Chapter 602:
Suddenly, a sharp crack cut through the silence. Alyssa’s hand slammed onto the table. It wasn’t deafening, but the force of the impact drew every eye toward her.
With quiet strength, she spoke, her voice firm. “Are you done?”
There was no response. She calmly slid a USB drive from her folder and plugged it into the computer beside her. “Then I’ll speak.”
The screen behind her flickered to life, displaying five years’ worth of Sweetberry’s financial records—profits, losses, and a trail of issues laid out in stark detail.
Rylie stood and addressed the man who had just mocked Alyssa. “I’ve been overseeing Sweetberry these past few days. I’ve reviewed the company’s current state. You’re the design director, Townsend Howe, married to Lucinda, who runs Sweetberry’s main store. You’ve led the design team for the last five years, correct?” She pulled up a chart. “You argue that Alyssa’s choice of materials drains money and delays production, causing losses?”
The numbers on the screen stared back at him. Townsend froze, shocked by how easily Rylie had brought him and his family into the spotlight.
“That’s right,” he muttered.
“Last year, you oversaw the Starlight series, which was pitched as an original design. Yet sales were poor, and stock overflowed by over sixty percent. Funny thing,” she allowed a small smile to play at the corners of her lips, a smile that made his stomach twist. She tapped the keyboard, pulling up another set of data. “I ran an algorithm that compared two drafts from the copyright database. The AI matched them. Over seventy percent of the design work in the Starlight line mirrors the newest season of a luxury brand, Celeste, in Troale. Coincidentally, the founder of Celeste is an alumnus of the Royal Academy of Arts. Tell me, Townsend, were you classmates? Is your bond close enough to exchange designs? And does the founder of Celeste know this?”
“Nonsense!” Townsend stood up abruptly, his face flushed with anger, veins bulging on his forehead. “What Celeste? I have no idea what you’re talking about! It was just a coincidence in design inspiration! Designs draw from the same sources. How can you accuse me of stealing?”
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His voice rose with each word, growing louder. “Rylie, you’ve barely joined this company. You don’t understand the situation. You’re swallowing a one-sided tale and throwing out baseless claims! I’ve worked myself to the bone for five years. Even if mistakes were made, my effort counts for something. You can’t condemn me with flimsy comparisons. I won’t accept it. These charges are ridiculous!”
He turned toward the others, his eyes pleading. “Think about it! Are we really going to judge based on some AI report? How do you know the data isn’t false? What if someone twisted it to push me out?” His glare shifted to Alyssa, suspicion sharp in his eyes.
Murmurs rose in the room, with several leaning his way, agreeing that Rylie was too rash to trust an algorithm.
Rylie remained calm, asking plainly, “So you won’t admit it?”
“I’m not wrong!” he shot back, stubborn and unyielding. “If anyone is to blame, it’s Alyssa!”
As the air thickened, Alyssa’s heart sank. She feared her presence would only drag Rylie into a fight she didn’t deserve. If Rylie angered the others, her situation would worsen. Alyssa thought that as long as she left quietly, at least the storm might pass.
She rose and said, “I was going to resign today anyway. Just think of the fault as mine. I complicated the fabric choices and ignored costs. I apologize to everyone here.”
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