The room buzzed with murmurs, the staff members exchanging shocked glances. Some felt a twinge of pity for Olivia, while others felt that she got what she deserved.
Bella took a deep breath and rearranged the stuff on her desk, pulling her mind away from the incident and trying to focus on her work.
Across the room, Amy shot a withering glare at the remaining staff members who lingered in hushed conversations. "Get back to work!" she snapped. "Don’t let the boss upset you if you don’t want to get fired." 𝕗𝚛𝚎𝚎𝐰𝗲𝗯𝗻𝚘𝚟𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝕞
She glanced at Bella for the last time before heading to her cubicle. Settling back into her seat, Amy reached for her phone and dialed Theodore’s number.
The call was connected quickly.
"The situation is under control," she reported in a hushed tone. "Olivia’s web of lies finally unraveled this time." She then launched into a detailed account of the events that had transpired, leaving no detail out.
"Olivia won’t be causing any more trouble for Bella," Amy concluded, a hint of satisfaction tinging her voice. "Miss Hill demoted her to a lowly position in the design department."
An unsettling silence followed on the other end of the line. Theodore’s expression, already grim, darkened further. It was clear to him that Ivy had played yet another cunning hand. Transferring Olivia to her department was deliberate.
He could tell Ivy wouldn’t stop scheming against Bella.
"Thank you for your diligence, Amy," he finally said. "Keep a close eye on them both, and don’t hesitate to inform me if anything suspicious catches your eye."
"Of course, Mr. Reid," Amy replied, her tone firm. She ended the call, a determined glint in her eyes.
Theodore leaned back in his chair, his mind racing with thoughts of the next steps. His gaze turned glacial, a chill radiating from his eyes. He knew, with a chilling certainty, that Olivia and Ivy wouldn’t stop here. Bella wasn’t safe there. He needed someone to keep him updated on what was happening around Bella at her workplace.
Thankfully, Amy was ready to cooperate. After the incident with the deleted presentation file, a memory that gnawed at him, he had reached out to her and told her to install spy cameras.
To his relief, Amy had readily agreed, skillfully maneuvering Zack into approving the "security upgrade" for monitoring employee activity. It was a gamble that had paid off handsomely, exposing Olivia’s deceit.
Yet, a knot of worry persisted in Theodore’s gut. He needed a permanent solution, a way to shield Bella from the constant threat of Ivy’s machinations. The only viable option, as he saw it, was to get Bella out of Brico altogether. Otherwise, she would face trouble every now and then. But how to convince her to leave a job she seemed to value?
At Ivy’s cabin...
The heavy cabin door slammed shut behind them. Olivia, voice thick with emotion and eyelashes damp with unshed tears, turned to Ivy.
"Thank you for giving me another chance," she said earnestly. "I won’t let you down again."
Ivy’s response was a cold hiss. "Remember what you said? This time, I pulled your strings and gave you a shot at redemption. Don’t screw it up."
"I won’t give you a chance to complain. I’ll work hard." Olivia’s heart clenched. Working as a lowly peon again felt like a slap in the face, especially if she ran into any of her old colleagues.
"Now listen carefully." Ivy’s tone turned colder. "Bella will be working under Miss Willow. As a peon, you’ll keep tabs on both of them. Every detail, I need it all. Do you understand?"
Olivia stared, mouth agape. "So you’re demoting me to spy on Bella?" she finally choked out, disbelief etching lines on her face.
"Or else?" Ivy’s lips thinned. "Do you have a choice?" she snapped. "This charade keeps Zack thinking you are punished, but in reality, you’ll be watching Bella’s every move. I’ll pay you extra for this job. Just don’t mess up again, okay?"
A glimmer of satisfaction sparked in Olivia’s eyes as the promise of extra money sank in. The earlier sense of injustice faded, replaced by a renewed determination.
"And if we manage to chase Bella out of the company, I’ll make you my assistant." Ivy offered her a lucrative post, which Olivia couldn’t deny.
Joy bubbled up within Olivia, washing away the earlier resentment. "Thank you, Miss Hill!" she exclaimed. "I’ll report every single thing Bella does, big or small." The prospect of promotion outweighed the indignity of being a peon.
The news of Olivia’s demotion reached Zack. Fury coursed through him, and he wasted no time in summoning Ivy.
When she arrived, her face was a mask of cool composure, a stark contrast to the storm brewing in Zack’s eyes.
Zack, who had been pacing around, stopped and whirled to face her, his expression stormy. "Why did you transfer her to the design department?" he demanded, accusation dripping from his every word. "Don’t you know Bella’s starting under Miss Willow? Putting Olivia anywhere near her is practically an invitation for chaos!"
The sting of his accusation cut deep. "Why are you yelling at me?" Ivy retorted. "You make it sound like I have some vendetta against Bella, and you haven’t even heard my side!" Her body trembled with a mix of rage at Zack and loathing for Bella.
"That’s exactly what I want to know!" Zack snapped.
"That’s what I want to know," Zack snapped. "Explain yourself, Ivy. Why are you keeping Olivia in the design department? What if she sabotages Bella again? This project is very important for the company. If we mess with this, we can lose Mr. Reid’s favor. I don’t want any trouble. Do you understand?"
A jolt of fear shot through Ivy, but she masked it with a practiced smile. "Zack, darling," she purred, stepping closer and taking his hands in hers. "Surely you don’t think I’d jeopardize the company? My actions are solely motivated by the project’s success."
"Is that so?" Zack eyed her with suspicion, his brow furrowed. "Then explain," he pressed, pulling his hand free.
Taking a deep breath, Ivy formulated her response. "With Olivia under my watchful eye in Design, there’s no way she can pull another stunt," she reasoned. "And if she does, I swear I’ll fire her. Now, please, drop the anger. You look positively dreadful with that frown."
Zack scrutinized her, his mind racing through her explanation. Ivy’s reasoning seemed sound, but a lingering doubt gnawed at him.
Her coquettish smile faltered as she saw Zack’s scowl deepen. However, she moved in closer to him and draped her arms around his neck.
Zack recoiled instinctively. He didn’t like her proximity. His scowl deepened. "Ivy, stop it." He peeled her arms away and stepped back, creating a wider distance between them. "Our relationship is only a business deal. I’ve told you several times. I don’t like you touching me."
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