Chapter 114
The staff elevator opened, and people waiting outside filed in one after another. In just a few seconds, the elevator was packed full.
Sarah looked at the crammed elevator with a displeased expression.
She had been acting like she owned the place at the Morgan Group, and everyone in the company gave her special treatment. These clueless people not only didn't greet her, but actually watched as she was blocked outside without letting her in first.
She waited at the elevator entrance for nearly ten minutes before finally squeezing in. Carrying a homemade lunch box, she first went to the design department. Ella walked in holding a cup of coffee and brushed past her shoulder on the way to her desk. In the design department, the two of them were the closest, so Sarah was puzzled why Ella didn't even greet her today.
"Ella, pour me a cup of coffee too, less sugar and no ice."
Sarah followed behind and gave the order.
But the next second, after Ella put her coffee back on her own desk, she let out a mocking laugh.
"Sarah, you can pack up your cup and go home to drink tea now. The company coffee isn't available to you anymore."
Sarah's face changed instantly. Ella was just a bootlicker who had never disobeyed her since she joined the company. Now she was being so arrogant, not even calling her Ms. Brown anymore - she was basically asking for it.
"Ella, who gave you the nerve to talk to me like this? I'm ordering you to pour me a cup of coffee right now and apologize sincerely, or I'll have Mr. Morgan fire you."
Ella scoffed and even rolled her eyes at her.
"Still think you're Mrs. Morgan? A serial plagiarist doesn't deserve to be the Morgan Group's chief designer. It's an insult to us designers. Why don't you look in the mirror? Are you even worthy of our Mr. Morgan? You have no idea how terrible you are."
Sarah was so angry.
"Who are you calling a plagiarist? Make yourself clear!"
At this point, everyone in the design department couldn't take it anymore. If it were just Sarah and Ella arguing, others wouldn't care, but when plagiarism was mentioned, everyone got worked up.
"Sarah, do you know what all the colleagues in the company call you behind your back? Chief Plagiarist! The Morgan Group almost got dragged down by you, and you still won't admit you plagiarized. Swan has already come out with solid proof - don't you go online?"
Sarah kept muttering to herself, "I didn't plagiarize, I didn't plagiarize. I dare anyone to say I plagiarized!"
She returned to her desk and found that the high-end leather chair she had specifically requested from HR had been replaced. Her chair was now being used by Ella, while her desk had Ella's old one.
"Ella, have you lost your mind? That's my chair!"
Ella took a sip of coffee and didn't even bother looking at her.
"Sarah, this desk doesn't belong to you anymore. Such a fancy chair is wasted on you. At least when I sit here, I can create some designs for the Morgan Group, but when you sit on it, all you do is copy others' work - and blatantly at that. Don't you feel ashamed?
If I were you, I'd pack up and get lost right away. I wouldn't have the face to see these colleagues again."
Sarah held back the urge to hit someone.
"Ella, are you really not afraid of being fired? Just wait, I'm going to see Mr. Morgan right now."
Ella snorted with a fake smile.
"You haven't checked the company website yet, have you? Mr. Morgan probably least wants to see you right now."
Sarah had a vague feeling something had happened. A cold sweat broke out on her back, and she thought to herself, could the truth have come out? She quickly dismissed the thought - this was a done deal, there couldn't be any reversal. She had the original design drafts; what was there to fear?
Still puzzled, she sat down, turned on her computer, and opened the website.
The advertising spot that previously featured the Eternity Pendant had been replaced with an apology letter.
She read the apology letter carefully from start to finish. She felt suffocated, and it took her a while to realize she had been fired by the company. What hurt her most was that William hadn't even notified her or sent her a termination email - he just posted the statement directly on the website.
The apology letter clearly stated that she had plagiarized.
By doing this, everyone in the design and fashion circles would know about her plagiarism scandal, which meant her career was over.
Sarah gripped the mouse tightly with her right hand, frozen in place as if her soul had been sucked out.
She couldn't believe William would treat her this way. He was the one who brought her into the Morgan Group and personally handed her the offer letter. He had said:
"Sarah, the Morgan Group will be even stronger with you joining us."
Now that something went wrong, was he going to throw her away like a discarded pawn?
Why?
How could he change his attitude so quickly?
After being angry for a long time, Sarah picked up the carefully prepared lunch box from her desk and went upstairs. No matter what, she had to get to the bottom of this and demand an explanation from him.
Upstairs, William was discussing PR matters with several managers from the public relations department. The plagiarism scandal had brought considerable negative impact to the Morgan Group, and they needed to do some positive publicity to repair their image. If the plagiarism scandal took root in everyone's minds, the company would be finished.
"Mr. Morgan, I think firing Sarah isn't enough. We should sue her for violating professional ethics and damaging the company's image. We must now stand in opposition to her and support Lolly, support originality. Only then can everyone see that the Morgan Group is also a victim."
"Mr. Morgan, now is not the time to hesitate. The stock price is plummeting every day. If you don't act now, in a few days the rooftop of the Morgan Group building will be full of people. Besides, the Morgan Group is innocent in this matter. Nobody told her to plagiarize, and with our current status, we wouldn't stoop to such dirty tricks. It's all Sarah's own doing!"
The executives spoke one after another, all condemning Sarah, hoping the Morgan Group would quickly cut ties with her - not just terminating her employment contract, but also making their position clear in all media.
William's face was dark, and he remained silent.
Sarah stood outside the door and heard the conversation inside. At this moment, she finally understood how pitiful her situation was. Everyone looked at her like a rat crossing the street that everyone wanted to stomp on.
Her heart turned completely cold.
William saw the person waiting outside the door and said to the executives who had just spoken:
"You can go back now. Let's settle it this way. Send me the PR copy to review before publishing."
The executives nodded with flattering smiles.
"We'll make sure Mr. Morgan is satisfied."
After the PR people left, Sarah entered with tears in her eyes.
"William, are you really not going to care about me anymore? Why are you so heartless? You know I came back to the country for you. You encouraged me to come back and develop my career here over the phone. You said we would work together to take the Morgan Group to the top of the world. How can you forget what you said?"
William leaned back in his chair and took a deep breath, looking completely exhausted.
"Sarah, don't get excited first. It's not good for your health."
He was afraid she might suddenly fall ill, which would weigh on his conscience.
Sarah questioned him through tears:
"William, why do you have to kick me when I'm down, too? You're the person I trust most in this world! I entered this industry for you. When I was young, I swore to become the best jewelry designer in the world, to be your right-hand person. I locked myself in the studio and drew until my arms cramped up - all of this was just to be able to stand beside you. Now that I've become a designer, why don't you want me anymore?"