Ch. 371..380

Chapter 371 The Blame Game

“What are you talking about, Miss Nicole? I don’t quite understand.”

Nicole didn’t beat around the bush with Joanna either; she went straight to the point and said, “I conducted surgery on Old Mr. Benedict during the past few days. The news has been circulating on the internet as well, saying that I’m White’s apprentice. Director Schmidt, I don’t think you’re blind. You’ve seen the news, haven’t you?”

Joanna’s expression turned complicated upon hearing that and she touched her nose awkwardly. After a while, she finally cleared her throat and responded, “Turns out you’re referring to this. Of course, I know about it. You’re going viral on the internet now, and everyone is saying that you’re an expert doctor for saving Old Mr. Benedict from the jaws of death. Indeed, you have my respect.”

When Olivia sent Nicole to the police station, it had gone viral on the internet as well. Joanna had actually prepared to have a good laugh at Nicole at that time, but she didn’t expect Nicole to overturn the situation through the revelation of her being White’s apprentice and getting to conduct Old Mr. Benedict’s surgery.

At that time, Joanna was even hoping that Old Mr. Benedict would end up dying on the hospital bed after receiving treatment from a dabbler like Nicole. If that happened, the Gardners would definitely never forgive her. Surprisingly, Nicole was lucky enough to have saved him successfully!

After hearing Joanna buttering her up, Nicole couldn’t resist laughing anymore. She looked at Joanna’s face with a smile on her lips, and her gaze moved down slowly. “I wouldn’t do such a foolish thing if I were you, Director Schmidt.”

When Joanna heard Nicole’s satire, the smile on her face froze for a little while before she reacted immediately and pretended to not understand what she said. “What are you talking about, Miss Nicole? Did anything happen when you were not around?”

When she noticed the woman’s pretentious behavior, Nicole continued to say with a smile, “Don’t tell me that you don’t know what happened with Aimee International.”

Joanna just blinked and wore an innocent face before asking, “Hasn’t the contract with Aimee International been signed already? Is there any problem with that?”

“There certainly is. The design sketch that we sent out was a plagiarized version. Moreover, it even plagiarized Aimee International’s earlier sketch. Do you think it’s really a coincidence?” Nicole stared at Joanna and asked her word-by-word.

Joanna’s mouth gaped as she wore a surprised expression and denied while saying, “That’s impossible. I remember checking the sketch before sending it out. It can’t have been plagiarized.”

Nicole realized that Joanna was going to continue playing dumb, so she didn’t want to beat around the bush. She took out the plagiarized sketch and showed the woman. “This sketch was released by Aimee International in its early days. Although it’s quite uncommon, it can still be found on the internet. Now, Director Schmidt, don’t tell me that you didn’t double-check before you accepted the sketch.”

Of course, Jonna had planned an escape plan after she did such a thing. She put on a faint smile and acted shamelessly. “Of course I checked. I just didn’t think that it’d be plagiarism. When I handed the sketch to you, you didn’t realize it as well, right? Either way, you can’t blame everything on me, Miss Nicole.”

Kylie, who was on the side, chimed in and said, “You’re the one with incompetent supervisory skills, but now you’re coming here to blame others for your mistake? Who gave you the courage to do so?”

“Joanna, I thought you’d be a smart person who knows what you’re doing, but it’s really out of my expectation that you would even do such a foolish thing!” Nicole ignored Kylie completely and said in a cold voice while staring at Joanna.

When Joanna heard that, her expression changed a little. It was obvious that she heard the cynicism in Nicole’s words, so she replied while grinding her teeth, “Now is not the time to play the blaming game, Miss Nicole. Instead, we should be dealing with Aimee International.”

At this moment, Nicole smiled before she burst out laughing.

 

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.

 

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.”

 

Chapter 374 Board of Directors

After hearing that, Nicole wasn’t surprised at all since that was what an ordinary person would think. However, she was growing curious as to how those people had become the board of directors. Although the final signature on the contract was hers, the contract was between Aimee International and Ann, which was under Gardner Corporation. Even if they pushed her out to take the bullet, they wouldn’t be able to stay out of it too.

