The Ex Who Became His Obsession - Chapter 62: Chapter 62
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"I..." Brianna's face fell. "You..."
She wanted to argue, but suddenly realized she'd already lost the upper hand.
'If I snap back with, I'll just make myself look worse,' she thought bitterly.
Once Alyssia's words landed, everything became crystal clear.
For Brianna to mock someone else's unfortunate family background was utterly disgraceful!
Brianna clenched her jaw and fell silent, seething.
However much she loathed Alyssia, she still had her pride.
She was the golden girl of Vanguard Media—a woman from an elite family, highly capable and supposedly flawless.
To taunt Alyssia for being an orphan wasn't just a sign of poor upbringing; it screamed that she had run out of tricks.
"Never mind," Alyssia said, completely unfazed by Brianna's sullen expression as she headed out. "Just make sure you reimburse me when I get back."
But when Alyssia came back with the purchase, Brianna scowled. "Seriously, what color did you buy?"
"I showed you the picture beforehand. This was the only color they had," Alyssia replied. "You approved it—don't tell me you're going to deny it now?"
Brianna dropped the polite act. "How was I supposed to know your phone screen was off? I have a meeting in an hour. Go to another mall and get me a proper pair before then."
Alyssia knew Brianna was just trying to humiliate her—she was lashing out because she'd lost earlier.
She'd just lost a round and now wanted to get back at her.
Fine, Alyssia smiled, "As long as you reimburse me, Ms. Parker."
Her time in the Finance Department wasn't exactly enlightening, but it was quite amusing.
It wasn't until Alyssia came across an article while proofreading an article about InveSight Capital.
Inside William's residence, Diana kept a careful, polite smile plastered on her face. "Mr. Harlow, the reporter who interviewed you last time was promoted and transferred to another department, so I'm here to do the interview this time..."
William fixed Diana with a cold stare. "What exactly are you interviewing me about?"
Sitting beside him was a refined, scholarly-looking middle-aged man Diana didn't recognize. William hadn't introduced him, but Diana instinctively sensed he was someone important...
That only made her even more cautious.
"It's the collection feature we agreed on for the next issue. Here's the interview framework—please take a look. If there's anything you'd like us to avoid, just let me know." Diana handed over the framework.
William glanced at it and sneered.
"Isn't this the outline Ms. Clairmont prepared last time? You just took it and used it?"
"Yes, it was prepared by Ms. Clairmont. She already handed the work over to me. She did an excellent job, so I didn't see any need to change it. If you'd like to..."
"What did you say your name was again?" William picked up the business card Diana had just given him, held it at arm's length, and squinted at it.
"Diana Reed." Diana hurried to answer, not daring to let William read it himself. "I'm the supervisor of the Entertainment Department at Vanguard Media."
"Oh," William nodded. "Now I remember."
He reached behind him, took a magazine from the shelf, flipped to a certain page, and pointed at the article Alyssia had written after the last interview.
"Diana... the first name on the byline here."
With a deliberate snap, William shut the magazine.
"If I recall, only Ms. Clairmont came to interview me last time. So why are there suddenly three or four unfamiliar names under this article?" he asked.
Diana had expected William to make things difficult for her.
But she hadn't expected him to attack from this angle...
Well, um, Diana kept forcing a smile. "Because the final article was revised and approved by our whole department, so..."
"Is that really the rule?" William turned to the middle-aged man beside him. "Minister Harrison, you're familiar with journalism. Is this how byline etiquette works?"
The man addressed as Minister Harrison said with bureaucratic smoothness, "Writing an article isn't like publishing an academic paper. Whoever writes it gets the byline. Editors and proofreaders don't usually put their names on it—who'd be so shameless?"
Diana's mind buzzed.
Minister Harrison...
That title meant...
But before she could think further, William's face hardened. "So, this Supervisor Reed is a complete and utter thief?"
Diana was startled. "No, I..."
She never imagined William would defend Alyssia so fiercely.
William rebuked her sternly, "You know today's interview is about collectibles! Every piece in my collection room is a priceless treasure. If you'd steal credit for an article, who's to say you wouldn't pocket something else like a petty thief?"
"I wouldn't..." Diana was now completely flustered.
"Mr. Harlow," Minister Harrison tried to calm him, "don't get angry, it's not worth it over something so trivial."
"Trivial? Everyone knows I never accept interviews! Ten years! My first interview in ten years! And this is how you treat my goodwill?" William's face was livid.
