?Chapter 495:


    Before long, everyone had backed away from theirputers and were enjoying their afternoon tea. Tracy wasted no time sending a message to her cohorts. “The PR people have stepped away for a while. Hurry and push the topics back up.” Then she ordered more fruit and drinks to be delivered to thepany.


    Needless to say, this caused a significant—and unsanctioned—extension to the employees’ lunch break. Tracy stood back and admired her handiwork with a cocky smile. Sure enough, she saw Rachel’s scandal soaring back to the top of the trending topics. Satisfied, she sent another message. “Well done! Make sure you keep it up.”


    Unbeknownst to them, Brian was livid over this. He had just finished an international meeting when he discovered that Rachel’s name was back on the most searched topics online.


    “What the hell happened?” he demanded, shooting a sharp, chilling re at Ronald.


    “Mr. White, I—I…” Ronald stammered, unsettled by his boss’s wrathful gaze. “I’ll go down to the tech department and sort this out right away.”


    “Forget it. I’ll go there myself.”


    “Yes, sir.”


    Brian stormed out of his office, with Ronald trailing behind him as silently as possible.


    At first, Ronald thought that perhaps the public outrage was too much for their tech department to handle. Not once had he imagined the scene that greeted them.


    The entire tech department was happily chatting away between their snacks. No one was working. Ronald immediately knew that they were in deep trouble.


    As if on cue, Brian roared, “What do you think you’re doing?” His voice boomed throughout the floor as he swept a cold gaze over everyone.


    They froze, their eyes wide in horror, like deer caught in headlights.


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    This was bad, and they all knew it. They were done for.


    These collective thoughts ran through the employees’ minds at breakneck speed.


    The head of the tech department stepped forward and tried to exin. “Mr. White, we—”


    “You have thirty seconds to clean this up,” Brian snapped, interrupting him.


    Everyone sprang into action, and within ten seconds, every single piece of food was thrown into the trash. The employees stood in neat rows, facing Brian.


    Brian was still furious, though. “Do any of you even remember what I said?”


    This was met with a silence so heavy it felt suffocating.


    No one dared to speak, their heads bowed in fear.


    “I apologize, Brian. Don’t me them; it was all my fault. I shouldn’t have interfered with their work.” Tracy finally spoke up under the suffocating pressure. As usual, she yed innocent and apologized, while making herself out to be the victim.


    This time, Brian wasn’t buying her act. He turned his icy gaze toward her. “If you knew, then why did you do it, anyway? I pay you to solve problems for me, not create them.”


    Tracy bit her lip, her expression pitiful. “I’m really sorry, Brian. I just wanted them to refresh themselves. They need to be in proper condition to be more efficient at their jobs. I know you’re worried about Rachel, and I know you can’t stand seeing her get attacked online. I was only trying to help, I… I didn’t expect my efforts to backfire. It was my mistake. I apologize for my foolishness.”


    Tracy was crying by the time she finished speaking. She fled the scene while dramatically wiping her tears away.


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