? So she’s right to thank you. Our entire family should thank you."
"Exactly, exactly. That’s right."
Arabella Donovan’s face flushed as her fifth aunt’s family surrounded her, showering her with praise. Finally, Mrs. Donovan stepped in to rescue her.
"Now that the company matter is resolved, your cousin-in-law should be fine, right?"
That seemed to jolt Arabella Donovan from her thoughts. Remembering her cousin-in-law’s "minor ailment," she added another reminder. "Oh, right! The problem at work is solved, but you still need to relax. And if you feel even slightly unwell, you should really get a check-up at the hospital. A small illness can easily become a major one if you neglect it, and that would be a terrible trade-off."
Most people, if suddenly told to go to the hospital for a check-up with a warning about small problems turning into big ones, might find it a bit ominous.
But the cousin-in-law knew Arabella meant well. Besides, she suspected she really had developed some minor health problems because of Evelyn Lane. Far from being offended, she nodded in agreement. "Okay, I’ll go get a thorough check-up in a couple of days."
As for why she was waiting a couple of days instead of going tomorrow—well, that was because she wanted to watch the drama unfold.
「The next morning」
After dropping her child off at kindergarten, Mackenzie Lynch hurried to the office.
A stark contrast to her haggard and weary state of the past few days, Mackenzie Lynch—now free of the immense weight on her shoulders—had woken up extra early to do her makeup. She had even put on a stylish new white dress, making her look radiant and positively stunning.
As soon as she walked into the office, a snide voice drifted over from a nearby desk. "Well, well, Lynch. Did you come into some good fortune? You’re all dressed up today. That outfit must have cost a fortune, right?"
Mackenzie Lynch glanced at the speaker. Unsurprisingly, it was one of the department’s biggest sycophants, always sucking up to Evelyn Lane.
"Oh, you know," Mackenzie replied smoothly. "My husband just got a promotion and bought me some new clothes to celebrate. Since they’re already bought, I can’t just let them sit in the closet collecting dust, so I figured I’d show them off a bit. But to get a compliment from you? I guess that means my husband has excellent taste."
The office fell silent the moment she finished speaking.
Most of the staff remained quiet, coldly observing the daily soap opera. Only the woman who had spoken, along with a colleague or two beside her, looked visibly displeased.
"What’s there to be so smug about? As if we don’t know her husband is just..." Before the woman could finish her catty mumble, a knock sounded at the office door.
All heads turned toward the sound, only to see Director Lewis—their boss’s boss—standing in the doorway. No one knew how much he had just overheard.
"Is Mackenzie Lynch here?"
Mackenzie Lynch, having a pretty good idea of the reason for his visit, calmly stood up.
"Hello, Director Lewis. I’m Mackenzie Lynch."
Director Lewis looked her up and down. "Grab your things and come to my office."
Not daring to delay, Mackenzie Lynch quickly grabbed the files she had organized and followed him out.
Little did she know that the moment she was gone, the same colleague started muttering again. "Running off to Director Lewis’s office dressed like that... who knows what sort of shameful things she’s planning to do?"
When no one chimed in to agree with her, her expression darkened. She looked up at the colleagues seated to her left and right.
She shot them a meaningful look as her hand stealthily reached for Mackenzie Lynch’s workstation.