"Alright, how about this—Vanguard Media, right? I know their General Manager Mr. Dixon. I'll give him a call and ask how they run things over there," Minister Harrison said in a coaxing tone. "Let's see if they really respect Mr. Harlow."
Diana's legs turned to jelly.
Suddenly, the realization struck her like lightning—she finally remembered who Minister Harrison was...
Nathan Harrison, the newly appointed, young Minister of the Elmbrook Publicity Department!
He'd just taken office last year!
"Alyssia, how exactly did you proofread this piece?"
A colleague from another team demanded, "Why did you change my timeline? And what happened to the images I included?"
Alyssia remained composed.
"Which article?" Alyssia asked.
Many craned their necks, relishing the unfolding drama.
Both chief editors rose to their feet.
"What's going on?" Anne demanded.
"Anne, in my 'Thirty Years of Elmbrook's Rise and Fall' series, Alyssia just changed one of my details without even verifying it with me! And she even deleted those hard-to-get images I spent ages tracking down!"
Anne snapped at Alyssia without even hearing her out. "Alyssia, what kind of work is this? Apologize to her, now!"
"No, I won't apologize." Alyssia stood up, her face pale but composed.
She said, "Katherine Bennett got InveSight Capital's timeline wrong. She claimed it only existed for five or six years, when in fact, InveSight Capital lasted nearly nineteen years from its founding to its acquisition."
"Oh, so you know it all, huh?" Katherine sneered. "What a surprise—a rookie like you knows more about Elmbrook's financial history than us veterans in the Finance Department!"
"I just happen to know a bit about InveSight Capital, that's all," Alyssia said, her eyes locking onto Katherine's with a quiet intensity that felt almost overwhelming.
Katherine felt a pang of unease but stood her ground defiantly. "Oh, you think you know better? Hah, I checked Wikipedia! Dare you go verify it right now?"
"Anyone can edit Wikipedia—the person who wrote that entry might not even know the facts," Alyssia countered. "Did you actually verify this with any authoritative sources before writing it?"
Though Katherine still refused to admit she might be wrong, Alyssia's unshakable composure had clearly gained the upper hand, leaving Katherine feeling a bit uncertain inside—even if she wouldn't show it.
"Pfft, it's just a company that went under ages ago. Who actually cares how long it existed? It's defunct anyway!" Katherine continued.
She wanted to argue, but suddenly realized she'd already lost the upper hand.
'If I snap back with, I'll just make myself look worse,' she thought bitterly.
Once Alyssia's words landed, everything became crystal clear.
For Brianna to mock someone else's unfortunate family background was utterly disgraceful!
Brianna clenched her jaw and fell silent, seething.
However much she loathed Alyssia, she still had her pride.
She was the golden girl of Vanguard Media—a woman from an elite family, highly capable and supposedly flawless.
To taunt Alyssia for being an orphan wasn't just a sign of poor upbringing; it screamed that she had run out of tricks.
"Never mind," Alyssia said, completely unfazed by Brianna's sullen expression as she headed out. "Just make sure you reimburse me when I get back."
But when Alyssia came back with the purchase, Brianna scowled. "Seriously, what color did you buy?"
"I showed you the picture beforehand. This was the only color they had," Alyssia replied. "You approved it—don't tell me you're going to deny it now?"
Brianna dropped the polite act. "How was I supposed to know your phone screen was off? I have a meeting in an hour. Go to another mall and get me a proper pair before then."
Alyssia knew Brianna was just trying to humiliate her—she was lashing out because she'd lost earlier.
She'd just lost a round and now wanted to get back at her.
Fine, Alyssia smiled, "As long as you reimburse me, Ms. Parker."
Her time in the Finance Department wasn't exactly enlightening, but it was quite amusing.
It wasn't until Alyssia came across an article while proofreading an article about InveSight Capital.
Inside William's residence, Diana kept a careful, polite smile plastered on her face. "Mr. Harlow, the reporter who interviewed you last time was promoted and transferred to another department, so I'm here to do the interview this time..."
William fixed Diana with a cold stare. "What exactly are you interviewing me about?"
Sitting beside him was a refined, scholarly-looking middle-aged man Diana didn't recognize. William hadn't introduced him, but Diana instinctively sensed he was someone important...
That only made her even more cautious.
"It's the collection feature we agreed on for the next issue. Here's the interview framework—please take a look. If there's anything you'd like us to avoid, just let me know." Diana handed over the framework.
William glanced at it and sneered.
"Isn't this the outline Ms. Clairmont prepared last time? You just took it and used it?"
