Chapter 23
Seraphine's POV
Sable stared at me, then looked up.
I looked back at her and said, word by word, "You're coming back with me. In front of my father, you will tell him everything, exactly as it happened: how Amara and Brielle instructed you to tamper with the documents and drug me, in an attempt to ruin the press conference."
Sable immediately shook her head, refusing without hesitation. "No! They won't let me get away with it!"
"Even if you don't say anything, I have proof of your collusion. My father won't let you get away with it either." I said nonchalantly. "But as long as you tell the truth, I promise you won't lose your job. You can't be an assistant anymore, but the company will arrange another suitable position for you."
Sable's biggest worries were her job and the consequences of confessing. Giving her a little incentive was the only way to get her to tell the truth. I raised an eyebrow. "What, you're not willing?"
Sable took a deep breath and, with almost no hesitation, immediately switched sides. "I'll talk, I'll say everything! Ms. Seraphine Whitaker, I'll do whatever you say. It was Mrs. Whitaker and Ms. Brielle Whitaker who instructed me!"
"That's more like it." I sat up straight, started the car, and drove Sable directly back to the Whitaker Mansion.
As soon as I entered, I heard Brielle's sobbing from the living room, accompanied by Heath's impatient reprimand.
"All you know how to do is cry!"
"Dad, I really tried my best! It was Seraphine who deliberately set me up! She never told me there was an interactive session. She just wanted to make a fool of me!" Brielle shouted, unwilling to accept it.
I stood there with my arms crossed, in no hurry to go in.
"Enough! You blame others for your own incompetence? You've disgraced the company today!" Heath couldn't listen anymore, his tone growing heavier.
"Heath, say a few less words. Brielle was also set up." Amara began to persuade.
I knew that when she spoke, she would be more effective than Brielle, so I immediately walked in, not giving her a chance to talk nonsense. The voices in the living room stopped abruptly when they saw me.
Amara, as if finding an outlet, stood up and questioned me, "Seraphine, tell me, did you deliberately hide the interactive session to frame Brielle? To get revenge on her, you disregarded the company's reputation and the carefully prepared press conference?"
Brielle also rushed to me, crying, "It was you! You deliberately didn't tell me, just to make a fool of me on stage! How could you be so vicious!"
Heath frowned at me, his eyes filled with scrutiny and a hint of suspicion. "Seraphine, what's going on? Even if you're angry with Brielle, you can't joke about the company's important project!"
Looking at the ugly faces of the mother and daughter duo, who were turning the tables on me, I felt disgusted but remained calm. In this family, only Heath was worth my time. I stepped aside to let the person outside come in.
"Dad, about this matter, you might as well hear what Ms. Wallace has to say."
As soon as I finished speaking, Amara and Brielle froze. The next second, Sable, with her head bowed, shuffled to the center of the living room.
"Mr. Whitaker." Sable's voice trembled with fear. She didn't dare to look at the instantly changed faces of Amara and Brielle.
Heath looked her up and down. "You're Seraphine's new assistant, right? What, does this have something to do with you?"
Sable looked at me fearfully. I gave her a look, signaling her to speak. She mustered her courage and, trembling, took out her phone, pulling up the chat history with the mother and daughter.
"It was Mrs. Whitaker and Ms. Brielle Whitaker. They told me to secretly drug Ms. Seraphine Whitaker's coffee to make her have an allergic reaction and unable to go on stage. They also had me tamper with the press conference documents, deleting or watering down the key content so that the shareholders and you would be more dissatisfied with Ms. Seraphine Whitaker. The script Ms. Brielle Whitaker used on stage was also prepared by me."
On the phone screen was the chat history of Amara telling her to "do it cleanly" and the record of Brielle receiving the files.
"You're lying! You bitch, you're spouting nonsense!" Brielle was scared and rushed over like a madwoman to snatch the phone.
"Enough!" Heath's roar stopped her. He slammed his hand on the coffee table and shot up, his chest heaving, his face a terrifying shade of ashen.
Brielle froze. Heath pointed at her and Amara, his fingers trembling. "Good! Really good, Amara! Is this the good daughter you raised? Is this the good deed you've done? To fight for power and suppress Seraphine, you resort to such low-down tricks, not hesitating to harm the company's interests and tamper with such an important press conference! Do you know how angry Octavius was today? If it weren't for Seraphine saving the day, he would never cooperate with us again because of this! Do you still have this family in your eyes? Do you still have the company in your eyes?"
The entire living room was filled with Heath's roars. I listened silently, my eyes downcast, only controlling the battlefield, not participating in it.
Amara's face was pale, and she was still trying to argue. "Heath, let me explain, it was Sable who framed us..."
"The evidence is right in front of you and you're still arguing!" Heath wouldn't listen, looking at her with disappointment and anger. Finally, his gaze fell on Brielle, with a disgust he had never shown before. "Brielle, from today on, you are not allowed to set foot in the Whitaker Group again. You are not to interfere with any of the company's affairs."
"Dad!" Brielle cried out in despair.
"Get out, don't call me Dad!" Heath was in a fit of rage and would not be refused.
Brielle was scared and didn't dare to make a scene. Amara quickly pulled her arm. Brielle had no choice but to glare at me resentfully and run upstairs, crying. Amara, knowing she was in the wrong, didn't dare to anger Heath further and followed her upstairs with an ugly expression.
Heath rubbed his temples wearily and waved at Sable. "You can go. Since you told the truth, as Seraphine said, the company will arrange another position for you."
Sable was relieved and scrambled away.
Only Heath and I were left in the living room. He looked at me, his eyes complex, filled with guilt and a hint of fear. "Seraphine, I was wrong to blame you this time. You've been wronged."
I shook my head, my tone obedient. "Dad, I'm fine. I just hope to have a fair working environment in the company in the future." At this point, I paused and glanced meaningfully upstairs. "I also hope that some people will behave themselves and not have any more crooked ideas. Otherwise, next time it won't be as simple as being banned from the company."
With that, I turned and left. I knew that after this, Amara and Brielle wouldn't dare to openly provoke me for a while.
After resolving the trouble at home, I was still thinking about explaining the misunderstanding about Mitchell to Octavius. But just as I walked out of the mansion, my phone rang. The caller ID was none other than Mitchell.