Chapter 232
“Mr. Butler, I need you to give me a fair judgment here.”
Malcom was practically in tears, and Nelly quickly joined in, her voice sharp. “Effie is really out of line this time. She’s just the team lead-does that give her the right overrule you? How can she just kick someone off the team without your say-
so?”
Of course, Mr. Butler knew exactly what sort of underhanded games the two of them had been playing behind the scenes. Still, he wasn’t about to let on. Sometimes it paid to keep your cards close to your chest.
Truth be told, he’d been looking for an excuse to get rid of Effie for a while now. Talented people were a dime a dozen, but someone like Effie-cocky after a few successes, always refusing to take orders—well, the sooner she was gone, the better.
“I’ll have a word with her,” Mr. Butler said, his tone grave. “She’ll get a warning.” Just then, his office phone rang.
It was a call from the executive office. Apparently, Mr. Randell was in the building today and wanted to hold a meeting himself to hear how the project was progressing.
“Yes, understood. I’ll have the project manager prepare right away,” Mr. Butler replied, hanging up with an unreadable look in his eyes.
He turned to Malcom and Nelly. “This might be our chance to drag Effie down for good. But you’ll need to follow my lead. Here’s what we’ll do…”
Malcom listened intently, inwardly marveling at how Mr. Butler was using someone else’s authority to do his dirty work. What a move-brilliant, really!
She could only hope that this time, they’d finally be able to kick Effie out for good.
*
Randell was about to head downstairs when Lyman stood up from his desk as well.
Randell didn’t need to ask to know what Lyman was up to, but he played dumb. “Oh? Heading somewhere, Lyman? Got something urgent?”
“I’m coming with you to the meeting,” Lyman replied coolly. “I want to see if the design department has been keeping up their end.”
Randell almost burst out laughing. Lyman always looked so serious, but who knew what he was really thinking?
“Come on, Lyman, you’re the boss. Surely you don’t need to micromanage every little thing,” Randell teased.
Lyman shot him a frosty look. “Does it matter to you?”
Randell’s smirk wavered. He could tell Lyman was losing patience, and if he pushed any further, he’d probably find himself kicked out of the office.
“Our dear Lyman, always the hands-on leader. The employees must love you,” Randell joked, then made a quick exit before Lyman’s scowl could deepen.
*
It didn’t take long for Lyman and Randell to make their way to the design department.
The moment the staff saw both bosses walk in together, a hush fell over the room. Most of them could only stare, wide-eyed and anxious.
Only Randell seemed amused, knowing full well that Lyman’s so-called
“inspection” was nothing more than a thinly veiled personal errand.
Sure enough, Lyman’s gaze swept the room before settling on Effie, standing near the back of the group.
Effie could feel the intensity of his stare, and when she finally looked up, her eyes locked with his. For a split second, she could have sworn he smiled at her.
“What now? Mr. Etheridge is here too,” Malcom whispered nervously to Nelly.
Nelly shot Malcom a look, signaling her to keep calm, and whispered back, “What’s there to be scared of? If the boss is here, it’s even better. This way, Effie’s bound to get herself fired.”
Malcom hesitated, then her eyes lit up with excitement. That’s right. She’d almost forgotten about that possibility.
*
“Thank you, everyone. I know you’ve worked hard to put together such a solid proposal on such short notice,” Randell said, his tone warm and inviting. “Now, could we talk through some of the details? I have a few thoughts, but I’d appreciate advice from the real experts.”
Irving Butler stepped forward with a reassuring smile. “Of course, Mr. Hoffman. We’re all professional designers here you can count on us to impress you.”
As he spoke, Irving glanced over at Effie, a calculating glimmer in his eyes.