Chapter 372 A Scapegoat for Plagiarism
“Even though I’m the one who signed it, do you think you can just walk away from this when you’re the one who handed me the sketch, Director Schmidt?”
Hearing that, Joanna had a slight change in her expression since she knew from the beginning that she wouldn’t be able to stay out of it when she planned to do such a thing. She had already prepared herself for any criticism.
She lowered her head and said sincerely, “It’s my fault for not taking a closer look. I’m willing to accept any punishment.”
Nicole squinted her eyes and looked at the thick-skinned person in front of her who was still undaunted. If that was the case, then she had no reason to hold back either. “Alright, then. Since you’ve said it yourself, I should suspend you.”
Joanna froze instantly when she heard Nicole talking about her suspension so casually. Her face paled at once, and her lips started to quiver. She lifted her head to look at Nicole before saying, “Nicole, you’re just an outsider. On what grounds are you suspending me?!”
At this moment, her eyes were filled with rage. “I’m Gardner Corporation’s design director, whereas you’re just an outsider who’s collaborating with our company. You’re in no place to suspend me!” She had worked so hard throughout the years for Gardner Corporation, so she couldn’t let her career be ruined by Nicole’s words.
When she saw Joanna growing anxious, Nicole explained calmly, “Let me get this straight for you, Director Schmidt. When I was away from Gardner Corporation, I was at Gardner Residence, conducting surgery on Old Mr. Benedict. Now that his operation is a success, do you think President Gardner would reject my request for your suspension or dismissal? What do you think?”
Nicole’s tone wasn’t cold when she said that, and she even had a nonchalant smile on her face. Yet, Joanna felt her blood curdling when she heard Nicole’s words. She widened her eyes, showing how unbelievable she felt about this situation. After all, she didn’t expect Nicole to openly use this to pressure her.
“Miss Nicole, you used to be F&M Apparel’s chief designer. Are you really this vindictive?” Joanna said while grinding her teeth in fury. Since Nicole was the savior for the Gardners now, if she requested Joanna’s suspension to Colton, he would definitely agree to it without any hesitation.
At this thought, she wanted to slap herself for not thinking this through before she said what she had said.
On the other hand, Nicole was not surprised at all to see Joanna panicking. “I’ve always been vindictive. If someone treats me well, I’ll remember it for the rest of my life, and this applies to people who treat me otherwise.”
Joanna’s face paled at once. She couldn’t lose this job, and she didn’t want to let seven years of her hard work in Gardner Corporation go to waste just like that! “Miss Nicole, it’s all because of my negligence this time. I won’t make the same mistake again.” She lowered her head, acknowledging her loss.
Nicole just glanced at Joanna’s panicked expression upon hearing that and said cruelly, “Director Schmidt, we’re all adults who are supposed to take responsibility for our own doings. Don’t you think it’s quite unreasonable to just let this slide after you said that you wouldn’t make the same mistake again?”
Just as Joanna was going to explain herself, Nicole cut her off before she could say anything. “You and I both know what you have in mind. Since you’ve done it, you should be prepared to take the responsibility!”
Joanna clenched her fists and gave up acting at last. Then, she tried to drag Nicole down. “Even if it was my mistake, you’re the one who signed and stamped it before sending it to Aimee International. Do you think you can stay out of it?”
A smile played on Nicole’s lips while she stood upright and said, “I’m not trying to stay out of it. This is a matter of plagiarism, so even if I leave Gardner Corporation, I can still continue living without being impacted. I don’t think it’ll be that easy for you, though.”
She felt that the best way to deal with shameless people like Joanna was to threaten her since finding a scapegoat for plagiarism was not something new, especially in design companies. In fact, it was a common phenomenon.
