John's emotions had spiraled out of control. Pointing at Olivia's face, he unleashed a torrent of insults. The secretaries around them were startled by John's enraged outburst, their faces filled with fear. However, Olivia remained remarkably composed.
Calmly, she observed John. Firstly, she was certain that this wasn't a deliberate attempt by John Rake to cause trouble for her. Secondly, Olivia carefully examined the marked errors on the documents – mistakes in the capital assessment of Windmill Innovations in the acquisition proposal. To an outsider, these errors might seem like obscure numbers, but to someone like Olivia, well-versed in the field, the mistakes were glaringly obvious. Many discrepancies could be discerned from the financial reports of this company.
The feeling was akin to intentionally leaving clues for someone to discover.
Seeing Olivia remain calm and even scrutinize the documents further infuriated John Rake. He advanced a few steps, intent on physically confronting Olivia.
"John, what are you doing? This is the company!" Tiffany, sensing something was amiss with John's emotions, stepped forward, standing in front of Olivia. Her petite figure, in stark contrast to the almost two-meter-tall John, made her seem like a child. Nevertheless, Tiffany stood her ground.
John was halted by Tiffany. He hadn't gone completely mad yet. In this matter, he solely targeted Olivia as the "culprit" and had no intention of harming anyone else.
"Tiff, don't you understand? This is Olivia's responsibility. She must come with me to meet Alexander, or even the legal department. Her actions are criminal!" John loudly accused Olivia of wrongdoing.
"This..." Tiffany hesitated, as the matter was extremely serious, already violating the regulations of the investment bank.
Glancing at Olivia behind her with a sidelong look, Tiffany was surprised to see that Olivia, as if she hadn't heard John's accusations, remained focused on examining the documents, seemingly intent on finding some clues within the papers.
"Enough, Tiff, step aside. We must bring this matter to Alexander!" John said, pushing Tiffany aside.
"Oh dear." John didn't use much force, but the difference in their sizes caused Tiffany to be knocked to the ground.
At that moment, at the entrance of the secretary's office, a familiar icy voice rang out. "Who is looking for me? John, what are you planning? Dissolving the company?"
Everyone turned to the door, not expecting that president Alexander was standing there, looking coldly at John Rake.
President Alexander had always maintained a high and cold demeanor, seldom visiting the secretary's office. However, these past few days, he had come several times. Despite being over a decade younger than John Rake, Alexander exuded an indescribable sense of authority. John, who had just been confrontational and accusatory, immediately calmed down in the face of Alexander's presence.
"President... This, I..." John, caught off guard by Alexander's unexpected appearance and having just pushed Tiffany, didn't know how to explain himself.
"Alex, there's a misunderstanding. Project Manager John and Olivia just have some work-related issues. Liv is usually very diligent, so there must be some misunderstanding here," Emma quickly interjected in a soft and gentle voice, seemingly helping Olivia explain but actually intending to escalate the situation, making it difficult for Olivia to escape unscathed.
John quickly nodded, explaining the situation to Alexander.
Alexander's gaze, deep and icy, shifted from John to Emma, then surveyed the frightened secretaries around and finally settled on Olivia. At this moment, his gaze was even colder than before.
Alexander had grasped the severity of the situation, waiting for Olivia's explanation.
"President, indeed there is an issue with this project document, but the errors were not made by me. The data on top was tampered with. The financial data of Windmill Innovations is accurate, and the calculation of net profit is reliable. However, intentionally altered decimals in the liability calculation, with the subsequent decimals being correct... these errors were made after the results were obtained," Olivia held the documents, pointing out the suspicious points. Analyzing with clear and convincing evidence, she made it clear that this wasn't just a case of carelessness or miscalculation; someone was intentionally framing her.
However, Alexander didn't believe her.
This project was crucial for Alexander, not only because it was valued at two billion dollars but also because it marked an important step for him as an exiled scion of the Canadian Morgan conglomerate, challenging his own family in the American business world. This strategic move had now been ruined, and someone had to pay the price.
Alexander took the documents from Olivia's hand, quickly scanning through them. He pulled out a few sheets with problematic data and placed them in front of Olivia. "Even if someone tampered with the data, the signature on these is yours, right?" Alexander's voice, not only icy but also carried a chilling intent.
"...Yes," Olivia furrowed her brows, pausing for a second before bowing her head to respond. At this moment, Olivia couldn't argue. She felt like a witch awaiting judgment, already bound to the crucifix by the crowd.
The atmosphere in the office had reached an icy extreme. All eyes were fixed on the focal point of the event, Olivia. Yet, the expressions varied among the onlookers. Alexander's face was cold, with a hint of murderous intent. John looked angry, Tiffany and other secretaries from Olivia's team appeared worried, while Emma, hiding in the corner, had a slightly smug smile on her face.
"Hmph, then you bear the inescapable responsibility," as the president of Morgan Capital, Alexander was the king of this company. He had now sentenced Olivia. He could easily sue her for breach of business integrity. Morgan Capital had one of the most formidable legal teams in Toronto and even the whole of North America. Olivia's imprisonment seemed almost inevitable.
However...
Alexander paused for a second, making a solemn declaration to the silently bowed Olivia, "Olivia, I'm giving you three days to resolve this matter. Otherwise, the company will proceed with the legal process against you according to the established procedures!"