Chapter 128 Meaningful
The news from the Design Department reached Ryder immediately. At that moment, Ambrose was in his office listening to a work report from the Business Department manager.
Ryder knew how important Scarlett was to Ambrose, so he didn't hesitate to walk into the office.
"Mr. Boleyn." Ryder called out, and Ambrose looked over.
Ryder got straight to the point: "A bunch of people are causing trouble in the Design Department."
Ambrose's brows furrowed slightly. Even though Ryder didn't specify what happened, he could probably guess who was fighting with whom. He had just yelled at Heath yesterday, and today Heath was acting up again.
But since Scarlett didn't want him interfering with her work matters, Ambrose simply said:
"Have HR handle it. I hired them to work, not to turn the company into a mess."
Ryder was Ambrose's right-hand man and naturally understood what he meant.
He knew that when it came to matters involving Scarlett, Ambrose couldn't get directly involved. Rumors about the two of them were already spreading around the company, so it was best to avoid suspicion when possible. So he sent someone from HR over.
By the time HR manager Flynn Stewart arrived, everyone had already dispersed. He gathered them in the conference room again, and after understanding what happened, Flynn said to Heath:
"Mr. Rivera, in the Design Department, you're supposed to be the unifying force, the backbone. But now the backbone is stirring up trouble in the Design Department. What do you think the higher-ups will think of you?"
Heath was already nervous when he saw Flynn, and after hearing these words, cold sweat broke out on his forehead.
"Mr. Stewart, this whole thing started because they caused trouble outside. Ms. Mellon misunderstood me. I'm really wronged here."
"And Ms. Mellon too, insisting on getting to the bottom of it. Honestly, what company doesn't have conflicts between employees? This is such a small matter, but she's using her achievements to boss people around. Which other employee in the Design Department acts like her?"
Heath ended up pushing the blame onto Scarlett, but she wasn't angry. She smiled lightly.
"A small matter? Mr. Rivera, let's talk this through. From my first day at the company, you told me to follow the Design Department's rules and toast each colleague with a drink."
"Yesterday, during the work meal, you asked me to toast again. I didn't say anything about all that, but you can't handle being criticized by leadership and then spread rumors that I snitched."
"Again and again, pulling these little tricks behind my back. If you say you're not making things difficult for me, I just can't believe it anymore."
"You say I'm relying on my achievements. I just joined the company, so I really don't know what achievements you're talking about. But you, you're a veteran employee at the company. Making things so difficult for a new employee—what are you relying on?"
Scarlett's sharp retort left Heath speechless on the spot. Everyone knew he was so arrogant in the Design Department precisely because he was a confidant of the company's previous chairman.
"Ms. Mellon really has a way with words. You don't respect your supervisor. When have you ever reported your work to me?"
"The leadership specifically instructed that my work, aside from our team members, cannot be disclosed to outsiders. I already explained this to my colleagues at the celebration dinner."
Listening to their confrontation, Flynn fell silent. Finally, he said:
"If the company wants you to know about internal matters, the higher-ups will tell you themselves. It's not going to come from Ms. Mellon's mouth. You're a veteran employee—if you don't even have this basic awareness, then you've really wasted all these years."
"This kind of thing shouldn't be handled by me, but Ryder personally called me, saying we need to clean up some bad practices in the company. For example, this rule about new employees having to toast their colleagues is ridiculous. Who came up with it? Are you planning to treat the company as your private territory?"
After hearing this, Heath's face darkened.
Then Flynn looked around at the others. "You all should speak up about the situation too."
After hearing Flynn's words, everyone knew Heath was going to be dealt with. Soon, some people at the scene switched sides. Even other female employees who hadn't participated in this incident came forward to accuse Heath of workplace bullying.
Flynn took the firsthand information and went straight upstairs to find Ambrose.
Seeing that the matter was resolved, Scarlett returned to her office to prepare for work. But before long, Echo knocked and came in.
"Do you need something?" Scarlett looked at her and asked.
Echo sat down in front of her looking uneasy. "Ms. Mellon, if someone could provide evidence that Heath raped a female employee, could he be fired?"
Scarlett's expression immediately became serious. "Echo, if he really did that, it's not a matter of firing—he would face criminal charges."
"But you need evidence. Just saying it won't work," she reminded her rationally.
Scarlett brought Echo to Ambrose's office. In the CEO's office, Echo revealed that Heath had used his position to take advantage of and sexually coerce female employees.
Ambrose had Chase investigate thoroughly. What Echo provided were just some suggestive conversations between two people, which didn't count as solid evidence.
After Chase took Echo away, Scarlett stood there in silence. The Boleyn Group was a big company. If this kind of news broke out internally, it would definitely cause stock market turbulence.
"If this is true, once it gets out, it will affect The Boleyn Group's stock, won't it?" she asked.
Ambrose, sitting in his chair, gestured with his hand, signaling her to come over. Scarlett stood still. "I'll just talk from here."
Ambrose raised an eyebrow but didn't force her, only saying: "On the surface, Heath is the previous chairman's man, but he's actually Gage's man."
In these big families, power struggles were inevitable. Scarlett immediately understood. "He deliberately placed Heath here to make things difficult for you?"
Ambrose nodded. "But he can't cause much trouble. As for that Echo, getting involved at this critical moment—she might be coming after Serene Bay Peninsula."
The Boleyn Group was competing for the Serene Bay Peninsula project. At this time, if a scandal within The Boleyn Group suddenly broke out, it would definitely have an impact.
Scarlett came from a high-ranking family and understood these political maneuvers to some extent. She asked seriously: "Have you checked Echo's background?"
Ambrose didn't answer her question. Instead, he stood up, walked over to her, and said with a playful smile: "Worried about me?"
Scarlett shook her head. "This whole thing started from my end. If this causes The Boleyn Group to lose the Serene Bay Peninsula project, even selling me wouldn't be enough to compensate."
Ambrose put his arm around her waist, lowered his head, and pressed his forehead against hers. "Don't worry. Even if we really lose the Serene Bay Peninsula project, I won't sell you. Otherwise, who would wear black lace to cheer me up?"
Suddenly bringing up last night's events, Scarlett froze for a moment. When she realized what he meant, her face flushed, and she glared at him.
"This is an office. Be more professional."
Ambrose chuckled. "What's unprofessional about it? I liked last night's outfit and I'm expressing my feelings. That's very professional! When will you wear it for me again?"
Seeing that he not only didn't stop but was getting more enthusiastic, Scarlett had learned his style from spending time with him recently. The more embarrassed she got, the more he'd keep at it. So she quickly regained her composure and said:
"If you want me to wear it again, it depends on how you perform."
Scarlett drew out the end of her sentence, adding a touch of meaningful allure. This sent a thrill up Ambrose's spine, an electric current shooting upward, making him narrow his eyes with a wild look.