She Left She Thrived She’s Worth Billions novel Chapter 889

Dominic flinched, clearly not expecting Reginald Thorne to air their dirty laundry right in front of Melanie. A flash of awkward panic crossed his face.

"Ah... yes, well..." he stammered, nodding hesitantly while intensely watching Melanie's reaction.

Melanie wasn't about to let that slide.

"Vice Director Thorne... would you mind clarifying what you just said?"

Her tone was perfectly polite, but before Reginald could explain, Leila seized her moment.

"What do you think he means? Stop playing dumb, Melanie! Your company pumps out defective health supplements and you expect us to believe you have no idea?"

Leila crossed her arms, looking aggressively self-righteous.

She was determined to shine tonight. Not only did she plan to dazzle Minister Halevy into becoming a loyal client for her brand, but she also saw this as the perfect chance to drag Melanie through the mud in front of Dominic and the Vice Director. She needed Dominic to see that she was the superior woman.

"That's quite an accusation, Ms. Langley," Melanie said, her gaze turning lethal. "Have you personally tested our supplements?"

"N-no, I haven't..." Leila's bravado faltered slightly under Melanie's stare.

"Then keep your mouth shut. This doesn't concern you."

"You—!" Leila gasped, her face turning crimson. She desperately tugged at Dominic's sleeve, silently begging him to defend her. She didn't even need him to attack Melanie, just to validate her presence.

Dominic spared Melanie a fleeting glance before snapping at Leila. "She's right. This doesn't involve you. Back off."

"Dominic!" Leila stared at him in pure shock.

But Dominic didn't even look at her. His eyes remained fixed on Melanie, tracking her every movement with a dark, suffocating intensity.

Humiliated and furious, Leila practically vibrated with rage, but Melanie, Dominic, and Reginald all completely ignored her existence.

Once Leila had stormed off to pout at a safe distance, Reginald gave Melanie a brief rundown.

It was vague, mostly because Dominic's initial claims had been purposely ambiguous. But Melanie wasn't stupid; she could read the room.

Dominic and Reginald were clearly tight. Whether it was Dominic's personal networking or the Lockridge Group's deep pockets smoothing the way, this Vice Director was never going to side with her.

"Let me make sure I understand," Melanie said smoothly. "The Lockridge Convalescent Home supposedly bought a batch of the Royce Group and Stellaris PharmaTech's joint supplement from a random retail store two days ago. After administering it to your patients, they suffered severe vomiting and diarrhea. So, VP Hale went straight to the Vice Director to file a complaint against our product."

"Yes, that's the gist of it," Reginald nodded firmly.

Taking his cue, Dominic reached into his tailored slacks and pulled out a crumpled receipt.

"See? Proof of purchase from the Lockridge Convalescent Home."

Seeing the physical receipt cemented Reginald's belief in the story. His face settled into a look of bureaucratic concern.

Melanie, however, just chuckled.

"Fascinating. Tell me, VP Hale, is it standard practice for an executive to carry a crumpled drugstore receipt to a black-tie gala?"

Dominic froze, suddenly realizing how staged the whole act looked. He quickly shoved the receipt back into his pocket.

The truth was, he had brought it specifically to legitimize his smear campaign in front of Reginald. The Vice Director already had strong ties to the Lockridge family, and Dominic had been carefully nurturing that relationship since his promotion.