“Okay, I got it.” Nicole didn’t show any reaction after that.

When he noticed the calm expression on her face, Tony suddenly felt that President Gardner was overthinking things. Based on how Nicole was behaving, it was obvious that she wasn’t worried about her current situation at all.

When they arrived at the conference room, Tony wanted to knock before entering, but he didn’t expect Nicole to kick open the door and go in right away.

Inside the conference room, Colton was dressed in a dark brown suit, leaning on the chair while spinning a pen between his slender fingers. When he heard the noise, he lifted his head and looked in Nicole’s direction.

The moment Nicole entered, the chaos in the conference room turned into pin-drop silence. Everyone’s actions came to a halt as they turned to look at her.

Nicole raised her hand and greeted them politely, saying, “Hello everyone. I’m Nicole Anderson.” After saying that, she noticed an empty seat beside Colton, so she went over and sat herself down without any hesitation.

As she took her seat, she glanced at the others in the room idly. She then said with a smile after noticing the silence in the room, “Please continue. Don’t keep quiet just because I’m here.”

Before Nicole came in, the directors were arguing until they were blue in the face. Now that the subject matter had arrived, they began to vent their rage on her.

“Even though you’re not part of the Gardner Corporation, you signed the contract on behalf of the company! Do you know that we’ll be subjected to legal liability?!”

“That’s right! You should’ve paid more attention to this collaboration with Aimee International. We didn’t make a fuss when negative stories about you came out, but things are getting out of hand now! You’ll need to bear the consequences yourself!”

“You’re the reason for the subpoena from Aimee International, so you’ll need to work this out on your own!”

After hearing the directors’ words, Nicole felt that they were really ridiculous. With her arms crossed in front of her chest, she glanced at them idly and rebuked, “Don’t talk so righteously. Do you guys think that you’re in the position to make a fuss about what happened previously? I’m not even a part of the Gardner Corporation, you know.”

She shut the directors’ mouths with her words, and one of them wanted to curse at her upon being provoked. “You… You…” In the end, he couldn’t think of any curses. His face was red as he said, “You’re really improvident! As expected, women are all short-witted!”

When she heard the sexist remark from him, Nicole turned her head to the side and asked him with an ironic smile, “Hmm? Are you really going into sexual discrimination now? Did a man give birth to you?”

The sharp-tongued Nicole had the upper hand, causing the director to start stuttering as he said, “Y-You’re just being ridiculous!”

“Am I being ridiculous?” Nicole sniggered and laughed out loud, embarrassing him.

On the other hand, Colton hadn’t said a word since Nicole’s arrival. When he heard her laughter, he glanced at her and was dazed by the grin on her exquisite face. As expected, she’s always so confident and beautiful.

“I’m just stating a fact. The things that happened previously were obviously an act of defamation, trying to tarnish my reputation on purpose. I’d already explained myself too, so I don’t understand why you’re still using it against me.”

The directors there probably didn’t expect her to be so well-grounded when she spoke, not giving them any reason to refute her.

After being speechless with indignation for quite some time, one of them stood up and said, “Anyhow, this thing happened because of you. Do you have anything else to say about this?”

 

Chapter 375 Keep Your Word

Nicole raised an eyebrow as she leaned against her chair.

Then, she asked unhurriedly, “From the moment I entered until now, which words of retort have I uttered?”

As she spoke, she turned to look at the directors who were arguing with her earlier.

“I simply answered your questions. I never said anything out of turn, did I?”

The directors intended to kick Nicole out of Gardner Corporation and retrieve their rights to Ann since it was a popular brand right now.

With Alice’s endorsement, Ann had become even more popular than before and its sales had even multiplied.

The reason behind the brand’s success was because of Nicole’s hard work during its early stages. Even if Nicole was no longer there, Ann could still continue being in the market.

“Well, we are saying that you should resign from your position as the creator of Ann.”

Nicole looked up just then, her lips curving into a pretty smile. Indeed, they were very calculative. She didn’t express her disagreement, but she didn’t agree to it either. She simply placed a hand on the desk and swept a gaze across the crowd while asking a simple question, “Do you guys think that I’m the only one at fault for this incident, eh?”

