Miss Josefina: Nobody's Princess

Chapter 129

Billy had never been much of a whiz when it came to management. If it hadn't been for Josefina having his back all these years, guiding and hustling alongside him, how on earth could he have raked in a dime, let alone sit pretty in his cushy position?

In a fit of rage, Billy spat out, "Ava plagiarizing? We were clueless! How in hell can this mess be pinned on us?"

His secretary said, "Ava, in order to shift blame, insisted that you also knew about her plagiarism and continued to use those design drawings."

Billy, livid, exclaimed, "Damn it! That bitch plots against me! If I had known she was copying those designs, would I have used them?"

The secretary, with a tinge of helplessness, added, "And with the clients who bought those designs catching wind of this, they're bailing in droves, cancelling their pre-orders. We're bleeding cash, big time."

Billy was pacing like an ant on a hot skillet. The secretary added, "Mr. Antonio, if you don't figure something out fast, our company's toast."

Billy, infuriated, smashed a mug on the floor. "You think I'm oblivious? Do I need an imbecile like you to spell it out?"

The secretary hung his head, not daring to utter another word. In this day and age, holding onto a job was no cakewalk. That blockhead Billy! To cast off a Midas-touch gal like Josefina, what a blunder!

The secretary's inner rant went unheard by Billy, who couldn't care less and strutted out the door. He had to come up with a plan.

Billy drove to the company where Josefina was now employed. If only he could persuade them not to sue Ava for plagiarism and sell him those designs, his company could stem the bleeding.

...

Upon reaching the reception, the cheerful receptionist said, "Ms. Josefina, just a sec, I've got a package for you. I'll fetch it."

Josefina nodded, "Sure, I'll wait here."

As Josefina browsed through recent records at the reception, Billy strode in, all high and mighty. Catching sight of Josefina, his eyes flickered with surprise, disdain, and a touch of craftiness.

He approached her, "Josie, why are you here? Back to the grind even after returning to your folks? Still need to earn your tuition?"

Josefina looked up to see Billy's face, her expression icy as if he were a stranger.

"Josie, you work here?" he probed. Published by Nôv'elD/rama.Org.

Josefina, unsure of Billy's angle, merely grunted and stayed silent.

Billy whipped out his phone, offering, "Josie, look, working here, what do you make? Three grand a month? How about I give you ten grand to do me a solid?"

He pressed on, "Is your CEO a mister or a miss?"

Josefina asked point-blank, "What do you want?"

Billy, all smiles, said, "Josie, you man the front desk, at the mercy of others to make ends meet. This doesn't seem like you're flush with cash, right? Your own flesh and blood, they're no good, letting a top student like you slog through a summer job. That's just cruel."

Josefina locked eyes with him, "And you're any better?"

Billy spoke ill of her parents, and did he really think she'd take it lying down?

Billy was taken aback and embarrassed. He found Josefina's retort too harsh to handle. "Josie, I've supported you before, how can you talk to me like that."

"Easy for you to say when you're not the one getting the stick. You badmouth my parents, why can't I fire back at you?"

Billy was stunned. The Josefina he knew had always been all smiles, brushing off even the harshest words from Lauren with a laugh. Now, she stood before him, unyielding and fierce.