Chương 37: Playing The Victim

Layla

Sasha and I exchanged murderous looks. The competition and bickering between us were getting out of hand, and the new level of her pettiness was, well... Too petty, if you ask me.

"Now, guys! Let's not get ahead of ourselves. Girls... Please, let's all calm down. Layla, sweetie, are you sure these are your designs? I mean, you've been overworking yourself lately, and perhaps you've mistaken your designs for Sasha's." my dad says, making me annoyed. How can he even think she had the brains to come up with ideas like mine?

Does he not know me? He knows well that his late partner, Mr. Logan Halloway, and Hugo, were the ones who taught me how to design. How can he even question such a thing?

"Are you kidding me?" I said, tilting my head towards him. My sister quickly placed her hand on my shoulder, trying to calm me.

"Dad?" Karla says, making dad shrug his shoulders, raising his hands in defense. "I'm just saying. This is a huge accusation, perhaps... It's possible; I don't know. Sasha deserves the benefit of the doubt, don't you agree?" he adds, making me angrier.

I felt my blood boiling. If mom were here, she would have thrown the book at dad or pinched him under the table even to make such an assumption.

"Well, I'll tell you what, Felix. In part, you're right. I'll allow Sasha to explain to me how she came up with these designs and prove to us that these are, in fact, her designs. After she does, then I will allow Ladybug to do the same. In the end, the owner of these designs will go as planned. But the other..." he says, looking sternly at us.

Danny was just as fed up about Sasha as I was, and so were the other girls. She was not just bossy but a bully and the kind of person responsible for making you dread coming to work.

She was sure of herself, though. She had a cocky look in her eyes as she stood on her feet and walked toward the board. Of course, she had taken pictures on her phone of all my designs and acted as if they were hers because... What more evidence than having the images on your phone, right?

She went on to tell a sob story about how she feels like a victim at work because all the girls make her feel inferior, and she feels like an outcast. I cringed at the sight of her crocodile tears, making Hugo and dad saddened, to the point Hugo hugged her and gave her his handkerchief to wipe her tears away.

All the while, she looked at Danny and me, mainly at Danny; she was trying so hard to get his attention and sobbing like a bit of a six-year-old who just took the news her puppy had died.

"Oh, for fucking sake, Sasha! Save us your pettiness, will you?" Karla says, making her gasp, placing her hand over her heart as she fake gasps, holding onto Hugo.

"Karla?" dad whisper yells, warning my sister, and making her roll her eyes as she crosses her hands over her chest.

"Sasha, please take a seat, honey. Jenny, would you be a dear and get Sasha a nice warm tea to calm her down?" dad asks Jenny, Danny's secretary, as she comes into the office.

"Yes, sir. Right away." Jenny says, handing Danny my tablet. I furrowed my eyebrows, looking at him and pondering what he was up to. I didn't even realize he had called Jenny to bring my tablet. But if he did, it meant he had something up his sleeve.

"Sasha, that... It was a very compelling story. I... I'm sorry you feel mistreated here. I can assure you that here in Garcia and Halloway's, we take pride in treating everyone fairly. And, with the utmost respect." Danny stands and connects my tablet to the screen on his back, sliding the board to the side to make room for the image he wants to project.

"Now! You said you came with most of these designs by observing Cassidy in the latest events we've had, right?" he asks Sasha, making her smile from ear to ear as he smiles as well.

"That's right, Danny," she says sweetly, making me nauseous.

"See... It's a funny thing, though, because... As you mentioned, my wife and I have been spending lots of time together. No one... And I mean, no one has seen her designs, except..." he says as he inputs my password and goes directly to my pictures, which are filed with dates I worked on each design.

"I had witnessed when Layla drew each design, and... Here's the thing th9ng, Sasha, dear," he says, winking an eye at her.

He opened up my whole gallery, exposing an idea that I had only pitched to Danny alone if my designs were chosen. "As you all know, Layla and I recently became the foster parents of Zoey, and soon we will be her legal adoptive parents.

