Chapter 15

"What did you say?" Ivy glared at Tiffany. "Are you not going to be responsible for what you did?" Tiffany glanced at Ivy's dress. "That's not it. First off, I was just standing here. You were the one who bumped into me. So, it wasn't my fault. Secondly, even if it was my fault, I won't pay 39 thousand dollars for this!" Ivy had never expected Tiffany, who was usually so timid. dare to talk back to her now. Aside from being shocked, she was mostly annoyed. "I was walking from over here, but you blocked the way and wouldn't let me through. If not, how could I have bumped into you? Also, my dress is worth 39 thousand dollars—you have to pay me exactly that amount, not a penny less! Or I won't let you off!" She felt that Tiffany was just a coward who would get terrified easily after being threatened a little. Hence, she thought Tiffany would be easy to manipulate. To her surprise, Tiffany said, "Your dress isn't worth 39 thousand dollars." Ivy's eyes immediately widened. "What nonsense is this? The brand of this dress is an international brand and not something you can buy from the street stalls. It's fine that you can't recognize what this is, but could you stop spouting nonsense?" "I didn't. You're wearing a counterfeit." Tiffany's tone was nonchalant, but her words took everyone by surprise. Ivy's face turned a little pale. "You liar! This isn't a fake, it's authentic! Tiffany Lloyd, did you come up with such a lame excuse because you don't want to compensate me?" Tiffany looked around. Their colleagues were watching from the side. But it was clear that everyone was more inclined to believe in Ivy's words. In the end, Alex spoke up. "Ivy, show Tiffany your receipt." "I didn't buy this dress myself. A friend gave it to me as a gift. How would I have the receipt?" Ivy rolled her eyes in dissatisfaction. "Mr. Zander, you're not going to side with Tiffany too, are you?" Alex was the head of the executive department. Not only that, but he was also the highest-ranking employee in the company and only reported to Vincent. He would not possibly side with anyone. Tiffany did not want to trouble him either. She then said to Ivy, "We can just get someone to check if the dress is authentic or not." "Let's do it then! I'm not afraid!" Lewis Group had its own clothing brand department. It wouldn't be difficult to get someone over from the team for authentication. Alex made a call. Soon, the manager of that department, Oliver Reynolds, came over. The authentication process was simple. With just a glance at the wash label and tag, Oliver checked on a few more details. He came up with a conclusion. "Ms. Jones, where did you get this dress from?" "My friend gifted this to me." Ivy was not bothered. "Just tell them if there is any problem with my dress." "Ms. Jones, your dress is a high-quality counterfeit. It's not authentic." "What?" Ivy exploded in anger. "Are you sure about that? Did you look at it properly?" Alex scolded her in a low voice, "Ivy, that's enough. Are you doubting the manager of our clothing brand department?" Ivy was speechless. The clothing brand department dealt with major brands every day, and this was practically their job. They couldn't possibly make a mistake in authenticating a dress. But Ivy still had a look of disbelief and fury. "How dare they give me a fake item as a gift?" Tiffany could not be bothered about that. She asked Oliver, "May I know approximately how much this dress could be sold for?" Oliver thought about it for a while. He said, "Normally, a high-quality counterfeit could be sold for a few thousand dollars. The workmanship and material of Ms. Jones' dress are of high standards. It would likely be sold for about ten thousand dollars." "Then, she still has to pay me ten thousand dollars!" After losing her face, Ivy was annoyed and enraged. She knew that Tiffany's family wasn't well-off. Besides, Tiffany hadn't graduated yet, and she'd just been made a full-time employee at Lewis Group. Ten thousand dollars would be a huge sum for Tiffany. Tiffany knew that there was no point in saying anything to her. She then turned to Alex. "Mr. Zander, I would like to request to review the surveillance footage at the lounge area." Ivy's face went pale. "What are you talking about?" Tiffany ignored her. Staring at Alex, she asked again, "Can we do that, Mr. Zander?" Alex shot a glance at Ivy. Ivy felt uneasy, but she couldn't say anything in front of everyone. She had no choice but to agree. "You can check the footage then. There's nothing for me to be scared of." Alex could open the surveillance footage on his phone. But without authorization, he wouldn't be able to access it. Vincent was the only one with such power. Alex then called Vincent, who asked him what had happened. Not wanting to hide anything from his boss, Alex told Vincent about the incident briefly. "Tiffany wouldn't do such a thing." That was the first thing Vincent said right after listening to the story. Even he himself was taken aback. Pausing for a while, he added, "I'll give you access the footage. Alex, make sure to clear Tiffany's name in this matter." "Sure, Mr. Lewis." After hanging up, Alex thought about it for a long time. Since when had Vincent become so concerned about an employee's matter? If this had happened a while ago, Alex would have probably gotten scolded for calling Vincent and asking for access. Alex had always been thorough in doing things. Considering that this was a private matter between Ivy and Tiffany, he called both of them over to a meeting room by the side. He even drew the blinds to block out the prying eyes from outside. "Why couldn't we talk outside? Did we have to come in here?" Tossing her golden curls, Ivy wore a look of disdain. "It's not like I did anything to be ashamed of. I'm not scared of facing everyone." Alex glanced at her. "Ivy, don't take my kindness for granted. I did all of this to save your face. Don't cross the line." Dissatisfied, Ivy frowned. She stopped talking. "Here's the footage. Have a look at it." Alex pushed his tablet in front of them. The surveillance cameras in the company could capture footage in ultra-high definition. They could even see the pattern on Tiffany's cup, let alone how she had bumped into Tiffany on purpose. Ivy probably hadn't expected the footage to be so clear. She fell silent. "Are you done watching it?" Alex took the tablet. "Ivy, is there anything to say for yourself?" "Nothing. Maybe I was too tired. I bumped into her by accident when I walked past her. After all, my dress and shoes are way more expensive than hers. Won't I be the one suffering from losses if I bumped into her on purpose?" Listening to her excuse, Tiffany remained expressionless. Alex asked Tiffany, "Tiffany, is there anything you want to say?" Ivy cut them off. "Come on, what's there to say? It's just a dress; I'll pay for it." "I don't want it, nor do I want her to pay me." Shaking her head, Tiffany said, "I just want an apology." "Have you gone mad, Tiffany? You're asking me to apologize?" Ivy pointed at herself. "You're out of your mind!" Ivy had always been the office darling. Yet, she was now asked to apologize to the intern, whom she looked down on the most. How could she possibly do that? "Not wanting me to pay you? You just want something more than that! I'll just pay you the money for ten dresses then. It's not that much anyway." As Ivy spoke, she pulled her phone out. She even ordered Tiffany, "Let me scan your payment code. I'll pay you the money for ten dresses right now!"