When they heard Nicole’s query, the group of old men fell silent. However, they were all blinded by profit and if they didn’t let her take the hit, Gardner Corporation would have to pay a huge sum as compensation for the incident with Aimee International.

After some detailed calculation, they decided they should just appoint a scapegoat to take all the blame.

“Of course. This all happened because of the lack of supervision on your end. Whose fault would it be other than you?”

Nicole couldn’t help but chuckle when she saw their matter-of-fact attitude. These people really thought they were something. “I can leave Ann, but on one condition. If you agree to my terms, I will leave immediately.”

The directors thought she would make an outrageous demand, so they thought for a while before saying, “As long as it’s not too outrageous, we can agree to it.”

Nicole pursed her lips and crossed her arms as she expressed, “It’s not something too outrageous. I will admit I was partly at fault for the plagiarized drafts this time, but is Joanna, the person in charge of collecting the drafts, totally innocent?”

The directors understood what Nicole meant. Was she trying to blame Joanna in turn?

“The signed name on the contract is yours, so even if Director Schmidt made any mistakes, you’re the only one who can be held responsible by the law!” they reminded her gracefully.

“That’s true, and I’m willing to take the responsibility. However, since everyone is at fault here, I cannot be the only one taking all the blame. If not, I’d feel upset and refuse to take responsibility.” Nicole leaned back in her chair, her voice indolent.

Just like she said, since she had to suffer, everyone else should also suffer with her.

“What do you mean?” The directors sitting diagonally across from Nicole narrowed their eyes as they looked over at her.

She said sharply, “It’s as exactly as what it suggests. I can resign, but Joanna must be fired as well. If not, I won’t take responsibility for this incident.”

“You’re being unreasonable!”

If Joanna left, Gardner Apparel would lose its backbone; how could it carry on by then?!

“I agree.” Colton, who had been silent in his seat all the while, suddenly spoke up.

This time, it was the directors’ turn to be stunned. Why would he agree to it all of a sudden?

“President Gardner, even though Director Schmidt might be at fault, it’s not such a serious mistake for her to be fired. She has worked hard for Gardner Corporation for seven years, after all. It wouldn’t be humane to fire her now.”

Nicole turned and looked at Colton as she noticed the suppressed smile in his eyes. Evidently, this person had understood what she was hinting at.

She smiled and continued his line of thought. “That would be for the best. After all, it would look fairer like this. I’ll go back right now and make the announcement. I hope you keep your word, President Gardner.”

Chapter 376 Fire Nicole

Colton gave Nicole a look. He didn’t know what Nicole was plotting, but when he saw her confident smile, he realized that he was probably overthinking it. He leaned back in his chair slightly and nodded. “Sure,” he said.

When Nicole received Colton’s agreement, she didn’t stay there for long as she got up and left right away.

She left as quickly as she came, and some of the directors were confused. After all, Ann had so much profit to be reaped, so how could Nicole leave so easily?

As soon as the woman left, Colton’s expression turned cold as he swept an indifferent gaze at the crowd, saying in a cold voice, “Now that you have what you asked for, there are no other matters on the agenda. That will be all.”

With that, he stood up and left, expressing no respect for this bunch of directors.

Even though Tony was standing outside all this while, he could clearly hear the conversation inside. When he saw Colton walking out calmly, he asked curiously, “President Gardner, are you allowing the board of directors to fire Miss Nicole?”

Colton paused momentarily in his tracks, chuckled slightly, then continued walking forward. As he walked, he said, “She was the one who suggested it on her own accord, which means she has a plan.”

Tony couldn’t help but feel odd. Aimee International had already sent out the summons, so what else could Nicole do?

“Aren’t you worried about letting Miss Nicole handle this on her own?”

“If she can’t handle it, she’ll come to me. Since this is a good show, let’s watch it properly and see if there’s anything interesting.”

Colton was now even more curious about Nicole. Firstly, she was the Chief Designer of F&M Apparel. She was anonymous, and then she became White’s student. What other identities did Nicole possess?

