Chapter 23 How hypocritical! Fiona looked at Yakira and said coldly, "What? Haven't you prepared, Ms. Wilkinson?" Yakira frowned. She was certain that someone had tampered with her laptop. "I heard you weren't here at noon, Ms. Wilkinson. I have to remind you. This is the Blanchard Group. People come here to work, not to enjoy themselves," Fiona said, her tone dripping with disdain. She thought, "Yakira was born with a silver spoon in her mouth, but she is pretty much a good-for-nothing. All her so-called achievements are just thanks to her family's money and connections. "The Wilkinson family went broke years ago, but she is still acting like a spoiled rich girl." Yakira's hands clenched tightly on the table, and she looked at Fiona sharply. "Ms. Barrera, did I say I didn't finish the work? No need to be sarcastic, right?" Fiona's face darkened instantly. front of everyone. Just as she was about to explode, the office door was pushed open. Patricia walked in. "Ms. Barrera, I heard you're discussing the new product design. Mr. Blanchard asked me to come and get an update!" "Ms. McDowell, she isn't cooperating well. How are we supposed to complete this design?" Fiona turned to Yakira and snapped at her. With a frown, Patricia glanced at Yakira. "What's going on?" Fiona explained, "I asked Ms. Wilkinson to prepare a presentation on the new product this morning. But it's so late, and she still hasn't got it ready. The whole Design Department knows the new logo's schedule is super tight. We were all working through lunch. "Ms. Wilkinson hasn't been here since lunch break. I just gave her a couple of reminders, and she actually said I was being sarcastic." Patricia turned to Yakira. "Ms. Wilkinson, is this really the case? If you don't want to be part of the new product design, just let us Chapter 23 How hypocritical! know. We won't push you. But this is slowing us down." Yakira sneered and then looked at Patricia, "Fine. Then go talk to Mr. Blanchard. If he agrees to cancel this cooperation, I'll leave right away" She didn't even want to be there in the first place. The presentation she prepared had been deleted. Even without the script, she could still talk about what she knew. But now, she just didn't feel like it. They were obviously targeting her. Even if she nailed the presentation, no one would take her side. "Is the meeting over? If so, I'm leaving." Yakira picked up her laptop and left. She had been standing for so long that her legs were numb. As soon as she moved, she got a cramp. Her legs gave way, and she fell. By instinct, she reached out to grab something for support. She grabbed someone's arm. "Thanks." When she looked up, she met Brayden's cold gaze. Chapter 23 How hypocritical! Yakira quickly let go and limped away. All of a sudden, she was pulled back. "What's wrong with your legs?" Brayden asked. He thought, "Wasn't she quite agile when she ran at noon? How hypocritical!" Yakira glanced at him and said coldly, "It's nothing. I just stood for too long, and my legs got numb and cramped." "Stood for too long?" Brayden frowned. Fiona's face instantly fell. Just as she was about to speak, Patricia beat her to it. "Mr. Blanchard, it seems Ms. Wilkinson isn't willing to cooperate with us on this new product. Maybe we should cancel the cooperation with CK Design Studio. "Ms. Barrera is a top designer in the industry. She has won several international awards. The Blanchard Group's designs are always top-notch. I'm sure she can handle the new logo." Yakira couldn't help but glance at Brayden, thinking, "Only Patricia could suggest something like this to Brayden, right?" Fiona also spoke up, "Mr. Blanchard, Ms. Wilkinson still hasn't given me any information about the new product. How can I Chapter 23 How hypocritical! trust that she's capable of participating in this design?" "How do you measure someone's ability?" Yakira asked, smirking. It was true that she wasn't eager to cooperate with the Blanchard Group, and she didn't refute that. But she wouldn't accept being wrongly accused of not doing anything. Since she was with Brayden, she learned one thing. The idea that innocent people needed no defense was total nonsense. If she didn't stand up for herself, she would just have to swallow her grievances. She used to think Brayden would understand her without her even saying a word. After so much distrust and hurt, she realized that someone who didn't love her wouldn't understand her at all. Fiona snapped, "Isn't it a fact that you haven't prepared anything so far?" "No." Yakira denied it. "Did you even give me a chance to defend myself?" Chapter 23 How hypocritical! Fiona was left speechless. Yakira continued, "I reported for work today. I was called to this meeting right after starting work in the afternoon and have been standing here for over two hours." "What do you mean by 'standing for two hours'?" Brayden's eyes darkened as he looked at Fiona. Fiona looked flustered and didn't dare to meet Brayden's gaze. Yakira sneered, "Mr. Blanchard, for a huge company like the Blanchard Group, there is not even an extra chair. If people find out, they'll laugh." Sure enough, it felt great to let it all out. If they wouldn't let her have it easy, then no one got to have it easy. "Ms. Barrera, what's going on?" Brayden asked coldly. Fiona was so flustered that she didn't know what to say. Brayden looked around and saw that there was one chair missing. "Is the Design Department so short on supplies now? Not even an extra chair?" The atmosphere in the office seemed to freeze. Chapter 23 How hypocritica!! Yakira was slightly taken aback, wondering if Brayden was standing up for her. Patricia broke the silence. "This was my oversight. Everyone in the Design Department has just enough desks and chairs. I'll arrange for an extra one right away" Yakira looked at Brayden, but he didn't blame Patricia at all. Yakira sneered inwardly. She was laughing at herself. She realized how naive she was to think Brayden was defending her. He was just protecting the Blanchard Group's reputation. Patricia looked at Yakira and said, "Ms. Wilkinson, from your tone earlier, it sounds like you've already prepared a presentation on the Blanchard Group's new product. Why don't you share your ideas? Mr. Blanchard is here too." "Ms. McDowell, don't put Ms. Wilkinson on the spot. There's nothing on her laptop. Otherwise, I wouldn't have said what I did earlier," Fiona sneered. Yakira looked at her and smiled, "Ms. Barrera, I'm so far away from you. How do you know there's nothing on my laptop?" Words failed Fiona. Chapter 23 How hypocritical! "You're right, Ms. Barrera. There's indeed nothing on my laptop," Yakira said. Before Fiona could breathe a sigh of relief, Yakira continued, "But I don't need much preparation to explain the new product. I can do it right now."" Everything she had noted was in her head. They could delete what was on the laptop but not what was in her mind.