Chapter 386 What Goes Around Comes Around
At the same time, the receptionist also noticed Nicole’s presence but was too intimidated to refute the exasperated Joanna. Fortunately, Nicole soon decided to step in and help defuse the situation. “That was because I was invited to be here. Do you have a problem with that?”
Glaring daggers at Nicole, Joanna held a strong grudge toward the former as she blamed her for her job termination. Thanks to you, I’m not even allowed to enter Gardner Corporation’s building! “Nicole, why did you tell the directors to lay me off?!” Joanna questioned Nicole irritably, wishing she could just beat her to death deep down.
Unlike Joanna’s agitation and anger, Nicole demonstrated total opposite emotions by reacting calmly. She then fixed her eyes on Joanna, glimpsing her as she teased, “Well, we all have to take responsibility for our actions, which is the case because you and I are responsible for what went wrong this time. Besides, you’re not the only one who got terminated. I suffered from the same fate as you did. Thus, you and I are not so different from each other, actually.”
Shaking from head to toe, Joanna struggled to keep her emotions from taking over her because they were still out in the open in the lobby of Gardner Corporation. Knowing she would be shown in a bad light if she succumbed to her temper right away, Joanna glared at Nicole without blinking before dragging her elsewhere without asking.
However, Nicole didn’t show any signs of resistance to Joanna at all and instead let her take her wherever she wanted. When both of them got to a place where there was no one else, Joanna finally let go of Nicole’s hand and asked, “Why did you do this to me, Nicole?!” After all, she learned from the directors that Nicole was the one who suggested that Colton should terminate her from her job.
Nevertheless, Nicole was amused when she heard Joanna’s unreasonable accusation. With an unconcerned smile on her face, she fixed her eyes on the lady in a casual manner. “What’re you talking about, Director Schmidt? You’d better be careful what comes out of your mouth. What did I do to you?”
Seeing how Nicole was playing dumb, Joanna was irked even more. “If you hadn’t plotted against me, President Gardner wouldn’t have fired me! I’m unemployed right now, all thanks to you! Should I be thanking you for dragging me down?”
Meanwhile, Nicole was speechless with Joanna’s unreasonable attitude, feeling sorry for her lack of shame in blaming her even though she was in the wrong herself. Soon, Nicole curled her lips upward and asked, “You were the one who collected the drafts, Joanna? So, don’t tell me you don’t know what’s going on. Did you really forget what you did back then? Or do I have to initiate an investigation and list all of them down for you?”
Joanna’s face changed, but at the same time, she knew she must keep her lips sealed. “I didn’t know the draft was plagiarized.”
However, Nicole didn’t bother to expose Joanna but reacted with a smile instead. “I don’t care if you were aware of it, but what’s done is done, and you can’t get away with the mistake you made. So, I don’t see anything wrong with you being responsible for the action you took.”
Joanna was tongue-tied upon hearing Nicole’s argument. Despite her reluctance to admit defeat, she had no choice but to yield to Nicole in silence. Although she initially thought she would be the winner in her infighting with Nicole, she was dismayed and embarrassed to find herself on the losing end, with nothing she could say to refute the lady.
On the other hand, Nicole merely wanted to teach Joanna a lesson instead of kicking her out of Gardner Corporation. After all, she was indebted to Colton, who once helped her and wouldn’t want to repay him the favor by doing something ungrateful.
Upon shooting a cold gaze at Joanna, Nicole continued to say, “Think twice before you act next time. Some actions are followed by serious consequences that may be far too much for you to bear, so unless you want to get yourself into trouble, you need to think before you act.” As soon as Nicole finished her sentence, she walked away before Joanna could even say anything.
Meanwhile, Joanna was left behind, with her anger gnawing at her mind while watching Nicole disappear from her sight. At the same time, she clenched her fists tightly, looking back at the sacrifices she had made for Colton in the past seven years.
In order to gain the man’s favor, she spent seven years staying in Gardner Corporation. While she initially thought Colton was finally hers after Queenie left, she was caught off guard by Nicole’s sudden appearance, as well as their two children.
