Gwh Langford wasn''t na?ve or clueless; she knew perfectly well that yesterday, Yvette had tried and failed to pick a fight with her, and today, she''d simply found a new excuse.


    What could possibly be wrong with the concept art? Gwh would have preferred to avoid Yvette altogether, but since Yvette insisted, she had no choice


    but to go.


    The door to Yvette''s office was wide open. Yvette sat at her desk, her expression grave as she stared at herputer, as if she were wrestling with some unsolvable problem.


    Even though Gwh knew Yvette was up to no good, she still knocked politely. She waited until Yvette''s low, clipped voice called, "Come in," before stepping inside.


    To her surprise, Yvette wasn''t alone. Another girl was there-short, fashionably cut red hair, dressed with a quirky ir. Her eyes were rimmed with red; it was clear she''d been crying.


    "Miss Yvette."


    What fresh drama was this?


    Gwh had already steeled herself. No matter what ridiculous hurdle Yvette threw at her, she''d handle it head-on.


    "Miss Langford, this is L from our gaming division. You''re sitting at her old desk, as it happens. To keep things fair, I''ve asked you both here to talk face to face. L, if you have something to say, don''t be afraid."


    Gwh couldn''t fathom why Yvette would tell L not to be afraid. Did Yvette really think a new hire like her was some kind of monster?


    Before L could utter a word, Yvette jumped in, her voice righteous and stern.


    "Miss Yvette, someone gave me her concept drafts-well, I won''t say who, I don''t want to get anyone in trouble. They just wanted to look out for me."


    Gwh was more confused than ever. What exactly was going on here?


    Yvette folded her arms, her face set in a severe line.


    "Miss Langford, L ims you giarized her character designs. Perhaps you''re unaware, but when our artists leave thepany, they retain the rights to their own work. We don''t reuse a former employee''s material.


    I don''t know how you got hold of these drafts, but ourpany has zero tolerance for giarism. I think you know what you need to do next, without me spelling it out."


    Gwh might have been a bit lost at first, but by the end, she understood perfectly.


    On just her third day at thepany, Yvette had dragged in a former employee and built a flimsy case, all to force Gwh to resign.


    "Fine. I understand."


    Her tone was calm, exactly as it had been thest time. She simply turned and headed for the door.


    Yvette was left wondering whether Gwh had truly understood what she''d said.


    L, meanwhile, had never seen anyone used of something so serious who didn''t even bother to defend herself. The confrontation she''d rehearsed in her head suddenly seemed pointless.


    She shot a nervous nce at Yvette.


    "Miss Yvette, what am I supposed to do now?"


    Yvette felt a dull throb at her temple. What was she supposed to do next? She hadn''t thought that far.


    Gwh''sposure unsettled her far more than any protest would have.


    She called for her assistant.


    "Watch her pack her things and make sure she leaves."


    The assistant hesitated, her voice tentative. "Miss Yvette, Gwh was brought in by Mr. Everhart."


    The warning couldn''t have been more obvious.


    Yvette snapped, "So what? She made a mistake and brokepany policy."


    Perhaps realizing she''d gone too far, Yvette lowered her voice.


    "I''ll handle Mr. Everhart myself. Just make sure she doesn''t take anything


    on''t belong to her." thing


    that doesn''t belong


    Vera, the assistant, heard the real meaning behind Yvette''s words. Yvette didn''t just want Gwh out she wanted to make sure she could nevere back.


    It wasn''t about watching to see if Gwh took something; Yvette wanted


    everyone to assume she had.


    And as Yvette''s assistant, Vera was far from harmless herself.