Standing by each of my designs was a more petite dress to partner each design as a mommy and me collection. It was something that our brand has never done, but I was eager to pitch the idea, especially now that we have Zoey in our lives and a new little one is growing inside of me.

Sasha's eyes widened, followed by a paled face as Danny showed each design on the board with my pictures and the kid's version of my dresses.

"If this isn't enough for you guys, I also mentioned that Layla always leaves a hidden design that only I have been able to find in each of her designs. See, our ladybug has always signed her designs. Even if her name is not there, not her signature... She leaves a special little critter behind on each design." Danny says, amplifying the pictures on my tablet, showing where I had drawn each ladybug, blending it with the colors on each dress.

My smile widened as Danny was so easy to find each ladybug. I knew he had a keen eye for detail, but I never thought he would notice these things in my designs. I had never told him that I drew hidden ladybugs on my dresses.

Hugo quickly takes one of my designs from the board, comparing it to the one amplified on the board in the back of Danny, realizing they matched. His eyes were wide like saucers; his mouth gawked openly as he examined another, then another design, and seeing that they fit.

Each ladybug is precisely in its rightful place. He lowers the paper, looks at Sasha with disagreement, and nods.

"How could you lie to us like this, Sasha? We've given you everything. We've treated you with such care and love. We've given you so much, so much care, and this... This is how you repay us? You are like a daughter to me; how can you..." Hugo was heartbroken.

Somehow I became sad at his reaction. I didn't mean to make him feel like this. And being honest, at one point, I wanted to let it go. But I wanted to show Sasha once and for all that she couldn't keep messing with me.

"Hugo, I... I'm sorry. I tried. I really did. But... My mind has been so out of it; there is so much going on in my life... I... Did not want to let you down."

"So you stole Layla's designs instead? Sasha, how could you? I've taught you the best I could. You're brilliant, and you know it. You have a great mind and a style of your own. You don't need to steal someone else designs and pass them as your own." Hugo says, making us sit quietly as his eyes fill with tears.

"Sasha, I'm afraid this situation cannot be held without dier consequences. I'm afraid I must ask you to clear your office immediately. You're fired." Danny says, making all of us shocked.

"What? No... Please, Danny, you can't. I need this job, please?"

"I'm sorry, Sasha, but I'm afraid you've taken it too far this time." he says, making my sister smile big.

Call me stupid, but I somehow had a change of heart. I knew she was playing the victim this whole time, but I wasn't going just to let the gal lose her job. Poor thing, she needs her bills paid. I hope I don't regret it.

"Pleae, I'm begging you, I'll... I'll do anything, please?"

"Danny, maybe firing her is a bit too much. I mean, she said she was sorry... Maybe we can give her one more chance?" I said, surprising even myself.

Everyone looked at me startled, except my sister of course; she looked at me like she wanted to kill me. "Are you insane?" she whispers yells, making me shrug my shoulders.

"Ladybug, I'm afraid not. Sasha needs to realize that this is not high school. This is real life, baby. And real life has real consequences."

"I know... But, I mean, she was in desperate need. Maybe, just this once, we can make the exemption, please?" I begged Danny, giving him my puppy eyes.

God, this day is exhausting, though... I am so ready to go home and sleep.

"Very well... But! Any other mistake, Sasha, and you're out. You're lucky my wife is pregnant, and I don't want her upset. Otherwise, I'd fire you and never let you back in again." Danny says, making my eyes widen in shock.

I hadn't had the time to tell anyone about our baby. I mean, it's only been a few days, and we've been so busy that I had not come around to tell them. I wanted to say to them over a pleasant surprise, not... By him blurting it out.

Everyone's eyes widened, especially dad's and Karly, who jumped up in shock. "Wait... What?" Karly says, making me startled.

Danny just threw a bomb at my dad, making him look at me with teary eyes and removable. He was so shocked that he was completely frozen in place.

"Oh great... Thanks, Danny. I think you broke my dad." I said, making Karly laugh. She pulled my arm toward her, causing me crash against her chest as she engulfs me into a big bear hug.

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