Chapter 373 Subpoena
“Also, if a person has to take the blame, why do you think that it won’t be you?”
Since finding a scapegoat for plagiarism was not something to be discussed openly, Joanna didn’t expect Nicole to talk about it so calmly. She looked at Nicole with shock written all over her face, full of disbelief. “Are you saying that you want me to become your scapegoat, Nicole?”
When she heard the question, Nicole just chuckled without explaining any further. She then stared at her before saying, “Director Schmidt, you should think about the consequences before you do anything. Otherwise, you wouldn’t know when you’d shoot yourself in the foot.”
With that, she turned around and left.
Even though Whitney stayed quiet the entire time, she was actually gratified deep down after seeing Nicole’s strong aura. As soon as they left the place, she gave Nicole a thumbs up and said with a smile, “It’s so satisfying to see her darkened face!”
After leaving the design department, only then did Nicole say sluggishly, “I’m just giving Joanna a warning this time. If she dares to do something like this again, don’t blame me for not giving her any more chances by then.”
When Whitney heard what Nicole said, she asked her surprisingly, “Are you saying that you’ll forgive her this time?”
Nicole scoffed and answered, “I’m not forgiving her, but since she wants to drag us into this, we can’t let her stay out of it. Let’s just see what she’ll do when the time comes.”
After Nicole left, only then did Joanna snap back from her daze. She moved her body and blinked her eyes while still feeling confused. Did Nicole mean that she’d push me out to take the bullet for her? Have I really shot myself in the foot this time?
Meanwhile, Kylie went over to comfort Joanna once Nicole was gone. “Don’t worry about it, Director Schmidt. It’s Nicole’s signature on the contract with Aimee International. Even if she wants you to take the blame, she doesn’t have the capability to do so.”
Joanna regained her senses gradually after hearing Kylie’s words. That’s right. Even though I handed in the design sketch, it’s Nicole’s signature on the contract with Aimee International. Furthermore, the collaboration with Aimee International is under Ann instead of Gardner Corporation. Either way, Nicole can’t run away from it.
“That’s right. Who cares if Nicole is the Gardners’ savior? After everything I’ve done for Gardner Corporation, I don’t think they’ll really ask me to leave. At most, they’ll just scold me for it,” Joanna said, starting to relax a little.
Kylie stood on Joanna’s side too. “Don’t worry. No matter how much Nicole has helped the Gardners, President Gardner will not comply with whatever she says so easily.”
The gloominess on Joanna’s face finally dissipated, and she calmed down a little.
Just when Nicole thought that this matter could still be discussed, she didn’t expect Aimee International to file a lawsuit against Gardner Corporation right away. She was so enraged that she nearly laughed when she saw the subpoena on her desk. Do they have nothing else to do? Are they actually suing me?
Before she could say anything, she was stopped by Tony as he rushed into her room. “Miss Anderson, President Gardner is in a meeting with the board of directors. They’re asking you to come over right now.”
Nicole wasn’t foolish. Without much thought, she knew the reason behind the board of directors calling her over immediately. Although she hadn’t done anything to cause this, she couldn’t stay out of it either.
After tidying up her attire, she had a calm expression as she nodded without panicking and said, “Let’s go and see what the board of directors has to say.”
When he saw Nicole’s indifferent expression, Tony started to worry. On the way, he explained the situation in the meeting to Nicole, saying, “The board of directors feel enraged because of the subpoena from Aimee International. They said that it’s because of your… incompetence. Hence, they’re thinking of laying you off from Gardner Corporation and Ann to help them get through this crisis.”
