Twenty Years Later, I Became Her Boss Chapter 04

Twenty Years Later, I Became Her Boss Chapter 04

“So you’re Ms. Parker of Keystone Technologies?”

On the other end of the line, his voice carried the condescending scrutiny of a man used to looking down on others.

“That’s me.”

“Who gave you the nerve to go after my children?”

I let out a soft scoff and answered without mercy.

“Mr. Bradford Sr., are you sure you understand the situation? Compared with Keystone, Bradford Group has already been left behind by the market. Why would I waste my time targeting a failed relic?”

“You!”

My words enraged Richard completely. He had probably never been challenged like that by someone from a younger generation in his entire life.

His heavy breathing came through the phone.

“Fine. Very good. You’re young, arrogant, and completely unaware of your own limits.”

“You think Keystone is so impressive? Then let’s see how many days you can last.”

“I’ll be waiting.”

I said the words calmly and hung up.

Richard moved quickly.

Early the next morning, my assistant rushed in with his phone in hand, his expression grim.

“Ms. Parker, you need to see this.”

At No. 3 on X was #KeystoneTechCEOPrivateLifeScandal#.

I scrolled down.

Several gossip blogs and clickbait accounts had posted long pieces claiming that if I had become CEO in my early twenties, I must have had a wealthy backer.

Then several more posts followed, all implying that our company’s core technology was unreliable and that we had conned the market through pure hype.

“Ms. Parker, several partners have already called to ask what’s going on,” my assistant said, his voice shaking. “If we don’t handle this soon, they may pull out.”

Before I could answer, someone knocked on my office door.

An assistant from PR hurried in with a laptop.

“This is bad, Ms. Parker. Anna posted a video online too.”

I took the laptop and looked.

In the video, Anna sat in front of the camera with perfect makeup, showing each project report she had completed during her internship one by one.

“These are all the projects I completed during my internship at Keystone Technologies. Every one of them represents my hard work. My performance ranked first among all interns in my cohort, but Ms. Parker fired me in public without giving me any reason.”

She paused, and her eyes reddened just enough.

“I later found out that two of the male interns had private contact with Ms. Parker. I don’t want to assume the worst, but the facts are right here.”

At the end of the video, she included a side-by-side comparison of herself and one of the male interns.

The caption read, [Where exactly did I lose?]

My assistant was so furious that he slapped the desk.

“That’s complete nonsense. That male intern worked on backend support. He didn’t even have project metrics.”

The head of PR was so anxious that he kept wringing his hands.

“Ms. Parker, the internet has completely turned against us. Everyone is accusing the company of workplace bullying. Should we release a statement explaining our side?”

I nodded.

“We should release a statement.”

But I did not issue a clarification.

I filed a lawsuit directly against Anna for defamation and damage to the company’s reputation.

My response enraged the Bradfords all over again.

Before long, Richard contacted the TV station and arranged a live televised confrontation, then asked whether I had the nerve to show up.

I was about to agree when Nathan hurriedly stopped me.

“Olivia, don’t go. Richard contacted a lot of media outlets. This time, the host and the guests have all been bought off, and they’ve already scripted the entire segment. The moment you show up, hit pieces will be flooding every feed.”

I listened quietly, then suddenly asked him one question.

“Can you get control of the live feed?”

He nodded instinctively.

“I can, but—”

“That’s enough.”

I sent Richard a message directly.

[I’ll be there.]

After putting down my phone, I turned and walked into the restroom, looking at myself in the mirror.

The woman in the mirror wore a dark gray tailored suit and stood perfectly straight.

Twenty years had passed. From the day my mother died until now, I had been waiting for this broadcast.

Looking at my reflection, I spoke softly.

“Mom, I finally lived to see this day.”