Jilted Ex-wife Billionaire Heiress

Chapter 27 The Tide Of Public Opinion

If Mr Avery McAllister hadn't played favourites and installed his girlfriend as the

new vice president, the position should have gone to Sharon.

At least Sharon believed that to be the case.

Throughout the meeting, her resentment simmered as colleagues heaped praises on Darya's presentation.

They called her insightful, said they had complete faith in her that the Solaro project would be a huge success.

They seemed to have forgotten that they said the same things to Sharon less than a month ago!

'All right, that wraps up the briefing. Any questions?' Darya glanced around the room.

'I have one.' Sharon shot to her feet.

It wasn't necessary to stand up, but she wanted to confront Darya face to face.

'Please.' Darya made an inviting gesture.

'As we are all aware, the Paragon Group's sterling reputation is a large part of why Solaro is willing to collaborate with us. Sharon downplayed Darya's role in making the deal happen.

That didn't escape the notice of the meeting participants, who exchanged knowing glances.

'While I understand that Miss Miller must have the relevant qualifications and skills to lead the project, Sharon continued, 'I'm concerned that certain...stories circulating online might give Solaro cause for concern.'

Darya raised an eyebrow.

She knew what Sharon was referring to. 'What do you suggest?'

Sharon squared her shoulders. 'To ensure the collaboration with Solaro continues smoothly, perhaps we should consider replacing the project leader. I can't work with someone who brings bad publicity to the company.'

Murmurs rippled throughout the conference room, but no one spoke.

Everyone waited to see how Darya, the newcomer, would handle her first

confrontation with a colleague.

Sharon crossed her arms and hid a smug smile.noveldrama

If Darya couldn't even handle a simple issue like this, how could she convince the rest of the team that s up to the tasks of a project leader?

was

Instead of replying straight away, Darya picked up her coffee mug and took a leisurely sip.

Bianca slapped a palm on the table. 'Miss Hoyles, what are you insinuating?'

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Chapter 27 The Tide Of Public Opinion

Sharon looked down her nose at the newble. 'Don't you follow the news? The story's spreading online like wildfire. The vice president of Paragon was photographed getting into a drunken brawd with a mari last night. I

could show you the

'Save it,' Blancs spat out. That's not what happened. I was there!

Sharon sneered 'You are Miss Miller's friend. Understandably, you would side with her. But the pictures don't lie. She was clearly using her fists on a man who was already lying on the floor, defenceless."

Bianca shook her head. 'Don't you know that pictures can be manipulated? They

were-

'Are you trying to say they were photoshopped?' Sharon anticipated her response. 'But they've been analysed by experts. The photos are real,'

"They are, but they don't tell the whole story, Bianca's firm voice carried in the room. 'And the man had it coming. He was harassing me. Darya was just helping out a friend.'

Sharon picked up her phone. 'You can try to spin it any way you want, but it doesn't change the fact that the public-

"The public knows better than to rush to conclusions,' Bianca countered.

'Maybe you should take a look at what they are saying online.' Sharon tapped on

the trending topic. 'They are calling Miss Miller-

The rest of her sentence died in her throat as she stared at the top-voted comment.

Bianca smiled. 'What are they calling her?'

She didn't need to access her phone to know the tide of public opinion had turned.

Other than the unknown paparazzo, plenty of pub patrons had taken pictures and videos of the altercation.

Once posted online, they painted a much clearer picture of what happened.

Instead of a woman with violent tendencies, as the tabloid article tried to paint Darya, she was now seen as a loyal friend who wasn't afraid to stand up to a drunken bully.

The pub manager's statement, plus a copy of the police report on the incident, confirmed that Darya was defending herself and her friend.

She didn't instigate the fight.

The most upvoted comment on the story was 'I wish I had a friend like that.'

Sharon scrolled through the comments, and knew she had lost.

'Maybe you should learn to think for yourself instead of following the tabloid news blindly.' Bianca gave her a mocking smile.

Sharon's face burned with humiliation. 'I was, um, mistaken. It was-'

'If Miss Hoyles can't work with Darya, she's welcome to hand in her resignation.' Avery stood in the open doorway.

Sharon whirled around. 'Mr McAllister, I'

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'You are right,' Avery cut her off. 'We have an image to uphold at Paragon. We don't need employees why joten to conclusions and openly challenge their project leader based on some groundless rumour!

Sharon blanched.

The rest of the meeting participants kept their eyes on the floor, as if suddenly fascinated by the pattern of the

carpet.

Sharon bowed her head. 'Miss Miller, I'm sorry for the misunderstanding I apologise

'Noted.' Darya gave a slight nod. 'If there's nothing else, the meeting's concluded.

Bianca followed her out of the conference room,

As soon as she disappeared from view, voices erupted.

Colleagues chattered as they filed out of the room, careful to give Sharon a wide berth.

Sharon fled to the bathroom and had a good cry,

As she splashed cold water on her face, she vowed to get back at Darya Miller.

So what if that woman was helping out a friend?

It still didn't justify her stealing the position of vice president.

Darya dismissed the incident from her mind as soon as she left the conference

room.

She had more important things to do than waste time with office intrigue.

Bianca sat cross-legged on the leather sofa in Darya's office.

'There's a minifridge there,' Darya said. 'Help yourself.'

'Later.' Bianca was typing busily on her phone. 'Guess who's behind the tabloid

article?'

She answered her own question before Darya could speak. 'Ryan Mendez.'

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