Chapter 5

Celia POV

In a hurry, I grabbed one of Leon's shirts and dashed out of the door.

Soon, I arrived at Arona Clinic.

I barely reached the entrance when Karlee came rushing out.

"Celia, there you are! Theta Landon wants to see you in his office! You need to brace yourself..."

"Why does Theta Landon want to see me?" I asked, surprised at Karlee's unusual nervousness. "What's going on?"

Theta Landon was our pack's medical mainstay and director of the clinic.

Karlee glanced around to ensure no one was listening, then leaned in close.

"All the important internal files at the clinic have gone missing today!"

"How does that concern me?" I frowned.

"The key point is, Cynthia reported to Theta Landon that it was because you didn't lock the door that all the files are gone! Today, an Alpha will come to inspect the clinic's new project. All the hard work we put into those files is now wasted. Theta Landon is furious and will likely blame you!"

Cynthia, like me, was an intern at the clinic. This year, there was only one internal promotion opportunity at the clinic. She had been competing with me.

However, Theta Landon was Cynthia's uncle. She didn't study medicine, but through Landon, she managed to become an intern as well. Everyone was quite critical about it, but they didn't dare say anything due to Landon's position.

We walked inside.

Cynthia's voice could be heard inside the office.

"Uncle Landon, calm down. It's all Celia's fault. She didn't lock the door properly before leaving!"

Landon, clearly agitated, exclaimed, "Where is that damned Celia? She didn't show up for work yesterday or today! I'm definitely going to fire her!"

I knocked lightly and entered the office.

Landon was furious.

"Celia, it's a weekday! Why are you so late? You were absent without an excuse yesterday too! Is this your work ethic?"

I calmly explained, "I'm sorry, Theta Landon. I had some trouble yesterday and this morning that caused me to be late."

Landon found my excuse ridiculous.

"Don't you know you should apply for a leave of absence?"

"I'm really sorry, and I'll make sure to apply for leave in advance next time."

Cynthia chimed in mockingly, "Celia, since you don't want to work here, you can quit now!"

At that moment, the office door was pushed open. Landon, noticing this, quickly stood up, bowing and smiling politely.

"Oh! Alpha Leon, Beta Calvin! Please come in..."

Cynthia's eyes instantly lit up when she saw Leon.

I frowned and was indifferent about it, turning my head away.

I was even a little annoyed.

Why was he everywhere?

Apologetically, Landon said, "Alpha Leon, I'm sorry, but all our clinic's files are missing. It's because of this intern named Celia! She didn't lock the door properly when she left!"

Leon's icy gaze swept over me without a hint of warmth.

He spoke coldly, "Theta Landon, it seems today is not the right time. In that case, let's reschedule for another day."

"Alpha Leon, I sincerely apologize for wasting your time."

I noticed Karlee anxiously peering into the office from the doorway.

Suddenly, I remembered that this new project was Karlee's first independent planning effort. If it failed, it would be challenging for her to take on such responsibilities again.

During my internship, Karlee had been very supportive of me.

"Alpha Leon!" I spoke up suddenly.

Leon, who was about to leave, halted.

I walked over to him.

"Alpha Leon, I understand your time is precious, but since you're already here, in case you miss out on a good project, that would be a real waste of time."

Leon's gaze remained cold.

"It seems you can't present anything to me right now."

I assured him, "You can sit down and have a cup of coffee, and I'll make sure to present the new project plan to you, Alpha Leon."

Landon looked at me incredulously. Cynthia rolled her eyes in disdain.

There was a brief silence before Leon raised an eyebrow.

"This young lady is quite spirited. Landon, do you have coffee here?" Leon asked.

Landon snapped back to reality and immediately instructed, "What are you standing there for? Go prepare coffee for Alpha Leon!"

"Sure!"

Cynthia seized the opportunity to interact with Leon and swayed her hips as she went to make coffee.

I returned to the archives room and searched for any suspicious traces.

Wait...

Why did the wall with the shelf look so clean? There must be something wrong with it!

I moved the shelf aside and discovered another door. Opening it, I found the missing files inside.

Luckily, I installed cameras in the archive room.

Karlee paced anxiously outside the office. I walked toward her and held up the file triumphantly.

"Look. Our project proposal."

Karlee was astonished and took them.

"Celia, how did you find these files? You're amazing! Thank you so much!"

I smiled, "I just printed another copy. I had backed them up before."

"Thank you so much, Celia! I'll go give them to Theta Landon now! Love you!"

Karlee hugged me and hurried off to deliver the files.

Suddenly, my colleagues swarmed around me, asking for copies of the backup files.

I responded, "Don't worry. I'll send them to you guys later."

Sipping my coffee, I glanced toward Landon's office.

…

Fifteen minutes later, Leon walked out of the office. His handsome face remained expressionless, revealing no emotions.

As he passed my desk, he suddenly stopped and turned his head, giving me a cold look.

"You wasted an hour of my time."

Cynthia, wearing a smug smile, strolled over.

"Celia, Alpha Leon thinks your team's project plan is crap! That's what I thought too. It really sucks!"

I kept my calm, not letting her provocation affect me.

Ignoring Cynthia, I turned to Karlee, who had just walked out of the office.

"Karlee, what's going on?"

Karlee, sounding defeated, replied, "Celia, there are multiple critical errors in our project plan. Alpha Leon said our plan is rubbish..."

I furrowed my brows.

Landon returned, his face stern. He scolded Karlee sharply, "Karlee, what's wrong with you? How could there be so many fundamental errors? If you can't handle it, then don't do it!"

Karlee bowed apologetically.

"I'm sorry..."

I caught Cynthia's triumphant smile and knew she had tampered with the project plan.

Standing up, I said, "Theta Landon, the mistakes in the project plan have nothing to do with Karlee. I didn't inspect it before letting her take it. It's my fault, and I'll resign."

Landon frowned at me.

"Resign? Did you think it would be that easy? Celia, you're being fired! Now, get out!"

While waiting for the elevator, Karlee chased after me, looking guilty and anxious.

"Celia, the person who should resign is me... I'm sorry..."

I shook my head.

"It's not your fault. Landon was planning to fire me anyway. There's no need to drag you into this."

"But if you leave like this, Cynthia will be able to secure the promotion directly. Her abilities are clearly inferior to yours. It's too unfair!"

"It's fine."

I patted her shoulder and waved to her before stepping into the elevator.

When I stepped out of the elevator, Cynthia was waiting for me at the front desk. She had a box of office supplies in her hand and threw it in front of me.

"Take your stuff and get out! I'm gonna throw your desk out too, so I can turn that room into my office!"

I remained calm, bent down to pick up my things, and said, "Cynthia, since we're colleagues, I'll leave you with a piece of advice."

With a cold smile, I leaned closer to her and whispered, "Virtue may not bring wealth, but deceit will lead to destruction."