Chapter 189
Chapter 189:
“And your design, Janice?” Stella asked, turning her attention to Janice.
Janice cast a quick glance at Delilah and gave a mysterious smile. “I don’t have my design with me right now.”
“What do you mean?” Stella asked.
“It’s with Delilah.”
Delilah was stunned.
Stella frowned and turned to Delilah. “Care to explain?”
Before Delilah could respond, Janice continued smoothly, “Delilah, you mentioned wanting to review my design to exchange feedback. I thought you’d be done by now.”
Delilah stammered, flustered. Janice’s unexpected move shattered her plans. She never thought Janice would take control like this. Was Janice aware of her scheme, waiting for the right moment to expose her in front of Stella?
Delilah found herself cornered, unsure how to respond without implicating herself.
“You didn’t lose it, did you?” Janice asked, her gaze sharp and probing. “Weren’t you just talking with Cheryl?”
At the mention of Cheryl, Delilah stiffened in panic and stared at Janice in disbelief.
Janice knew it! Panic gripped Delilah as the realization set in. If Janice accused her of stealing the USB, Stella would undoubtedly investigate, and the fallout could be catastrophic.
“Ah, your memory’s sharper than mine.” Delilah forced a strained smile, piecing together a quick excuse. “I must’ve left your drive with Cheryl. I’ll ask her to send it over.”
Stella watched the exchange with a sharp eye. Well-versed in office politics, she sensed the underlying tension but decided to let it play out for the moment.
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“Have her bring it over immediately,” Stella commanded.
“Of course,” Delilah replied quickly.
Confused, Cheryl soon arrived with the USB drive in hand. She looked at Delilah, puzzled. After all the trouble they had gone through, why were they reverting to the original plan now? Unable to explain, Delilah gave Cheryl a quick wink, signaling her to leave.
Stella inserted the USB into her computer. As the contents loaded, her brows furrowed tightly. She cast a cold glance at Janice. “Are you sure you completed your work?”
“What’s wrong?” Janice’s voice carried a mix of surprise and concern.
Stella didn’t respond verbally but instead rotated her laptop to show Janice the screen.
The USB was empty.
Delilah froze in shock. What was happening? Did Cheryl bring the wrong drive?
Panicking, she blurted, “Cheryl must’ve made a mistake. I’ll ask her to bring the right one.”
Janice’s smile broadened, playful yet sharp. “There’s no need. I just remembered that I gave you an empty drive.”
She then adopted a mock look of disappointment. “You said you wanted us to ‘learn from each other,’ but it seems like you never even looked at it. Delilah, why did you bother borrowing my USB drive in the first place?”
Delilah’s heart raced in panic as she realized Janice had outsmarted her.
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