Chapter 843: Chapter 843 You’re Actually Defending a Woman
How could this be!
Catherine Ford’s hair was in disarray, her face pale and trembling slightly. She had been with the company for five years, and everyone knew she was married with children, but nobody knew about her divorce. Catherine Ford always preferred keeping her personal matters private, especially from her co-workers.
Suddenly being exposed by Anna Ford and involving Benjamin Jones made her entire body tense up. She abruptly shook off the hand of the colleague who was supporting her and walked towards Anna Ford step by step under the shocked gazes of everyone.
Anna Ford looked at Catherine’s pale face with satisfaction, thinking to herself, let’s see how you deal with this, undisturbed by Catherine’s approach. What could a powerless, insignificant village girl do to her?
Slap!
Right when Anna Ford gave a careless grunt, “What I’m saying is uh…”,
Catherine’s slap was fast and abrupt; everyone was taken aback. The sound of the slap stunned everyone, and the struck Anna Ford’s mind buzzed, stars appearing before her eyes. It took her a mont to realize what happened, and she stared at Catherine, forgetting to be angry.
“We have no grievances nor grudges, you keep making things difficult for , looking down on . I thought it’s better to avoid trouble, and let it pass, but this is no reason for you to overstep your bounds, nor to slander . This isn’t your ho, you’re not a princess everyone has to accommodate. Please keep your annoying sense of superiority to yourself,” Catherine said, gazing at the similarly aged girl in designer clothes, fiery with emotion in her eyes.
The people from the logistics departnt were all stunned, and so even swallowed hard. Director Hopkin raised his eyebrows—as they say, even a cornered rabbit will bite.
“You… you…” Anna finally regained her senses from the dizziness of the slap, pointing tremulously at Catherine.
“Anna, it’s getting late. It’s not good for all of us to gather here, it also affects work. Right now is everyone’s busiest period. Catherine was a bit excessive just now. On her behalf, I apologize to you, but you were at fault first. Perhaps it’s better if you go back?” Before Anna could speak, Director Hopkin suddenly approached warmly, yet clearly taking Catherine’s side.
Anna was furious, but when she looked up and saw those from the logistics departnt, their gazes clearly hostile, especially Director Hopkin who seed amiable but was actually a smiling tiger, and had a stronger background than Catherine. Anna, having been overwheld by Catherine’s attitude, was slapped into clarity. She knew continuing the conflict wouldn’t be good for her, but was also unwilling to take the slap quietly, glaring resentfully at Catherine, “You wait for !”
After saying that, she limped away, her male colleague supporting her gave Director Hopkin a sheepish smile and followed her, deeply regretting ever provoking such a spoiled rich lady, now feeling embarrassed by association.
Once Anna left, Grace Clarke rushed to Catherine Ford, “Catherine, you were so aweso today, how could you be so cool, I might switch sides, you know? I’ve found her annoying for a while, always acting so high and mighty.”
“Right, Catherine, you were amazing!” Lewis also raised his thumb towards Catherine.
The others joined in with laughter, so praising Catherine for her prowess, others mocking Anna, which made the previously uneasy Catherine feel embarrassed. Eventually, Director Hopkin spoke up and everyone went back to their work.
But when people left, the gossip-loving Grace Clarke ca up, “Catherine, what’s that nonsense about you seducing Lawyer Jones?”
“I don’t know how she could fabricate that out of thin air.” Catherine preferred not to let others know she was acquainted with Benjamin Jones.
Grace Clarke heard this, “I know!”
Her voice was a bit loud, drawing the curious gazes of other colleagues, even Catherine turned to look at her unexpectedly.
Grace Clarke gave Catherine a conspiratorial wink, “You forgot about the phone call you took in the elevator last Friday? That voice sounded just like Lawyer Jones, I bet she fantasized it based on that!”
“Really, can it even be like that?” soone muttered under their breath.
“Definitely, she’s bonkers.” Grace Clarke muttered under her breath.
Everyone chid in with so criticism, but at that mont, Rita Pansy, who usually didn’t get along with Catherine Ford, suddenly asked, “Does Sister Catherine really know Lawyer Jones?”
The whole office fell silent at that question. Catherine Ford had just finished fixing her hair, extrely anxious because of what Anna Ford had said, and when she suddenly heard this question, her body stiffened slightly. She had just denied Anna Ford’s baseless claims, if she now admitted knowing Benjamin Jones, wouldn’t she be slapping her own face? There was a mont of silence, and Grace Clarke, thinking Catherine was displeased, glared at Rita Pansy, “How could Catherine not know Lawyer Jones?”
Silence.
An eerie silence enveloped the entire office.
