NOVEL NEXT Chapter 427 Unfair Punishment
It sort of felt like I had seen a ghost or it may have been because I wished so hard that he was just a ghost and that he wasn’t really there in front of me. I tried my best to smile and act naturally without letting it show just how shocked and dismayed I was to see him. Although I knew that I would have to talk things out with him sooner or later now that we had both taken a trip to see the disciplinary committee, I had hoped that it would be later and not when everything was just so fresh and such a mess in my mind.
“Can we talk for a bit?” he asked with a serious look on his face.
It was evident that unlike me, Jeremy wanted to get this talk out of the way without waiting any longer. With a heavy feeling in my chest, I just nodded my head once. Jeremy did not say anything before turning to walk away. I walked slowly after him as he led us somewhere where we could talk. Although I knew that it was too late, I was so conscious of the fact that we were alone and sitting in a restaurant very close to the office.
This place was very popular with pretty much everyone working in the area and even I have been there a couple of times before especially for team dinners. I guess with how the rumors about us had already circulated, there wasn’t much that we had to be careful of for now. The rumors will die down soon enough and then we must turn a new leaf and be even more careful than before so that another wave of rumors won’t hit us.
I have to admit that up until that point my mind was so focused on worrying about myself and also about Ace and his reactions if and when he was to find out about this issue that I hadn’t been worrying enough about Jeremy. However, when we finally sat down opposite each other at the dining table, I realized that I was also worried about Jeremy.
“Umm…I guess you were called to see the committee too…” I began our conversation in a soft murmur because I wasn’t sure how to broach the subject.
“That’s right. I’m very sorry about this, Karina…” Jeremy apologized with a forlorn look on his face.
I could feel the pain and guilt in his voice and that made me feel unbearably guilty. No one was to blame for what happened and if someone was to blame then it wasn’t just him. I shared as much if not more blame than he did.
“Please don’t apologize. As we both know, it’s all just a misunderstanding,” I quickly said before trying my best to smile encouragingly.
It was difficult and now that we were face to face, I was forced to realize that Jeremy probably had more to lose than I did. In an industry where our professional reputation and credibility is almost everything, I had to admit that Jeremy had a much more flawless profile than I did. Ever since the confidential data leakage scandal with Kyle, I could no longer say that I had a clean profile. Even if it wasn’t intentional, I was aware that I was guilty of being negligent. The only person who might have truly overlooked that flaw of mine was probably Ace and no one else. Jeremy, unlike me, had a perfect professional record and he represented the hope and dreams of so many supporters in the company.
“What did they say to you?” he asked.
“Probably the same thing that they told you, I guess. They told me that some rumors are going around that we are dating because we’ve been seen together often. I guess they’re referring to when we go out for lunch or for dinner together. It’s just a bunch of nonsense…” I replied before pulling a little on a strand of my hair in my annoyance.
“They weren’t too harsh on you, were they?” he asked with evident worry.
“I’m fine. It’s not like it’s my first time being called in there. What about you? They…umm…aren’t giving you an official warning too, right?” I asked as I still harbored some hope that Jeremy may have escaped the same fate that I had to face.
“I guess we should consider ourselves lucky that that is all they’re doing to punish us,” he replied before showing me smile that looked too carefree.
“So, they’re going to give you an official warning to? Why would they do something like that? I mean, I’m fine with it…but…with your perfect record and everything…it’s just…” I said as the frustration building up in my chest made my entire body shake.
How can they do something like this over some stupid rumors? Seriously?!
Don’t they realize that they’re ruining his future and career just for the sake of punishing him for rumors spreading even though none of it is even true?
“It’s fine, Karina…” Jeremy said with a small shrug of his shoulders.
“It’s not fine. I don’t see a single part of it that makes it fine,” I replied heatedly.
I had no clue how Jeremy could act so carefree and relaxed about something like this happening to him. None of it made sense considering how much he should care about his career and all that life had to offer in his future.
“Listen, you’re overreacting. It’s really fine…” he said before showing me a very gentle smile.
The real problem with Jeremy, which I had noticed quite a long time ago, was that he was too nice for his own good. He seemed understanding about everything and forgiving about every single thing as well. My wish that he would stand up more for himself only made me even angrier than before that someone as nice as him had to go through this and a part of it was my fault.
“It’s not fine. Can’t you see that they’ve gotten it all wrong? Do you think we can still get the committee to change their mind? Your record is spotless, and I really want to keep it that way. Those people really have it all wrong this time!” I complained while rapidly letting out my anger.
--To be continued…