Chapter 5
Late at night, the company released surveillance footage in conjunction with the police.
In the video, a woman was seen on her way home from work late at night, being stalked and assaulted by a group of men. With her clothing disheveled, she nearly faced a terrible fate, but fortunately, a passerby bravely intervened to save her.
Facing three armed assailants, the passerby showed no fear, even gentlemanly removing his coat to shield the girl. He then focused on subduing the attackers.
Although the video was blurry, it was still possible to identify the assaulted woman as Yvonne. The heroic rescuer was none other than John, the president of the Hansen Group.
Alongside the video, the company released an announcement detailing the selection process for secretaries and the three rounds of interviews.
Yvonne’s name consistently occupied the top spot, signifying that she earned her position as secretary through merit, without any insider connections.
“Who says that capable and attractive people can’t be secretaries?”
“Exactly! Yvonne is so wronged. Thank goodness the company is reputable and stepped in to clarify the situation.”
“The domineering CEO came to the rescue of his capable secretary in the dead of night—oh my gosh! This is straight out of a romantic drama! Mr. Hansen and Yvonne make such a perfect couple!”
The tide of public opinion that had once turned in my favor shifted entirely toward Yvonne after the release of the surveillance video and the announcement.
Some netizens even created a fan club for them, openly shipping their relationship.
The company's stock price soared to new heights, and Yvonne received accolades from the board, solidifying her position as John’s secretary.
During this time, I tried repeatedly to call John and sent him messages to apologize, but all my efforts fell on deaf ears.
I went to the office to find him several times, but he was always in a meeting. I knew he was still angry and was deliberately avoiding me.
The way the employees looked at me shifted from respect to disdain.
I couldn't understand what was happening until that night when my name appeared in the trending searches.
Someone anonymously wrote a post analyzing recent events within the company. The entire post accused me of orchestrating everything, claiming I framed and pushed aside Secretary Yvonne because she was too competent and beautiful.
It suggested that having such a secretary around John threatened my position as Mrs. Hansen.
The post painted me as someone with ulterior motives, willing to sacrifice the company's interests just to eliminate Yvonne.
It argued that, in the lead-up to the company's IPO, I was trying to create maximum negative publicity to pressure the board into yielding and force John to replace Yvonne.
To my surprise, the company refused to back down, exposing the truth to the public.
I attempted to salvage the situation by going to John to ask for forgiveness, but he wouldn't see me at all.
Fearing that the online community wouldn't believe the truth, the post included several photos of me leaving the office disappointed after my visits.