Even Catherine Ford blankly stared at Grace Clarke.
That’s when Grace Clarke slyly smiled at everyone, “Could it be that soone here does not know Lawyer Jones?”
“Tch!” Everyone spat in unison, expressing their disdain for Grace Clarke.
Seeing this, Grace Clarke gave Catherine Ford a smug wink.
Catherine Ford chuckled softly and ruffled the young girl’s hair, “Get back to work then.”
“Such a drag.” Grace Clarke grimaced and went off to busily tend to her tasks.
Only then did Catherine Ford release her hands that were tightly clasped under the desk, secretly breathing a sigh of relief, and also quickly dived into her work.
Everyone was busy at the end of the year, and quickly left the incident behind, but so couldn’t stay out of trouble.
After the busy morning, everyone went to the company cafeteria for lunch, and Catherine Ford also took her prepared lunchbox from the night before to heat it up, passing the pantry she heard colleagues discussing sothing. She didn’t pay much attention at first, until she heard her own na.
Catherine Ford was always low-key and belonging to the logistics departnt, the least noticeable position in the company, not to ntion being discussed, most people in the company probably didn’t even know her full na. Now being suddenly discussed out of the blue, she had a very bad feeling.
This feeling intensified as she went with Grace Clarke to the cafeteria with her ward al, discovering that quite a few people in the entire cafeteria were looking at her intentionally or unintentionally. Finally, upon taking the third bite, she looked up and asked Grace Clarke, “Do you feel like a lot of people are looking this way?”
“Really?” Grace Clarke looked around and didn’t notice anything unusual, and sowhat puzzled, she asked Catherine Ford.
Catherine Ford could only think she was mistaken, and continued eating her al in silence.
Out of nowhere, Grace Clarke’s cell phone started buzzing vigorously with incoming ssages, mostly from coworkers she wasn’t very familiar with inquiring about Catherine Ford.
Grace Clarke looked at Catherine Ford, sowhat puzzled, opened the top few ssages and sent a question mark in reply, and shortly after received a surveillance video – it was the mont when Catherine Ford and Anna Ford were arguing.
It was unclear who had captured the segnt of Catherine Ford and Anna Ford arguing and anonymously shared it in the company group.
In less than a morning, Catherine Ford beca notorious.
Grace Clarke, still stunned, watched as the rib in her mouth fell with a snap onto the plate, staring blankly at Catherine Ford.
Catherine Ford was startled by her action, “What’s the matter with you?”
“You’re red!” Grace Clarke’s mouth twitched a few tis, her expression bizarre.
“Red?” Catherine Ford didn’t understand what Grace Clarke ant at that mont.
“Yes, red, see for yourself!” As the video stopped, Grace Clarke’s expression turned solemn, and she handed her phone to Catherine Ford.
After watching the video, Catherine Ford turned pale. The video began with Anna Ford accusing her of seducing Lawyer Jones after her divorce, followed by Catherine Ford advancing and hitting Anna Ford, but it didn’t include the part where she accused Anna Ford, making the entire video appear as if Catherine was acting with a guilty conscience and assertively. No wonder she felt like everyone was pointing fingers at her since noon.
“Catherine, don’t panic, it’s not your fault. Anna started the slander. Let’s go to Director Hopkin and see how to handle this,” Grace Clarke said, seeing Catherine’s pale face and asked worriedly.
Catherine Ford nodded but held back Grace Clarke who was about to leave, “Let’s eat first.”
Although she sat in a corner, she could feel the stares coming from all directions. Leaving in the middle of the al would look like a hasty retreat.
The situation had developed to this point, and Catherine Ford didn’t want herself to appear too flustered.
“But…”
“It’s already like this, panicking won’t help.” Grace Clarke wanted to say more, but Catherine Ford interrupted her and bowed her head to eat.
Because the food was made last night and had been reheated, it tasted much worse, and with her mind occupied, Catherine ate chanically.
After finishing the al, amid small murmurs from the crowd, they left for the logistics departnt, and Catherine Ford knocked on the door of Director Hopkin’s office.
“I was just looking for you.” Director Hopkin glanced at Catherine Ford and waved her to sit down.
Catherine Ford appeared sowhat apologetic, “I’m sorry, Carol, for causing you trouble.”
“It’s not your fault,”Director Hopkin said, although her expression did not seem relaxed, and then looked at Catherine Ford, “What do you plan to do?”
“I am just a staff mber in logistics, I only want to do my job well and am not interested in other matters. In a few days, when the excitent dies down, everyone will probably forget about it,” Catherine Ford thought through a lot on the way. The company’s CCTV footage is not sothing ordinary people can obtain, and the fact that this surveillance footage ca out targeted against her, it must mostly be Anna seeking revenge. Her background is not sothing Catherine can contend with, and if she doesn’t swallow her pride now, there’s no telling how she’ll be tornted in the future, so keeping the peace was her best choice.
