Annalise Johnston’s voice was icy. “Selene, you’ve got two months left. I bent over backward to help QuanTech Innovations through this trial, and you still managed to screw it up. Do you honestly believe that, in two months, those self-driving delivery vans—integrated with Prism Network’s system—will run flawlessly on the highway?”
The moment Harrison gave his support, Annalise’s confidence surged.
Selene shot her a look and replied, “Oh? And do you really think those delivery vans that cheat in every single trial will magically work perfectly once they hit the open road for real?”
She almost laughed at the absurdity herself. “Which one of us is truly delusional here?”
A flush crept up Annalise’s face, but Selene had no interest in a shouting match. She continued coolly, “Since you’re choosing to resign and take responsibility, I’ll have legal draft a liability notice. You bear significant fault for this trial’s fiasco. Even if you’ve already lined up a cushy landing—”
Selene glanced pointedly at Harrison. In her view, Harrison’s willingness to take Annalise on was downright foolish.
Countless eyes had witnessed the entire cheating scandal unfold during QuanTech’s test run. Now, with the whole room watching, Harrison was openly welcoming this walking PR disaster into Vaughn Enterprises.
Bringing Annalise aboard would only drag Vaughn Enterprises into a media nightmare.
“And rest assured, the lawsuit will follow you—right to Vaughn Enterprises’ doorstep.”
Selene’s gaze settled on Annalise’s face as she spoke in an even tone. “Best of luck balancing your new job with your impending court case.”
“You—”
Annalise started to retort, but Adrian’s voice cut in, warm and breezy.
“I’ve brought copies of the legal complaint for the personnel involved in the cheating. In fact, I asked my assistant to run off several extra sets. Mr. Vaughn, would you like to take a look?”
Adrian gave his assistant a nod. The assistant reached into a briefcase and handed over thick sheaves of paperwork to both Annalise and Harrison.
Annalise stared in disbelief at the hefty stack of documents in her hands, flipping through them quickly.
Harrison ignored the papers the assistant offered him, his eyes fixed coldly on Adrian.
So they’d been prepared for this all along. Adrian and Selene must have suspected the cheating beforehand and planned their response accordingly.
The realization made Harrison’s breath catch. No wonder Selene and Adrian seemed closer these days—they’d been spending more time together, plotting behind the scenes.
Adrian turned to address the rest of the Vaughn Enterprises executives gathered beside Harrison. “Would anyone else like to see?”
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