…

Meanwhile, Nicole didn’t gather her things as she decided to leave just like that.

As for Whitney, she was extremely worried when Nicole returned.

“How did it go, Miss Nicole?”

“Nothing much. I just got fired.”

Nicole spoke casually as she gathered some of the tools she used regularly on her desk and stashed them in her bag.

Whitney’s expression froze, for she never thought it would be this serious.

“Are they trying to chase you out so that they can avoid taking responsibility?”

“More or less,” Nicole replied indifferently.

It was Whitney’s turn to be surprised. Nicole didn’t have much of an expression on her face, and she looked especially cold as if she didn’t feel any emotion from this incident.

“Miss Nicole…” Whitney spoke, but she didn’t know what to say.

Nicole noticed Whitney’s anxious behavior, so she decided to come clean. She reached out and patted Whitney on the shoulder as she said comfortingly, “Don’t worry, I already have a way to solve this problem. Now that I’ve resigned, I can go home and rest for a while. I’ve been working hard for days on end, so if I don’t rest up now, I might get bald.”

Whitney nodded and gathered her things as well, preparing to leave.

Nicole stopped her. “You should stay here. Don’t leave.”

Whitney was stunned as she looked at Nicole, perplexed. She had stayed in Gardner Corporation for Nicole’s sake, so now that the woman was gone, there was no reason for her to stay here anymore.

Nicole smiled and said, “I’ll be back very soon. Over the next few days, please keep an eye on Kylie while I’m gone. She probably won’t sit still.”

Whitney understood what Nicole was getting at. She nodded and replied, “Alright, but do you really have a plan, Miss Nicole?”

Getting a summons from the court wasn’t something simple. Nicole had been truly innocent previously, but she had gotten involved this time because of Whitney. If this matter wasn’t handled carefully, someone might even be sent to jail.

If that really happened, Whitney felt that she should be the one to go.

“Don’t worry, I have my own plans. Just relax and wait here for my return. I can spend more time with Hayden too.”

Nicole smiled as she spoke.

Chapter 377 No Courage

With Nicole speaking so confidently, Whitney relaxed considerably as she lowered her gaze and nodded.

“Okay. In that case, you can leave first, Miss Nicole.”

Whitney waited until Nicole left before fishing out her phone and staring at it for a long while.

After some time, she shakily tapped out a string of numbers. Even though the number wasn’t saved on her phone, she had memorized it skilfully.

Whitney stared intently at the string of numbers, lacking the courage to tap on the dial button.

She looked at it for a long while before giving up in the end. Nicole said she had a plan, so she must have meant it. There was no need for Whitney to be worried.

The woman gripped her phone tightly. She was still cowardly as she retreated, for she couldn’t work up the courage to talk to that person.

She had betrayed him, so how could she talk to him like nothing had ever happened?

Whitney felt that she was selfish as she stared at the string of numbers. It had been three years. Would he forgive her?

After thinking for a while, Whitney finally gathered her thoughts. She shook her head and decided not to think about those things anymore.

She would cross the bridge when she got there. If Nicole couldn’t handle it on her own, Whitney would go to him.

…

When Nicole arrived home, Hayden was still surfing the net. She was on the brink of suspecting that her own son had gotten addicted to the internet, for she always came home to him at the computer.

Nicole silently walked closer and realized that there was a huge string of code on Hayden’s computer screen, and she couldn’t understand them at all.

She frowned slightly and asked in a small voice, “Hayden, what are you working on?”

Hayden was so absorbed in his data that he didn’t notice Nicole coming up to him from the back. Startled, he turned around to see that his mother was home. He quickly tapped twice on his keyboard, switching out the screen.

He switched back to his innocent face as he said to Nicole, “It’s nothing. Why are you home so early today, Mom?”

Seeing that Hayden was trying to change the subject, Nicole couldn’t help but smile. She sat on the couch and took the laptop from his hands, then pulled him into her arms as she said smilingly, “I got fired, so I have all the time in the world to accompany you at home.”

pursed his lips and asked in a puzzled tone, “Mom, you’re excellent at work. Have they gone blind? Is that why they fired you?”

