Chapter 45: Caught At The Gala
Chapter 45: Caught At The Gala
Manager Wilson's expression was cold. "The deed is done, so there's no use bickering about the
technicalities. The supplier is hounding us for the 2 million dollars now. Fine, you two, come with me."
Alvera and Beverly left Manager Scott's office with Manager Wilson and followed him up to the 28th
floor.
...
The three of them entered the CEO's office.
Roland glanced at Alvera before looking at Manager Wilson. "What's going on?"
Manager Wilson told him what had happened.
"I only found out about this mistake when the supplier asked for the money this morning," he explained.
"Mr. Francois, this is a serious matter caused by these two employees. I'm not sure what to do now, so
I've come up here for your help."
...
Manager Wilson avoided Roland's gaze nervously as he threw his pen down on the table.
Roland crossed his arms and looked at the two women standing in front of him. "Are you going to
explain yourselves?"
"Mr. Francois, this really has nothing to do with me," Beverly said hastily. "I was just running errands
and purchasing according to the form."
Roland raised his eyebrows and said coldly, "Is this how you work here at the Empire Group? Just
following orders blindly and ignoring any mistakes or slip-ups?"
Beverly felt a little guilty.
"Or," he continued, "are you just looking for excuses for your carelessness? There was a mistake in the
form, yes, but are you sure you're not at fault here as well, since you are in charge of purchasing?"
Beverly keep quiet, knowing that she was screwed.
Roland turned to Alvera. "And what about you? Any excuses? Or are you admitting fault?"
Alvera sighed. "I swear on my mother that I double-checked the form multiple times after I made it last
Friday."
"So you think someone sabotaged you?"
Alvera nodded. "Yes."
Roland looked at Manager Wilson. "Go and check the security cameras in your office. Check if anyone
touched Alvera's computer on Friday."
Manager Wilson hesitated for a moment before saying, "Mr. Francois, I'm sorry. The Administration
Department's security cameras have not been working for a while, and we haven't got around to fix
them yet."
Roland snorted coldly. "How long have they been out of order?"
"Less than half a month."
"Is half a month not enough time to fix a damaged camera? Manager Wilson, I'm starting to doubt if
you're up to the job. Have you found yourself a replacement already?"
"I'm sorry, Mr. Francois, I'll get someone to fix the cameras at once."
Roland tapped his fingers on the table, silent in thought for a moment, before giving his verdict.
"Alright, Terry will deal with this. Since all of you are at fault here, I'll let you off with a warning this time.
Don't do it again."
All three of them were stunned by what he said.
Bruce looked at Roland in surprise. Was this really the same Mr. Francois he knew who would throw a
tantrum at the mere mention of a loss of a few hundred thousand dollars?
How could he be so calm about the loss of 2 million dollars right now?
Alvera was also surprised. She was expecting Roland to use this matter to humiliate her further, but he
didn't.
"Why are you still standing here? Get out!"
"Yes, yes, sir." Manager Wilson nodded fervently and told Alvera and Beverly, "Come on, follow me
out."
After they left, Terry came forward and said, "Boss, are you really just letting this slide? It's clear that
Ms. Alvera was sabotaged."
"Do you think I would just let this slide? The saboteur knows about the damaged cameras, so it's
definitely someone from the office. Even if we could determine who was first in the office or last to
leave from the cameras in the corridors, it's still not definitive proof. Let's not alert the enemy for the
time being. They will strike again when they see that Alvera is fine this time. In the meantime, send
someone to keep an eye on the Administrative Department."
...
"Alright. What should I do with the extra printers?"
"Donate some, sell some, get rid of them as best as you can."
Terry acceded and left the office to deal with the various matters.
As Alvera returned to the office, she felt uneasy that Roland had just let her go without any punishment
after such a big mistake.
For the rest of the day, her co-workers eyed her suspiciously as they went about their work.
Alvera knew that they had unanimously pinned the fault on her, but she didn't bother explaining herself.
...
She left the company promptly after work. This belongs to NôvelDrama.Org.
While she was driving home, her phone rang.
She put on her Bluetooth earphones and answered the phone. "Hello."
"Ms. Alvera, it's me, Owen."
"Hello, Mr. Perez. I recognized your voice."
"I am attending a gala in Calgary later, but I'm missing a partner. Would you like to come with me?"