"Yes, it was prepared by Ms. Clairmont. She already handed the work over to me. She did an excellent job, so I didn't see any need to change it. If you'd like to..."
"What did you say your name was again?" William picked up the business card Diana had just given him, held it at arm's length, and squinted at it.
"Diana Reed." Diana hurried to answer, not daring to let William read it himself. "I'm the supervisor of the Entertainment Department at Vanguard Media."
"Oh," William nodded. "Now I remember."
He reached behind him, took a magazine from the shelf, flipped to a certain page, and pointed at the article Alyssia had written after the last interview.
"Diana... the first name on the byline here."
With a deliberate snap, William shut the magazine.
"If I recall, only Ms. Clairmont came to interview me last time. So why are there suddenly three or four unfamiliar names under this article?" he asked.
Diana had expected William to make things difficult for her.
But she hadn't expected him to attack from this angle...
Well, um, Diana kept forcing a smile. "Because the final article was revised and approved by our whole department, so..."
"Is that really the rule?" William turned to the middle-aged man beside him. "Minister Harrison, you're familiar with journalism. Is this how byline etiquette works?"
The man addressed as Minister Harrison said with bureaucratic smoothness, "Writing an article isn't like publishing an academic paper. Whoever writes it gets the byline. Editors and proofreaders don't usually put their names on it—who'd be so shameless?"
Diana's mind buzzed.
Minister Harrison...
That title meant...
But before she could think further, William's face hardened. "So, this Supervisor Reed is a complete and utter thief?"
Diana was startled. "No, I..."
She never imagined William would defend Alyssia so fiercely.
William rebuked her sternly, "You know today's interview is about collectibles! Every piece in my collection room is a priceless treasure. If you'd steal credit for an article, who's to say you wouldn't pocket something else like a petty thief?"
"I wouldn't..." Diana was now completely flustered.
"Mr. Harlow," Minister Harrison tried to calm him, "don't get angry, it's not worth it over something so trivial."
"Trivial? Everyone knows I never accept interviews! Ten years! My first interview in ten years! And this is how you treat my goodwill?" William's face was livid.
"Alright, how about this—Vanguard Media, right? I know their General Manager Mr. Dixon. I'll give him a call and ask how they run things over there," Minister Harrison said in a coaxing tone. "Let's see if they really respect Mr. Harlow."
Diana's legs turned to jelly.
Suddenly, the realization struck her like lightning—she finally remembered who Minister Harrison was...
Nathan Harrison, the newly appointed, young Minister of the Elmbrook Publicity Department!
He'd just taken office last year!
"Alyssia, how exactly did you proofread this piece?"
A colleague from another team demanded, "Why did you change my timeline? And what happened to the images I included?"
Alyssia remained composed.
"Which article?" Alyssia asked.
Many craned their necks, relishing the unfolding drama.
Both chief editors rose to their feet.
"What's going on?" Anne demanded.
"Anne, in my 'Thirty Years of Elmbrook's Rise and Fall' series, Alyssia just changed one of my details without even verifying it with me! And she even deleted those hard-to-get images I spent ages tracking down!"
Anne snapped at Alyssia without even hearing her out. "Alyssia, what kind of work is this? Apologize to her, now!"
"No, I won't apologize." Alyssia stood up, her face pale but composed.
She said, "Katherine Bennett got InveSight Capital's timeline wrong. She claimed it only existed for five or six years, when in fact, InveSight Capital lasted nearly nineteen years from its founding to its acquisition."
"Oh, so you know it all, huh?" Katherine sneered. "What a surprise—a rookie like you knows more about Elmbrook's financial history than us veterans in the Finance Department!"
"I just happen to know a bit about InveSight Capital, that's all," Alyssia said, her eyes locking onto Katherine's with a quiet intensity that felt almost overwhelming.
Katherine felt a pang of unease but stood her ground defiantly. "Oh, you think you know better? Hah, I checked Wikipedia! Dare you go verify it right now?"
"Anyone can edit Wikipedia—the person who wrote that entry might not even know the facts," Alyssia countered. "Did you actually verify this with any authoritative sources before writing it?"
Though Katherine still refused to admit she might be wrong, Alyssia's unshakable composure had clearly gained the upper hand, leaving Katherine feeling a bit uncertain inside—even if she wouldn't show it.
"Pfft, it's just a company that went under ages ago. Who actually cares how long it existed? It's defunct anyway!" Katherine continued.
End of The Ex Who Became His Obsession Chapter 62. Continue reading Chapter 63 or return to The Ex Who Became His Obsession book page.