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Chapter 3

Author: Nine Cranes
“Work together?” I scoffed with disdain.

“So, you do realize that you’re not qualified to be Principal Engineer on your own, huh?”

I stood up and met her gaze.

“Do you even know what users actually want from a robot?

“Do you have any clue how to control the power system?

“Most importantly, do you even know what issues still plague our current AI technology?

“You don’t know any of it.

“You are nothing but a cheap social climber who bought a degree overseas, came back to leverage connections, and you think you’re in a position to talk about working together with me?”

With each sentence, I took a step closer to her.

By the time I finished, her face had turned pale.

She pointed at me and hurled insults.

“Joel, who do you think you are? I’m the Principal Engineer now!”

“In that case, knock yourself out. Keep fooling Vincent while you’re at it.”

With that, I turned away and prepared to go back to my Minesweeper game.

Her expression shifted rapidly. A flash of malice passed through her gaze.

She lunged at me from behind.

“What are you doing?!”

Caught off guard, I was tackled to the floor.

I turned my head and was shocked to see Alaina frantically tearing at her own clothes.

Her blouse was already ripped open, exposing a large amount of her skin.

She then screamed loudly, “Help! Joel is trying to attack me!”

“What the—”

In a moment of panic, I kicked Alaina and sent her flying.

My colleagues soon gathered in front of my office.

They saw Alaina sobbing with her clothes in disarray.

They then saw me with a look of utter shock on my face.

In that split second, everyone took Alaina’s side.

“In the office? Are you kidding me? This is insane!”

“I can’t believe Mr. Lakely would do something like this.”

“No wonder Vincent suspended him. It all makes total sense now.”

I stood up with a grim expression.

“I didn’t do anything. She set me up!”

Given that the incident happened in my office, all my explanations felt powerless.

Even Zac and Mandy, who were closest to me, and my own direct subordinates, could only shake their heads and sigh.

Vincent pushed through the crowd.

When he saw Alaina clutching her chest with tear-filled eyes, rage surged through him.

He charged at me and said, “How dare you lay a hand on my woman?!”

I had no time to dodge the blow.

His punch left me dazed.

When I came to my senses, he had taken off his suit jacket and draped it over Alaina.

I heard her say between sobs, “I... I was scared Mr. Lakely might hold a grudge against me. I just came to apologize, but I never thought he’d actually try to force himself on me...”

Vincent glared at me and said furiously, “Joel, I was the one who suspended you. If you’ve got a problem, you come at me. What kind of man does that make you to go after Ally?”

Alaina sobbed, looking absolutely pitiful, helpless, and vulnerable.

“He just wasn’t thinking straight. I’m sure he didn’t mean to... to force himself on me.”

Hearing her words once again made Vincent even more upset.

“Joel, I was actually going to give you a second chance. Not anymore.

“Pack your things and get out of this company!

“Get out now! I don’t ever want to see your face again.”

His words made the entire office fall into dead silence.

Everyone was watching to see how I would react.

I neither argued nor got angry. I simply pulled a few tissues from my desk, wiped away the blood from my nose, and quietly began packing my belongings.

There were cameras everywhere in the entire company except for the President’s office and the restrooms.

After I had packed everything, I slung my backpack over my shoulder and turned to leave.

As I walked past Vincent and Alaina, I turned to them and said, “One last piece of advice. Make sure the robots are fully tested and bug-free before launch. Do not waste Mr. Henry White’s hard work.

“Even so, don’t come looking for me. I won’t return, even if you’re begging on your knees.”

Alaina had stopped crying. When she looked at me, a hint of cunning still lingered in her gaze.

Vincent had also calmed down by that point. He was about to say something, but without giving him the chance, I strode out of the company.

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