"I'm not good at socializing."
"You don't have to socialize, you just need to accompany me."
Alvera felt a little awkward. She did not like going to such occasions, but this was the first time Owen
had asked her for help.
He had saved her last time, so it was hard for her to decline his request.
"Alright, where should I go now?"
"You can come over to my company. That's where I am now."
"All right."
Alvera turned the car around and drove to the Superior Group.
Someone was already waiting to escort her at the front door.
She was taken into a lounge and given a gown that Owen had prepared in advance.
Owen appeared soon after she finished her make up.
Owen was stunned when he saw Alvera's pretty face accentuated by the make-up.
"Mr. Perez."
"It's truly my honor to have such a beautiful partner tonight."
Alvera smiled abashedly as she tucked her hair behind her ears. "Mr. Perez, you flatter me."
"You need to be more confident in yourself. You're going to wow the crowd today," he said, lifting his
wrist to check the time. "It's about time, let's go."
Alvera nodded and left the Superior Group with him.
The gala was held at the Mountain Club.
The club was owned by Brent Moore, another powerful figure in Calgary. It was famed for its exorbitant
membership prices, which only billionaires could afford.
...
As soon as Owen arrived at the gala with Alvera, they immediately attracted the attention of countless
people.
Several people came up to Owen to talk to him.
Some people were staring at Alvera, measuring up her worth with their gaze.
Owen was very protective of Alvera and never left her side.
At the same time, unbeknownst to Alvera, a pair of eagle-like eyes were staring at her from a hidden
corner.
...
"Do you know that woman?" An elegant voice asked from behind him.
"I know her well," Roland replied, his tone chilly.
"Alvera Earhart?" The man narrowed his eyes. "She's quite pretty. One of the prettiest, maybe, even for
Calgary. Why is she with Owen Perez, though?"
Roland folded his arms across his chest. "I'm curious about that too."
"Well, she's quite capable then, if she can play around between you and Owen Perez. She's ambitious.
It won't be easy to control her."
Roland raised his eyebrows and looked at him, "Are you imparting your knowledge to me from your
experience?"
Brent Moore gave Roland a sidelong glance and said, "I'm just giving you a reminder, don't drag me
into this."
Roland smiled. "Deal with your little girlfriend first before giving me advice. Your little girlfriend has a
temper to rival Alvera's."
"Her? She's mild when she's with me."
"How do you know Alvera's not mild as well when she's with me?"
"So you think you can handle her?"
Roland smirked. "If you can take down Leah, then I can take down Alvera."
"You know I have a child with Leah, right?"
"Doesn't change the fact that you still couldn't get her."
He smirked at Brent, stood up, and walked into the crowd.
Brent smiled. He hadn't finished what he was saying.
When it comes to women, the loser is always the one who takes the relationship seriously.
He could tell that Roland was already losing by the way he acted so tensely.
He wouldn't mind enjoying a spectacular show like this.
In the crowd, Alvera thought she saw Roland out of the corner of her eyes.
At first, she thought she was hallucinating, but she realized he was actually there when she focused.
Roland was really walking towards them.
"Why was he here? Was the world so small?" she thought frantically.
...
Her expression tightened in nervousness as she asked Owen, "Mr. Perez, when are we leaving?"
"In a moment. I just need to go and speak with the organiser of the gala."
"Is it okay if I wait for you at the door? It's a little stuffy in here."
"Will you be okay waiting alone?"
Alvera nodded repeatedly, "I will."
"Okay then, I'll just be a minute."
Just as Alvera turned around to leave, Roland appeared in front of them. "Mr. Perez, glad to have you
here. Why don't you come and take a seat? Brent and I have been waiting for you," he said.
Owen's gaze turned to Roland as they clinked their glasses together. "I was just about to go over, Mr.
Francois, but you found me first. Is Mr. Moore already here?"
"There, we've been waiting for you since you came in."
Alvera was uneasy at the implication that Roland had been watching her from the very beginning.
Roland fixed his eyes on Alvera. "Your partner?"
Owen looked at Alvera and smiled lightly. "Yes. Ms. Alvera, say hello to Mr. Francois from the Empire
Group."
Roland arched an eyebrow expectantly at Alvera. He was interested to see how she would greet
him.