Seeing how defensive her child was of her, Nicole couldn’t help but feel happy as she reached out and caressed his head. “It’s good timing. I’ve been busy ever since I came back, and I don’t even have time for you anymore. I’ll treat it as a holiday. Are there any places you want to go, Hayden? I’ll take you there.”

When Hayden saw his mother’s smiling face, he stopped complaining as he leaned into Nicole’s embrace. His small hands held her waist as he said in an adorable tone, “We don’t have to go anywhere. I’m happy as long as you’re with me, Mom.”

Nicole felt warmth in her heart upon hearing her son say such considerate words. She reached out and supported her son’s hips, then she remembered the computer screen she saw when she came in. She couldn’t help but ask curiously, “What were you doing just now, Hayden?”

Hayden’s body froze in an obvious manner. He thought for a long while before saying, “Miss Whitney taught me that. I tried it a bit just now, but it’s not much fun.”

Nicole understood now; it turned out that Whitney had taught him that. She was quite skilled at hacking, and when Nicole wasn’t around, she would let Whitney babysit Hayden.

Perhaps he picked it up after all the time he spent with Whitney.

Nicole didn’t doubt it at all. “Let’s not fiddle with such complex things next time, or you’ll get a headache in addition to your confusion.”

Hayden didn’t protest, nor did he confess that these things were actually simple for him. He simply leaned quietly in Nicole’s embrace and nodded.

Chapter 378 Recruit

The day after Nicole left Gardner Corporation, she received a call from Pinnacle Group.

Mason was the one who made the call, and there was an obvious smile in his voice. He was here to recruit her.

“Long time no see, Pretty Lady. I heard you left Gardner Corporation.”

News traveled fast. She hadn’t even made an announcement, but Mason had already caught wind of it.

Nicole didn’t hide it as she replied, “Yes, I just resigned yesterday. I didn’t think you’d know about it this soon, President Schumacher.”

Mason smiled and immediately said, “What do you think, Pretty Lady? Would you like to join Pinnacle Group?”

“No, thanks.” Nicole declined without so much as a thought.

Mason seemed to have guessed it as he sighed deeply, shaking his head and saying, “I knew you’d reject me, Pretty Lady. I’m so sad.”

When she heard his pitiful tone, Nicole couldn’t help but burst out laughing. She said in a louder voice, “Pinnacle Group is a prestigious place. I won’t be able to get in.”

Of course, Mason knew what Nicole was getting at. He cleared his throat and seemed to have remembered something as he said, “Right, you’re still entering the Golden Brush Competition this time, right?”

Nicole nodded as she responded, “Yes, I’m still taking part. It’s still some time away, and I have more than a month to prepare, so I’m not in a hurry. I still have some matters at hand, so I’ll settle those matters first.”

Mason knew that Aimee International had sued Nicole, so he extended a hand in kindness, asking, “Do you need my help?”

“It’s okay, I don’t like owing people.” Nicole smiled as she spoke, declining the offer.

Mason didn’t insist as he only said, “Do reconsider, Pretty Lady. If you’re willing to come to Pinnacle Group, you’re very welcome to.”

“I’ve considered it before, and I still think I should do it alone. We can partner up when the opportunity arises.”

Nicole didn’t give Mason any room for guesses as she declined straightaway.

The woman was a golden opportunity herself. Ever since she left Gardner Corporation, there were subsequently many companies who inquired after her.

After all, everyone knew how well Ann was doing.

Even when Nicole was suspected of plagiarizing designs from Aimee International, such matters could easily be resolved by some payment behind the scenes.

Nicole was frustrated by the calls she kept receiving, so she set her phone to reject all unknown numbers. With that, she could finally rest.

Meanwhile, things were getting worse at Gardner Corporation.

They thought that Aimee International would let Gardner Corporation off the hook after Nicole was kicked out.

Unexpectedly, Aimee International wasn’t suing Nicole as an individual; they were suing the entire Gardner Corporation.

Now that they had chased Nicole out and fired Joanna, there was none left to take responsibility.

