Chapter 176
In the office, Emma's expression was grave as she handed her tablet to Josephine. "Take a look. Public opinion online is exploding, and now the company's stock price is being affected too."
Josephine stared at the reports on the tablet, her face growing increasingly grim.
Someone had leaked that an employee's negligence at the Getty Group had caused errors in the neural bridge system testing managed by their partner company, Starlight Group. Even the fact that volunteer Lily had experienced physical complications had been exposed.
"Lily's hospital location has been leaked. Should we send someone to protect her?" Emma was worried. She feared those crazy reporters might frighten Lily.
Josephine murmured her agreement, speaking rapidly: "I'll head to the hospital now. Also, find some—"
"No need to go."
The door opened. Noah stood in the doorway, looking as unruffled as if the sky could fall and it wouldn't faze him. His face still wore that gentle smile. "Mr. Getty has already sent people."
Josephine felt a weight lift from her chest. "Please thank Mr. Getty for me."
"Mr. Getty would like you to come see him."
Josephine set down the tablet and left with Noah.
When they reached Cedric's office door, Noah pushed it open but whispered first: "Gideon is here too."
Josephine froze. Noah had already turned and walked away.
Josephine took a deep breath and pushed through the door to find Cedric and Gideon—one seated, one standing. The atmosphere between them felt strangely charged.
Both men's gazes landed on her simultaneously.
Josephine walked straight to the desk without looking sideways. Actually, on her way over, she'd been thinking through potential solutions, but still hadn't reached any clear answer.
Gideon spoke first. "This incident doesn't just affect the Getty Group—it impacts my company too. We can't let this continue unchecked."
"What are your thoughts?" Cedric asked Josephine.
Josephine lowered her eyes.
She actually knew what method would resolve this crisis. The approach was simple and direct, but...
Gideon's phone rang.
He glanced at the number. His assistant was calling. He picked up the phone and stepped outside the office to answer.
Only after he left did Josephine speak. "How do you plan to handle this?"
Cedric said thoughtfully, "I don't know who leaked this online, but it has undeniably caused extremely negative impacts on both companies. This project has been the main initiative for both groups. There can't be any mishaps."
Josephine seemed to grasp his meaning. Her heart sank. "I know this incident has significantly impacted the company. Personal interests certainly can't compare to the company's. If necessary, personal sacrifice is acceptable... but..."
"You don't want her to bear responsibility," Cedric stated with certainty.
They both knew who this 'her' referred to—Haven, who'd caused the data discrepancy.
Josephine took a deep breath. "People make mistakes. This time, she was careless. We've already issued a punishment. If now we—"
Before she could finish, someone pushed the office door open.
"This isn't the time for soft-heartedness." Gideon's icy voice came from behind her.
Josephine frowned at him. "I'm not being soft-hearted."
"You think I don't know you?" Gideon walked to her side, his eyes fixed on her. "This is how you've always worked. You want to shoulder everything yourself. When mistakes happen, you won't punish your subordinates."
"That's different."
"How is it different?" Gideon gripped Josephine's shoulder, making her look at him. "Jojo, I know you're kind-hearted, but some things... we have no choice but to do."
"What do you want?" From the way he spoke, Josephine already had a bad feeling about where this was going.
Gideon said decisively, "Whoever made the mistake takes responsibility."
Calming this public outcry was actually quite simple. They just needed to push someone forward to bear all responsibility, and both the Getty Group and Starlight Group could emerge unscathed.
Josephine bit down slightly. "I don't agree."
"Jojo!"
Josephine pushed away Gideon's hand and turned to Cedric, enunciating each word: "I don't agree with this approach."
"Why? Is the person who made the mistake your friend?" Gideon couldn't understand.
"No."
Now Gideon was even more confused. "If she's just an ordinary employee, why can't you let her take responsibility? She's the one who made the mistake, isn't she?"
"We've already issued a punishment." Josephine suppressed her inner dissatisfaction. "I just told her we wouldn't fire her this time—only dock her pay and issue an internal company reprimand. Now you're saying we should make her bear full responsibility? Isn't that going back on our word?"
"Different situations call for different measures." Gideon saw no problem with this. He slipped one hand in his pocket, his gaze turning towards the window.
Autumn was nearly over. The weather was getting colder. The harsh winter was about to descend.
Yet the words he spoke were even colder than the weather outside.
"Jojo, you can't protect her."
"Then let's try." Josephine's stubborn streak emerged. "On a small scale, she's my subordinate. On a larger scale, she's a Getty Group employee. Whether to punish her, and how—that shouldn't be for you to decide."
Gideon withdrew his gaze, taking in the defiance in her eyes. A thread of helplessness crept into his chest. "I'm doing this for your own good. You're the project manager. Have you considered who will ultimately be held accountable if we don't push someone forward to take responsibility?"
Josephine fell silent for a moment, but remained stubborn. "I still stand by my position."
Gideon truly had no way to deal with her. He looked toward Cedric, his voice heavy. "You're not going to say something? You're just going to watch her act recklessly?"
Cedric leaned back in his chair, fingers resting on the armrest, lightly stroking its edge. He said thoughtfully, "This is a Getty Group matter. We need to hold a meeting to discuss it."
That was a dismissal.
Gideon's laugh came out cold. "Fine. I won't meddle in Getty Group affairs. But remember this—this project is a joint initiative between our two companies. If the Getty Group can't calm this public outcry, we'll do it my way."
After speaking, he glanced at Josephine. She never looked his way. His eyes darkened. He turned and pulled open the office door.
Nearly colliding with someone standing outside.
Gideon's expression went icy, his sharp gaze sizing up the somewhat panicked woman before him.
Haven.
The primary person responsible for the data error.
Haven felt her scalp tingle under his scrutiny. She swallowed hard and quickly stepped aside.
Gideon strode away.
Haven exhaled in relief. The office door was open, but she didn't dare enter.
Finally, Josephine came out. Haven looked at her cautiously. "Ms. Kennedy..."
"Why are you standing here? Get back to work."
Josephine's expression was perfectly calm. Haven truly couldn't read what was going on inside her head, which only made her own heart grow more anxious.
Josephine returned to her office. Before she could even open the door, she sensed something wasn't right. She turned around.
Haven was following closely behind her.
This left Josephine somewhat helpless. "Why are you following me?"
"Ms. Kennedy, I saw everything online... I heard them saying the best solution is to push someone forward to take responsibility, to apologize to the public..."
Only that way could they preserve the company's reputation. After all, everything their company developed was related to medical care, and medical matters were most sensitive to errors.
Haven had panicked immediately, because she'd seen how other companies handled situations like this.