Chapter 25 She Intended to Get Johanna Fired
Lizzie sat in her wheelchair right outside Anton’s office, calm and composed.
She wore a faint smile on her face, and it carried a subtle sarcasm.
That smile seemed to hit Johanna’s face like an invisible slap.
Johanna’s heart dropped.
She instinctively grabbed onto Theron’s sleeve. Her fingers turned pale from the pressure.
Theron felt Johanna’s tension. He shifted slightly and stepped in front of her.
“Johanna was just being too anxious. Please don’t misunderstand,” Theron said gently. He felt the misunderstanding between the two women had gone far enough. He needed to help explain it.
But Lizzie simply looked at them quietly, her eyes full of contempt and disdain.
Her silence was louder than words.
It was like a blade slicing right into their hearts. Johanna felt guilty, and Theron wasn’t at ease either.
They had rushed over to see how things were going. But with Lizzie still outside the door, they didn’t feel right walk- ing in ahead of her.
The three persons just waited silently outside the office, listening to what was going on inside.
The air grew increasingly heavy and awkward.
Inside, Norma had told the whole story. Anton felt a headache just thinking about it. Given what had just happened, even if Anton wanted to help Johanna out of respect for Theron, there was no way to cover this up with everyone watching.
“I’ve received your accusation against Johanna. She’ll be punished. But tarnishing Ms. Trevino’s name is not right. You owe her an apology,” Anton said firmly.
“Huh? That’s it?” Norma hadn’t expected it to be over this easily.
Anton kept a straight face after misreading Norma’s surprise. He assumed she was speaking on Lizzie’s behalf and was unhappy with how mildly Johanna was being punished.
“What? If I ask you to apologize to Ms. Trevino alongside Johanna, you won’t do it?”
“Oh, I’ll do it!” Norma replied fast. If she could just say sorry and not get arrested, she was more than happy to com- ply.
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Chapter 25 She Intended to Get Johanna Fired
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But Norma’s quick agreement only made things more awkward for Johanna, who had been stubbornly denying every- thing outside earlier.
Anton was frustrated. A simple apology could have ended all this, but Johanna had made such a mess of it.
After all, Lizzie still had leverage over him, so he wasn’t about to take Johanna’s side. He continued, “Alright. When she comes in, apologize properly.”
“No problem,” Norma said quickly.
The matter was mostly settled, so the three persons outside couldn’t keep waiting.
Lizzie calmly rolled her wheelchair forward, stopped in front of the door, and pushed it open.
Theron took a long step forward to follow.
But Johanna tugged on his sleeve. “Mr. Howland…”
He stopped and turned back to her.
Johanna bit her lip with a pale face.
She couldn’t apologize. Apologizing to Lizzie would be the same as admitting she had deliberately slandered her.
Theron frowned and failed to catch her hesitation’s deeper meaning. Seeing her nervous and pale, he figured she was just scared to face Lizzie.
In his eyes, making a mistake and admitting it was no big deal. But remembering that Johanna was pregnant, he soft- ened his tone. “Don’t worry. Lizzie won’t make it hard for you. Just apologize, and it’ll be over.”
Johanna clenched her teeth so hard she nearly cracked them.
Hatred flashed in her eyes for a split second before she covered it with hurtful tears.
If Johanna apologized to Lizzie, she would be admitting she’d gone to the textile mill to spread rumors about Lizzie.
Theron hadn’t pieced it together yet. But what if he did? What if one day he realized Johanna had deliberately tried to destroy his relationship with Lizzie and thought she was malicious?
But even so, Johanna couldn’t back out now.
“I do owe Lizzie an apology… It’s just she’s not the same Lizzie anymore.”
“I’ll protect both of you,” Theron said quietly, his gaze drifting to her belly.
Johanna gently put her hand on her belly and nodded.
They followed behind Lizzie into the office.
Anton sat stiffly behind his desk with a stern expression.
Norma stood off to the side, eyes darting. She glanced at Lizzie and then stared down at the floor.
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Chapter 25 She Intended to Get Johanna Fired
When Johanna entered, Norma straightened up and shot her a look with blame.
Lizzie stopped in front of the desk and rested her hands calmly on her knees.
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“Johanna, you are here.” Anton cleared his throat. “You were in the wrong today. Apologize, you and Norma, and we’ll be done with this.”
Before Anton even finished the sentence, Norma smacked herself and quickly apologized, “Lizzie, I’ve got a big mouth. I shouldn’t have talked nonsense. I’m sorry. I won’t go around spreading lies about you anymore. Please for- give me.”
Lizzie nodded slightly and accepted it with ease.
Then, all eyes turned to Johanna.
She felt like she was pinned to a pillar of shame. She wanted to tear both Norma and Lizzie apart.
But instead, she forced herself to stay calm. “If my apology will make you feel better, Lizzie, then I’m sorry…”
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“Save it,” Lizzie cut in with a sharp voice. A flash of mockery gleamed in her eyes. “Your apology doesn’t make me feel any better. I’m only accepting it so Mr. Hatfield doesn’t have a hard time. You made a mistake, and you’re still this reluctant to admit it. Is that your way of making things harder for Mr. Hatfield?”
That sounded perfect to Anton. He had been getting into trouble by trying to shield Johanna. But Johanna pretended to be neutral and sounded like she just apologized for Lizzie’s sake.
Was Johanna dissatisfied with his decision?
Johanna’s face flushed red and then turned pale again. She clenched her teeth and quickly said, “I’m sorry. I sincerely apologize.”
Lizzie didn’t respond. She just looked at Johanna, clearly unimpressed.
“I shouldn’t have said you were kicked out of Equinox Research Laboratory. I shouldn’t have said…”
“I wasn’t kicked out,” Lizzie interrupted coldly. “Remember that. If there’s an investigation into the plagiarism case, it won’t be just me under scrutiny. You’ll also be investigated until the truth comes out.”
She didn’t care about the other rumors. But this one mattered.
Johanna raised her head and stared at Lizzie in shock.
Theron’s face darkened. Lizzie did intend to get Johanna fired.
Having gotten what she wanted, Lizzie turned her wheelchair to face Anton.
“Mr. Hatfield, about my punishment…”
Anton cleared his throat.
“You’re not being fired for now. But you’ll still be suspended temporarily. Your position and your dorm will be kept for you.”
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Chapter 25 She Intended to Get Johanna Fired
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Lizzie still had dirt on him. He couldn’t give Lizzie her job back yet, but he didn’t dare offend her either. “Since you’re still injured,” he added, “you’ll need time to rest anyway. Think of this as medical leave. Don’t worry. I’ll personally make sure no one touches your dorm, and I won’t let people gossip.”
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