As for Colton, he acted as if he didn’t care, so the board of directors was in a terrible mess.

Eventually, they were unable to bear the pressure coming from Aimee International, so they grabbed Colton and held another meeting.

Colton sat at a distance at the side, his gaze lazy as he looked over at the crowd smilingly. With a curve on his lips, he smiled and said, “What’s the matter? You guys keep holding rushed meetings so often that I think you might end up holding one every single day. I’m not so free as to play along with your drama, you know.”

Colton’s words annoyed the directors, and they looked at him as they said harshly, “Aimee International has given their final deadline now. If we don’t deal with it, we’d have to pay a large sum to compensate!”

“Yes, this money will impair the company greatly. We finally earned something this year, but we’re going to lose it all again!”

They had invested lots of capital due to the partnership with Aimee International, so if they were found breaking the contract, they had to pay a large sum as default penalty. Even though the company wouldn’t go bankrupt, they wouldn’t be able to get any profit for at least a year!

 

Chapter 379 To Beg Nicole

As Colton listened to them talk, he wasn’t surprised in the least. He raised an eyebrow and smiled as he said, “You were the ones who were in a rush to chase Nicole out, but now that something has happened and gotten you guys into trouble, she’s already gone, so the company can only shoulder the responsibility.”

When they heard that they would be taking responsibility, the directors panicked. Gardner Apparel had always been insignificant and never earned much profit, so when they finally released Ann this year, they could finally earn considerable gains.

However, they were now being told that they couldn’t earn money this year, and they even had to lose some. Naturally, the board of directors was reluctant to comply.

“Gardner Corporation did nothing wrong in this matter. Why do we have to take responsibility for it? If someone should take responsibility, then let it be Nicole!”

When Colton heard how they were planning to shrug off the responsibility, he wasn’t surprised at all. This bunch of directors never did anything proper, and they were only adept at pushing the blame on someone else.

Colton rested his hand on the table and knocked quietly on it, smiling as he said calmly, “Since that’s what you think, you should go get Nicole to shoulder the responsibility.”

They probably couldn’t resolve the matter with Aimee International without Nicole’s help.

This group of money-minded people wouldn’t allow a single cent of theirs to be lost, after all.

“You are the president, so shouldn’t you be the one to step forward during times like this?”

The directors couldn’t humble themselves since they had insistently chased Nicole out some time ago. Now that they had to beg her pitifully, they had too much pride for this.

“I don’t mind losing some money; after all, the single thing I own the most is money. I can bear it no matter how much the compensation will be,” Colton said slowly, sending a lazy gaze at them. “Even if the compensation costs the entire Gardner Corporation, I can still live comfortably. However, it’s a different story for you.”

Colton’s words enraged the directors greatly. How shameless could he be?!

However, they had no other choice. Aimee International had provided them with two choices—either Nicole came forward to provide an explanation, or they would take this to court right away.

But now they had chased Nicole out, they were reluctant to start a negotiation on behalf of Gardner Corporation.

“President Gardner.” The directors’ stance switched again. “If this matter cannot be resolved, the shares we’re holding now won’t be of much use either. We’ll have to throw them all away when things come down to it.”

They intended to threaten Colton by this. After all, Gardner Apparel was only a step away from becoming the largest company in the local scene. If something happened right now, it would be difficult to take the throne.

Meanwhile, Colton was emotionless when faced with their threat. “Sure, I can buy all the shares you cast away.”

“You—”

When the directors heard Colton’s words, their expressions changed immediately. They knew what Colton was hinting at; he was saying that he would render them powerless by getting hold of all the equity.

Colton wasn’t so bored that he would keep wasting time with them. He stood up and said coldly, “If you want to solve this problem, go to Nicole yourself. If not, get ready to throw all the shares away.”

With that, he turned around and left.

The board of directors never thought that they were digging their own graves in the end!

They thought that as long as Nicole was fired, they would be able to save themselves and let Aimee International seek Nicole out. However, they never thought that Aimee International would sue Gardner Apparel right away.

The terms they had given were to have Nicole come forth and hold a negotiation talk with them, or they would take it to court right away.