For a mont, Catherine Ford regretted her impulsiveness in the morning, but then she shook her head to herself; if she had not slapped Anna today, she would have felt even worse.
In these years of matching wits with Foster Newman, she was tired of constantly retreating, but she also knew so outcos must be endured.
Gossip and rumors seed like the lightest to her; as long as she could stay and continue working, she didn’t mind.
After hearing this, Director Hopkin looked at Catherine Ford for a while and sighed lightly, “You’ve been wronged.”
“Not wronged, I was impulsive today,” Catherine Ford replied and bowed apologetically to Director Hopkin.
“Alright, you may go,” Director Hopkin gestured with her hand signaling that Catherine Ford could leave, but once the latter left, her face fell, and she dialed the HR number, “I don’t agree with letting Catherine Ford resign.”
“Carol, I can’t make the decision on this matter, it’s been notified from above,” the HR departnt said awkwardly.
“Catherine has worked diligently in the company over these years, this incident can’t entirely be blad on her, and firing her just based on this isn’t reasonable. Moreover, she is responsible for this year’s annual eting, who else would do her job if she leaves? Just hold off on sending the notice for now; I’ll go and communicate with the leadership above,” Director Hopkin argued forcefully.
“We haven’t said she needs to leave imdiately. She could stay till after the annual eting and then leave with her year-end bonus…”
“I disagree.” Director Hopkin said this and imdiately hung up the phone, then went to find the leadership above.
Catherine Ford returned to the office in a despondent mood. Although she had just apologized to Director Hopkin, she felt that the other party kept holding back from saying sothing, fearing that the issue was not so easily resolved.
With a light sigh, Catherine Ford stopped herself from running wild with thoughts and focused on dealing with work matters.
Normally the logistics departnt was unpopular, and now, with the video out, many viewed her even worse, so troubled and mocking, others pretending to be friendly but actually probing for gossip. Catherine Ford made no progress in her work that afternoon and felt exceptionally despondent.
Moreover, as ti passed, the heat on the surveillance video didn’t die down but rather spread to Universal Law Firm because it involved Benjamin Jones.
Catherine Ford’s legal case was taken up by Benjamin Jones, but initially, another female lawyer had handled it, who was none other than Universal’s second partner, Harmony redith.
Harmony redith had just arrived at the office today and heard that Benjamin Jones had a girlfriend. Curiously interested in her old friend’s private life, she went to Benjamin Jones’s office at lunchti to see this love-filled lunch, but seeing nothing, she laughed upon hearing that a divorced logistics woman from the next company with a child was seducing Benjamin, “It seems you’re really not sparing anyone young or old; now you’re even not letting go of young widows.”
Benjamin Jones ignored her and continued to work with his head down.
Harmony redith found him boring, and while she continued reading the gossip, she paused when she saw Catherine Ford’s na, then looked up, “Is Catherine Ford that client I passed on to you?”
Benjamin Jones didn’t understand why Harmony redith suddenly ntioned Catherine Ford and finally deigned to lift his noble gaze, “Is there a problem?”
“No problem, just didn’t expect that this Catherine Ford is from LG next door, her company is buzzing with rumors of her seducing you, tsk tsk.” Saying that, Harmony redith teasedly raised her eyebrows at Benjamin Jones.
Benjamin Jones frowned slightly after listening, “What’s going on?”
At his question, Harmony redith was slightly surprised, “You’re actually interested in this sort of thing?”
Benjamin Jones didn’t answer her query, just looked at her dismissively, and Harmony redith, finding no amusent, sent the surveillance video to Benjamin Jones’s mobile.
The mont it was opened, Benjamin Jones heard Anna Ford’s voice, his frown deepened, then watched as a disheveled Catherine Ford, with red-rimd eyes, ca forward and slapped the other person. His expression unconsciously softened, watching until Harmony redith almost dropped her jaw, “She… she couldn’t really be seducing you, right?”
“She’s not that type of person,” Benjamin Jones responded without a second thought, oblivious to how uncharacteristic this defense was for him.
Harmony redith was more than shocked, “You’re actually defending a woman; unbelievable! I thought in this lifeti, aside from Abigail, you wouldn’t care about any other woman!”
Benjamin Jones felt sowhat uncomfortable at Harmony redith’s reaction, “Is it that strange?”
Harmony redith nodded, “It might not be strange to others, but for soone famously as cold as you, it’s really strange!”
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