?Chapter 986:


    The forest photo she’d submitted had been swapped out with a full-page shot of Shelly.


    Her finger hovered over the image. “Mr. Griffin, if I made a mistake, I’ll step down withoutint.” She handed the magazine back to him and pointed. “But this isn’t the image I uploaded.”


    Before Morse could respond, Heidi snapped, “That’s the file you submitted!”


    “I submitted the article,” Yvonne said calmly. “But that photo wasn’t part of it.”


    Yvonne retraced her thoughts carefully and felt confident in what she remembered.


    Heidi’sposure cracked the instant she heard those words. She threw up her hands and barked, “I didn’t change a single word in your draft! If it wasn’t yours, how else would it have turned out like this?”


    Yvonne shot her a sidelong look. The fear flickering in Heidi’s eyes almost made her smirk. She opened her mouth to reply, but Morse’s voice cut in before she could speak.


    With a furrowed brow and an exasperated tone, Morse snapped, “Heidi, must you turn the office into a circus? Yelling like that onpany time—what are you, a fishwife hawking goods? Both of you, in my office. Now.”


    He didn’t wait for a response, turning on his heel and striding off. Yvonne ced the magazine back on the table, catching the sharp gleam of spite in Heidi’s re as she did.


    A dull ache of disillusionment crept in. She’d believed Heidi to be the kind of supervisor who had her back, but the moment trouble struck, she became the scapegoat.


    Clearly, she had been too trusting—some people wore masks far too well.


    The lesson was sinking in fast.


    Without a word, she and Heidi trailed after Morse into his office.


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    “Heidi, I held my tongue outside to spare you some dignity. As a section leader, you should understand how critical it is to verify drafts. Whether the intern made a mistake or not, the responsibility stillnds on you.”


    “You’re right. But it really was—”


    “That’s enough. Quit pushing the me onto the intern. This one’s mostly on you. Take a good look in the mirror!” With a flick of his wrist, Morse dismissed them. “No bonuses for the entire ‘Nature’s Essence’ team this month. That’s final. You can leave.”


    Heidi didn’t argue. Her lips pressed into a thin line, and she pivoted, walking out in silence.


    Yvonne lingered, puzzled by Morse’s sudden decision to keep her behind. She stood motionless before his desk, waiting.


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