Two days ago, the news about Joseph’s attendance at the party was on the headlines of both the financial and the entertainment news section. On the other hand, the newspaper Lina had just placed in front of them was newly printed today. It called into question the notion that Joseph was not interested in women. In the photo, Joseph was courteously inviting a woman to dance with him, and only the side profile of the mysterious woman’s face could be seen.

Charlie picked up the newspaper on the table and read the article. The moment he saw the picture, he was able to tell right away who the so-called “mysterious woman” was. Seeing her graceful figure and familiar side profile, he believed that it was none other than Ashley.

On the night of the party, Charlie saw Joseph and Ashley dancing on the dance floor from a distance. Because of how they moved so gracefully and the way they carried themselves, the other guests couldn’t help looking at them in awe. Even though Charlie didn’t want to admit that the two of them looked so good together, he couldn’t shake off the disappointment and jealousy he felt deep in his heart when he saw how well they were getting along with each other. ‘Ashley and I were still dating just a while ago, but then she suddenly appears in front of me with another man. As much as I hate to admit it, I can’t hold a candle to him.’

Now, Charlie was looking at the photos Lina had presented to them. In these photos, Joseph and Ashley looked like they were in a world of their own. Their eyes were glued to each other as they danced. Among the photos, there were a few where Ashley and Joseph could be seen standing next to another tall man and talking to each other.

Looking at these photos, Charlie wasn’t sure how he was supposed to feel. Just what was going on? At first, Charlie thought that Lina only said those words because she was jealous of Ashley. But, now there was irrefutable evidence to support her claim. And based on what he saw with his very own eyes that night, Ashley really seemed to be close to Joseph. Did she really sell out the company? However, the Ashley he knew shouldn’t be the type who would do such a thing.

Looking at Charlie, Lina noticed how the expression on his face had changed. She could tell that he still harbored feelings for Ashley. For this reason, she wanted to take advantage of this incident so that Ashley would be given the boot out of the Synder Group. This way, she would be able to keep Ashley away from Charlie for good. It was like killing two birds with one stone.

“Sir, the woman in those photos and on the newspaper is the current marketing manager, Ashley. It is without question that she has a close relationship with the CEO of the Empire Group, Joseph Marshall. Charlie should be aware of that as well.” Upon saying this, she glanced at Charlie and asked, “Charlie, what do you think?”

Seeing that his father was also looking at him and waiting for his response, Charlie hesitated for a moment. Then, he replied, “Lina is right.” After a short pause, he went on and added, “On the night of the party, I did feel that Ashley and Joseph had quite an unusual relationship.”

Lina was certain that Charlie wouldn’t mind selling his old lover out if his future at the company was hanging in the balance. At the moment, Ashley was being suspected of divulging confidential information about the company. If Charlie spoke up for her in front of James, it would give away the fact that he still had lingering feelings for Ashley. If that were to happen, the image he had tried so hard to maintain in front of his father would be ruined. Charlie, a man who had always valued the inheritance of the company more than anything, would not take the risk.

Lina asked Charlie about it for a particular reason. Now that Charlie had verified the evidence she had presented, her words seemed more credible.

After hearing Lina and Charlie’s statements, James thought for a moment and said in a rather forbidding tone, “We have to look into this matter seriously. If what you’re saying is true, she’ll have to pay for what she has done.”

It was possible that this was just be a minor issue, but it could also be a serious one. It would be much easier to deal with if it were just a conflict of interest caused by the marketing manager’s leaking of sensitive information. However, James couldn’t shake off the feeling that this was an act of revenge made by Joseph. Although he might not have been aware of it at that time, since he was the son of that person, he must also be someone formidable, so they couldn’t afford to let their guard down.

“There’s something else I have to deal with. Charlie, I’ll leave this to you,” James ordered. He wanted to first replace out the reason why Joseph refused to cooperate with them and cross out all the possibilities.

After Charlie gave him his word, James left the conference room.

“So, what are you going to do about it?” Lina asked Charlie, who had suddenly turned silent.

“What do you want me to do?” Charlie hurled back at her in a rather unpleasant tone.

“It’s up to you. But, let me just remind you to be careful, and remember to keep your personal interests separate from the company’s,” Lina replied in a cold tone.

Then, she cast Charlie a quick glance and walked out of the conference room. ‘Well, even if you want to play favorites, that’s going to depend on whether I will allow it or not. I know what you care about the most. If you don’t cooperate obediently, I will definitely make you regret it,’ Lina thought to herself before walking away, her eyes full of resentment.

Even though Lina and Charlie were about to tie the knot, there was a good chance that they were only going to make use of each other until they got sick of each other. Charlie used the baby in her belly to secure his position in the family, but he disliked Lina being insatiable.

After being together with him for a period of time, Lina found out that Charlie only cared about his position in the Synder Group and that he didn’t like her at all. What she found ever more embarrassing was how her baby’s future father still hadn’t forgotten about Ashley and kept giving her the cold shoulder. Lina used to hold Charlie in high regard, but after seeing those men who were much more handsome and excellent than him appear around Ashley, her feelings of admiration for him began to fade away. Right now, she only had her eyes on getting as much properties as she could from the Synder Group.

Little by little, seeds of distrust and disgust started to take root in their hearts. Whenever they were left alone in a room, the two of them would simply ignore each other.

After Lina left, Charlie started to chew the cud about the best way to deal with this issue. If at all possible, he didn’t want Ashley to leave the company, but Lina wanted the exact opposite. Moreover, his father was a very cautious and ruthless man, so there was no way he would keep anyone or anything that would pose a threat to him by his side. Now, Lina had already presented substantial evidence to make his father suspect Ashley. At any rate, there was no denying the fact that Ashley was close to Joseph. His father’s words were loud and clear that they needed to figure out a way to reduce the damage that had been dealt to the company. Charlie went over the situation with a fine-tooth comb. In order to earn his father’s trust and approval, and for his own future development as well, he had made up his mind.

Clueless of the fact that someone was secretly hatching a plot against her, Ashley went on and did her job as usual, enjoying the calm before the storm.

The following day, at the end of the team meeting, Ashley received a pink slip from her superior. In her opinion, the reason for her dismissal was completely ridiculous. It stated that she was being suspected of divulging confidential information about the company. So, in order to ensure the safety of the company, she had to be laid off. The person who issued the letter of dismissal was Charlie.

As soon as she received this letter, in order to fight for her rights and interests, Ashley brought it to the general manager’s office and looked for Charlie.

After knocking on the door of Charlie’s office, Ashley put the letter on his desk. Watching Charlie who was sitting on the other side, she asked, “What’s going on?”

This was the first time that Ashley had ever been to his office since they called their relationship quits. Charlie looked at Ashley, who looked so beautiful and stunning, standing in front of him. Trying so hard to keep his heart from pounding loudly in his chest, he calmly replied, “It’s just as the letter said. The financial crisis that we are going through was caused by the Empire Group’s refusal to cooperate with us, and you seem to have a very close relationship with the CEO of the Empire Group, Joseph Marshall. Because of this, you are being suspected of divulging the confidential information about the company to the other party, which resulted in this incident.”

After saying this, Charlie pushed a stack of photos to the other side of his desk, hinting for Ashley to have a look.

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