If this incident ended up getting taken to court, Gardner Apparel’s profit would be in shambles. No matter what, they couldn’t let this happen.

After thinking for a long while, there was only one option left, which was to see Nicole and beg her for mercy. By then, she could step up and shoulder the responsibility. No matter how this incident developed, as long as Nicole was there to bear the burden, everything would be fine.

Chapter 380 The Past

At home, Nicole spent time with Hayden to her heart’s content for a few days.

This was Nicole’s first time realizing how understanding and smart her son was.

When she was swamped with tasks before this, even though she went home right after work, she rarely spent so much time with her son without having to think about her job or anything else.

She was the Chief Designer at F&M Apparel back then. Even when she took days off and stayed at home, she would still receive countless calls and never-ending matters to attend to, as well as drafts and designs to draw that never seemed to run out.

Now that she had left Gardner Corporation, she could relax her entire body and mind. It was then that Nicole realized how wonderful her son was.

Meanwhile, Whitney had spent these few days at Gardner Corporation. If she found something, she would return at night to tell Nicole about it.

As Whitney ate her dinner at night, she seemed to have suddenly remembered something as she put down her utensils. She stared right at Nicole as she said, “Miss Nicole, there was a directors’ meeting today again. It’s about the matter with Aimee International. They heard that Gardner Corporation fired you, and they suggested that either you talk with them, or they’d sue the company right away.”

When Nicole heard this news, she wasn’t surprised in the slightest. After all, she knew what the people behind Aimee International were trying to do.

They were just bored and wanted to find something fun to do.

“I got it,” Nicole replied calmly without a hint of shock.

When Whitney saw how calm Nicole behaved, she was a little puzzled. “Miss Nicole, if this goes on, Gardner Corporation will definitely ask you to go back, and you’ll only turn into their shield.”

Nicole pursed her lips and chuckled, looking up at Whitney as she said, “Say, now that I’ve left Gardner Corporation, wouldn’t they have to give me their utmost respect when they ask me to come back?”

“Do you intend to go back to Gardner Corporation?” asked Whitney with a frown.

Nicole didn’t reply. Instead, she said simply, “We’ll talk about that later, but very soon, that bunch of people will be coming to me.”

There was proof at Aimee International, after all. If no one stepped forward and took responsibility, then Gardner Corporation would definitely take a huge hit.

Before this, they wanted to fire her to resolve the situation because the first summons only targeted her as an individual. After that, when she left Gardner Corporation, Aimee International went ahead and changed the defendant to Gardner Corporation.

With them playing tricks like that, Gardner Corporation couldn’t escape even if they wanted to.

When Whitney saw Nicole’s confident attitude, she was about to say something, but she stopped and swallowed her words back.

Nicole knew what Whitney was going to say, so she smiled at the woman and comforted her by saying, “Don’t worry. When have you ever seen me at a disadvantage?”

Whitney lowered her gaze and kept silent.

Nicole didn’t tell Whitney everything, for she didn’t want to reveal this identity of hers just yet.

As such, when Whitney saw Nicole’s behavior, she thought that the latter was only finding excuses to comfort her. She felt a little anxious inside.

She had thought about asking Zachary, but now, he was struggling to even protect himself at F&M Apparel. Even though he would definitely lend a helping hand when it came to Nicole, it was simply too much trouble.

After more thinking and consideration, she could only ask for help from Douglas Lane, the man she had betrayed three years ago.

At that thought, Whitney couldn’t help the flash of sorrow that flitted across the depths of her eyes.

She didn’t want to do it. She had never intended for things to turn out like that, but she had no choice!

At that time, the Campbell Family ran a furniture business overseas, and they advanced so much that they almost became the largest business in that region.

Meanwhile, the Lane Family was a veteran in that area. Whitney got to know Douglas at school, and they weren’t aware of each other’s identities then.

At some point, her father found out that she was dating Douglas, and he knew that Douglas was the heir of the Lane Family.

He then threatened Whitney to betray Douglas, holding both her mother and his own lives at stake, making her push Douglas into the pits of hell.