Charlie gave a slight shake of his head, speaking with the familiarity reserved for longtime employees.
"David, Debra, you've served the Stewart family for years. Besides, Isabella specifically entrusted Vivi to us before she left. I'll deal with this personally. I'll make sure Vivi gets a proper explanation today."
The whole scene was so ridiculous. My eyes settled on the sapphire bracelet around Debra's wrist. "Debra, does wearing this bracelet really not bother your conscience?"
Debra flinched and instinctively tucked her hand behind her back. A second later, she lifted her chin again. Her eyes avoided mine, but her attitude stayed as arrogant as ever.
"That's nonsense! Who's Debra? My name's Lily! My husband paid $30 million for this bracelet at an auction in Bellavia. A poor nobody like you wouldn't understand."
Vivian grew flustered too. She pointed at me and shouted, "Shut your mouth! You don't get to insult my mom!"
The chaos in the office escalated. Someone had apparently called management because the company's vice president, Bob Lewis, hurried over with several department heads.
The instant Bob spotted the three Stewart brothers, panic spread across his face.
"Young Masters, what brings you here?"
He smiled so hard his face nearly froze, and he didn't even glance in my direction.
Charlie gave him an icy look, his voice dripping with impatience. "Bob, has the company really lowered its standards? Now any random person can get hired, and she has actually bullied someone under the Stewart family's protection."
Bob visibly trembled and hurried to put on another apologetic smile. "Mr. Charlie, please don't be upset. There has to be some misunderstanding! When Vivian joined the company, I personally informed her manager and teammates that she had your backing. She's also done an excellent job. Who would dare pick on her?"
Kevin let out a mocking laugh and pointed straight at me. "A misunderstanding? Are you saying Vivi made the whole thing up? Bob, if I remember correctly, headquarters is scheduled to approve a $7 million project fund for your branch next month. Maybe it's time we reconsidered where that money should go."
The second Bob heard that the $7 million might be gone, his face turned pale. He spun toward me and shouted at me using the alias I had adopted as an ordinary intern. "Diana, what exactly did you do? Apologize to Vivian right now! Apologize to the three young masters!"
I met Bob's eyes without the slightest panic. "I didn't do a thing. She insisted on turning me into her comparison piece. When things blew up in her face, she got mad. How was that my fault?"
Bob ignored every word I said. He put his hands on his hips and barked at me.
"How dare you? Vivian is outstanding. Why would she target you for no reason? I've dealt with plenty of employees like you. You just wanted to stir up attention. Apologize to Vivian now, or you'll be fired!"
The employees watching nearby whispered among themselves, and the crowd had completely taken Vivian's side.
"She's right. Just apologize already. Don't cost the company that funding."
"Vivian was so unlucky to end up with a coworker like Diana."
As the compliments poured in, Vivian almost failed to hide her smile. She put on a troubled expression, sighed softly, and walked over to Bob.
"Please don't be angry. Diana probably didn't mean any harm. But I really was hurt. If she's willing to resign, I'll ask my brothers to show her some mercy."