Chapter 157: Did You or Didn’t You?
Chapter 157: Chapter 157: Did You or Didn’t You?
Meanwhile, Lewis had already made up his mind after reviewing the documents Mackenzie Lynch brought him.
"I’ll report this to Mr. Kerr personally. Rest assured, you work for the Aethel Jade Group. After I discuss it with him, we will definitely give you a satisfactory resolution."
Mackenzie Lynch was overjoyed. "Thank you so much, Lewis."
"You’re welcome. I have no desire to have such incompetent, hypocritical underlings on my team who resort to petty, underhanded tricks."
A thought crossed Mackenzie Lynch’s mind. She recalled Arabella Donovan mentioning yesterday that Lewis had dealt with something similar in the past, which was why he utterly despised people like Evelyn Lane.
’Looks like it’s true!’
As they were talking, a series of urgent knocks suddenly sounded from outside the office door.
"Come in."
"Lewis, you have to come quick! Something’s happened in the Design Department," a female employee in a business suit burst in, her face etched with urgency.
"What happened?"
"I think... I think someone in the Design Department stole an expensive piece of company jewelry. They were caught red-handed, and it’s turned into a huge scene."
"What?!" Lewis was taken aback. He didn’t have time for anything else and quickly strode out.
Mackenzie Lynch knew the drama was unfolding. If she, the person at the center of it all, didn’t hurry back, she would likely be condemned without even a chance to defend herself. She quickly followed him.
When the two of them reached the Design Department, they found a crowd of onlookers from other departments had gathered alongside the design staff, all eager to watch the drama.
The moment Evelyn Lane’s lackeys saw Mackenzie Lynch, they immediately started shouting, making sure everyone around could hear.
"Here she comes, here she comes! The thief is here!"
"What nonsense are you spouting? Who are you calling a thief?" Mackenzie Lynch walked closer and, just as she’d expected, saw that her workstation had been completely ransacked. Her drawers were all open, and at the bottom of one lay a glittering gemstone necklace and a few scattered earrings and rings.
"The stolen goods were found at your desk, so naturally, you’re the thief."
"That’s right! If you weren’t a thief, why would you have finished company jewelry in your drawer?"
"I knew it. Some people come from nothing, so how can they afford to buy designer brands and jewelry all the time? Turns out she built her fortune by stealing. And this is just what we’ve found! Who knows how much she’s stolen before? We can’t let this slide. This has to be reported to the board! Make her return every single piece of jewelry she’s taken!"
The onlookers, unaware of the full story, listened to the accusations and began to point and whisper about Mackenzie Lynch.
A glint flashed in Mackenzie Lynch’s eyes. Now that she knew who Evelyn Lane’s backer was, she instantly understood their plan. They intended to have Evelyn’s uncle step in to publicly crucify her and completely blacklist her from the industry.
’Such vicious hearts, such a malicious plan,’ she thought. ’If I hadn’t been lucky enough to meet Serena, this pack of vile people would have eaten me alive today.’
Lewis, however, was a company veteran. He’d seen it all. Mackenzie Lynch was someone the General Manager himself had asked him to look out for. Her character aside, that connection alone meant she couldn’t possibly be short-sighted enough to steal jewelry from the company.
More importantly, the timing was far too coincidental. Mackenzie Lynch had been with the company for three or four years without a single incident.
She had just handed him evidence proving someone had plagiarized her designs, and this happens? It was hard not to suspect this was a deliberate setup to silence her.
"What’s all this shouting? Who gave you the right to spread rumors and condemn someone before the facts are even clear?"
"The witness and the evidence are right here, yet Lewis claims nothing is settled. Are you trying to publicly cover for someone?"
The appearance of Evelyn Lane only confirmed Lewis’s suspicions.
But this time, she was flanked by her powerful backer, her uncle, Mr. Kerr. No matter how displeased Lewis was, he had no choice but to hold his tongue for the moment.
"I just think we shouldn’t jump to conclusions without conclusive evidence, lest we accuse an innocent person."
"Accuse an innocent person?" Mr. Kerr scoffed. "We have a thief in the company, and you’re busy defending a ’so-called’ innocent person? Keith Lewis, it seems to me you’ve had enough of being a director! Step down and make way for someone more competent; it’ll save us both some face. Otherwise, a charge of dereliction of duty is enough to make you suffer and tarnish your entire career!"
"Who’s talking so tough, daring to threaten Director Lewis? I’d like to see who can so casually make one of our company’s directors ’suffer and have his career tarnished.’"
"Ge-General Manager?" Evelyn Lane never imagined Kieran Kerr would show up at a time like this. The triumphant expression on her face instantly froze.
Mr. Kerr’s face paled instantly, his eyes widening in shock as he stared at the newcomer. "Ca... Caden Kensington, why are you here?"
In stark contrast to the flustered panic of Evelyn Lane and Mr. Kerr, Mackenzie Lynch’s eyes lit up. She knew he was most likely here because of the situation with her and Evelyn, which meant...
Mackenzie Lynch discreetly glanced at the newly installed security camera in a nearby corner. The corner of her mouth curved up slightly, and her heart settled.
Kieran Kerr was indeed here for Mackenzie Lynch. After his call with Arabella Donovan yesterday, he had not only arranged for cameras to be installed immediately but had also assigned someone specifically to watch the Design Department.
The moment things started happening, he was notified and had rushed down from his office upstairs.
"I should be asking you that, Third Uncle. It’s rare to see you at the company. Is there something important going on?"
Mr. Kerr, who had been so arrogant in front of Lewis moments before, seemed to shrink in Kieran Kerr’s presence. He forced a smile. "I was just making my rounds at the company and heard a commotion, so I came over to see what was happening."
After speaking, Mr. Kerr shot a look at Evelyn Lane. She immediately understood, stepping forward to lodge her complaint. "Mr. Kerr, our department has a thief who stole company jewelry."
Kieran Kerr raised an eyebrow, feigning ignorance. "Oh? Is that so?"
"It’s true! Look, the witness and the evidence are all here. It’s undeniable."
"A witness? Evidence? What witness? What evidence?"
"The... the jewelry was found at the bottom of her desk drawer. That’s the evidence. As for the witness... they all saw it." Evelyn Lane pointed, and all eyes immediately fell on her three minions.
"So you’re the witnesses? Did you see her steal the jewelry with your own eyes?"
The group hadn’t expected to be confronted by the big boss himself, and the speeches they had prepared completely vanished from their minds.
"We... we..."
They stammered, subconsciously glancing toward Evelyn Lane as if they weren’t already making it obvious they were all in this together.
Kieran Kerr almost laughed at their incompetence, but his amusement quickly turned to anger. "Spit it out!" he roared. "It’s a yes or no question! Did you or did you not see it?"