CHAPTER 381: CHAPTER 381: DISMISSAL

She forced herself to suppress the anxiety and fear within her heart, striving to maintain a gentle and elegant expression on her face.

It’s fine, it’s fine.

They have always communicated over the phone, never meeting in person, so surely he wouldn’t recognize her.

Moreover, she hadn’t spoken today, so there was no fear of her voice being recognized. Besides, every time they talked on the phone, she would deliberately lower her voice.

Thinking this way, Joyce Kramer finally began to calm her restless heart.

The reporters below were in an uproar upon hearing this succession of truths and reversals.

So it was all a misunderstanding.

Quinn Lockwood, being so popular now, naturally attracts controversies; perhaps it’s because she rose to fame so quickly, obstructing some people’s paths, that they staged such plays to bring her down!

The reporters were busy organizing their notes from the day, checking for any missing photos or videos, imagining the unfolding drama of the entertainment circle.

It seemed that apart from reporting today’s events, they could also spark a discussion topic: who could Quinn Lockwood have hindered in their development?

The anti-fan, after revealing the truth, was taken away by Elias Sinclair’s people.

Seeing that he hadn’t sold her out and that the press conference had already concluded, Joyce Kramer finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Some reporters still wanted to interview Quinn Lockwood, or take a photo with her, but were frightened away by Elias Sinclair’s cold stare.

"Lawyer Warren, those two just now, prepare to send them to court, treat it as the most severe case of malicious defamation," the man lifted his gaze to indicate Lawyer Warren should get ready, his arm suddenly rising to rest on Quinn Lockwood’s shoulder.

Cameron Grant, backstage, watched Quinn Lockwood and Elias Sinclair on stage, his eyes filled with a cool indifference.

As the reporters gradually left, the press conference ended, leaving only Quinn Lockwood, Elias Sinclair, Cameron Grant, and Joyce Kramer in the room.

Joyce’s gaze fell on Elias’s hand around Quinn’s shoulders, a trace of unease crossing her face.

She was no longer worried about being discovered; her mind started to plan her next steps.

She took two steps forward to Elias Sinclair, smiling sweetly, speaking respectfully: "Sir, the work in Italica has been mostly handled, and I’ve arranged for the documents to be faxed by the secretary there."

In order to return home early to see the sir and eliminate the trouble of Quinn Lockwood, Joyce Kramer had been entirely focused, working overtime, holding meetings, and approving documents.

Now all she could do was try to gain her sir’s attention through her work; she had to be proactive and diligent.

However, Elias Sinclair’s face turned directly cold and harsh, surrounded by an intimidating chill.

"Hand over all your current work to Kevin immediately."

"You don’t need to go to the company anymore." His cool and decisive voice left no room for doubt, his eyes narrowing slightly as he looked at Joyce Kramer, cold and distant.

Joyce felt a loud buzz in her head, as if struck by lightning on a clear day. She stared at Elias Sinclair in a daze, not reacting for a long while.

"Wha... what do you mean, sir?" Joyce couldn’t believe her ears, her eyebrows lifted, her eyes wide open.

Elias Sinclair’s sharp brows furrowed tightly, his brows cold with frost, and his abstinent thin lips parted slightly, anger apparent: "Just what it sounds like."

"Why, sir? Did I... do something wrong?" Joyce’s fingertips trembled slightly, feeling as if she were plunged into an ice cellar.

She felt very insecure at heart; she couldn’t understand why Elias Sinclair suddenly dismissed her, it was simply unbelievable.

Since before she graduated, she’d been handling the affairs of The Sinclair Group, and now she’d been with Elias Sinclair for several years; if not for merit, she’s suffered in her services, how could she possibly be dismissed?

Elias Sinclair let out a slight sneer, turning cold eyes to Joyce Kramer, speaking with sarcastic emphasis: "Even now, you’re still pretending. After watching this performance for so long, do you really have no thoughts?"

The man’s eyes were dark as the night, filled with hatred penetrating to the bone, looking at Joyce Kramer coldly and with disdain.

He couldn’t believe that his long-time assistant turned out to be such a duplicitous and sinister person.

Having been deceived by Joyce Kramer for so long, Elias Sinclair was filled with deep anger; if it weren’t for a past friendship with her, he definitely wouldn’t have let this matter end so easily.

Joyce Kramer suddenly collapsed, her legs shook uncontrollably as if sieved, nearly falling to the ground, her teeth starting to chatter with cold.

What does sir mean by this? Could he have found out?

Joyce recalled the details of her arrangements, believing everything was seamless; all evidence had been destroyed. How could she have been found out?

She thought Elias might be testing her, opened her mouth to attempt an explanation, only to be hit in the face by a document thrown by him.

"Ah." Her face stung with pain, and she covered it with both hands, her beautiful eyes shimmering with tears.

How embarrassing, how could sir do this to her?

"Pick it up." The man’s brows furrowed into a frown, his face an embodiment of frost, lowering his gaze to the document on the ground.

A strong sense of foreboding rose in Joyce Kramer’s heart, ignoring the gazes of Quinn Lockwood and Cameron Grant.

She took a deep breath to calm herself, bent down to pick up the document, moving with some hesitation.

Joyce’s hands trembled as she opened the document, and upon seeing its contents, she was instantly dumbfounded. Her vision went black as if her head had exploded.

It contained her call logs and sent messages, with both domestic and international numbers.

Elias Sinclair noted all the changes in Joyce Kramer’s expression, motioning to an assistant nearby to give her the item in his hand.

Joyce Kramer was now completely dumbfounded.

It was the broken SIM card she threw in the trash.

Her face turned ashen, her whole body stiffening, losing her balance and stumbling back into the wall.

Now she understood why she was called over by Mr. Sinclair as soon as she got off the plane.

She had narcissistically thought it was because Mr. Sinclair missed her company, only to realize it was to make her confess her crimes.

No, she hadn’t done anything wrong; everything she did was for Mr. Sinclair’s good. She couldn’t leave The Sinclair Group or Elias Sinclair.

"Sir, sir, listen to me, everything I did was for you." Joyce Kramer shook her head in terror, her steps stumbling forward as she tried to grasp Elias Sinclair’s arm.