I paused and swept my gaze over my colleagues who were blindly following the crowd.

“And you lot, you haven’t even seen the full evidence. Yet, you’re casually accusing someone based on a single blurry, doctored screenshot. You’re trying to dismiss all of my hard work based on one screenshot?!”

Mr. Watson’s expression was ashen as he stepped forward to stand in front of Nora. Pointing at me, he shouted angrily, “Maya, you’ve gone too far! Nora kindly warned you and even presented evidence. But instead of admitting your mistake, you’re here making a scene and slandering your colleague! Apologize to Nora right now, or else, this won’t end here!”

Hearing this, I could not help but let out a cold laugh.

“Based on a blurry screenshot with no context whatsoever, she dares to publicly slander me. She claimed I secured the project through underhanded means. You’re taking her side without even trying to figure out what really happened. Your bias is so obvious. Who doesn’t know you two are having an affair?”

“How dare you…? You’re spouting utter nonsense!”

Mr. Watson’s face turned red instantly. He pointed at me for a long moment as he stammered. He was unable to form a coherent sentence.

Our colleagues around us were all stunned. The chorus of voices that had just been backing him up fell silent in an instant.

After a long pause, he roared, “Maya, you’re slandering your superior! I see that you don’t plan on staying at this company anymore!”

Our colleagues exchanged glances and whispered to each other in hushed tones. No one dared to speak up again.

No one had expected that what started as a pleasant annual dinner would escalate to such a tense standoff.

I watched them with a cold smile, and my eyes did not show a trace of fear.

“You know deep down whether I’m slandering you or not.”

Right then, Nora stepped forward with teary eyes. She looked as though she had suffered a great injustice but was putting the greater good first.

“Mr. Watson… it’s okay. Don’t let me cause any trouble for the company, and don’t let this spoil everyone’s mood. I wish I hadn’t brought this up in the first place. It’s all my fault things have turned out this way... Maybe I should just resign, so I don’t cause any more trouble for the company.”

Her words undoubtedly gave Mr. Watson a way out. But they also put me in an even more awkward position.

His expression grew even more grim. His gaze toward me was filled with rage, and his tone was so firm it brooked no argument.

“Maya, Nora has gone this far for you, and you still don’t know your place?! Apologize to Nora and beg for forgiveness right now! Otherwise, I’ll report this to headquarters immediately and have you fired on the spot!”

“That’s right, Maya. It’s your fault to begin with. Ms. Lewis is willing to forgive you. What’s wrong with just relenting and admitting your mistake?”

“You did speak too harshly. Just apologize to Ms. Lewis, and we’ll put this behind us.”

My colleagues chimed in one after another. Their eyes were filled with impatience and reproach as if I were the one to blame.

I stared at them in disbelief.

“Nora spread slanderous rumors about me, but you want me to apologize to her and beg for forgiveness?”

Surrounded by the others, Nora lifted her gaze and shot me a sidelong glance. A barely perceptible smirk played at the corners of her mouth.

Yet, her voice remained soft and gentle as she tried to reason with me, “Maya, I know you didn’t mean it. Just say you’re sorry, and I’ll tell Mr. Watson right away that I won’t press the matter. We can still be good colleagues in the future, okay?”

Hearing this, everyone praised Nora for being reasonable and generous. They all pressured me to admit my mistake.

I looked at Nora’s hypocritical, phony expression and suddenly laughed.

“Apologize and beg for forgiveness? Why don’t I just call Mr. Zachry from Sanscape Group right now? Why don’t I have him come here personally to tell everyone how I, the daughter of Sanscape Group’s CEO, secured this project?”

Then, I took out my phone and called Fievel Zachry right in front of everyone.