CHapter 129

Chapter 129

Did Ms. Noella have a trick up her sleeve? Was she considering borrowing the entire Schnabel family’s art collection for the exhibit?

If the Schnabels were willing to lend their pieces, it would indeed solve the gallery’s dilemma.

“If the Schnabels‘ paintings could be shipped in time, we might just pull this off. But I wonder how many of Master Killian’s paintings they actually have.”

Noella shook her head, dismissing the suggestion. “We don’t need to borrow from the Schnabels. There aren’t even thirty of Master Killian’s paintings across the entire Imperial City,”

“So, what’s your plan, Ms. Noella?”

Noella scribbled and sketched, quickly passing her new gallery layout to Travis. “Get to setting up the exhibit. I’ll handle the materials. Pay the workers triple for today, and overtime is extra.”

Travis’s eyes widened as he looked at the new gallery design Noella handed him.

The original exhibition design had cost the gallery a pretty penny, commissioned from a professional team. Yet Noella’s changes elevated the whole aesthetic to a new level!

“Ms. Noella, your design is sheer genius! With your simple tweaks, the initial concept has been transformed magnificently. It’s like you’ve worked a miracle! Absolutely brilliant! Not only is it better, but it also saves materials and complements Master Killian’s pastoral oil paintings even more. Even if we’re short on artworks tomorrow, the exhibit itself will be enough to draw a

crowd!”

Could this be the backup plan Ms. Noella had prepared?

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Travis could hardly contain his excitement!

Noella casually tucked a lock of hair behind her ear and spoke coolly, “Half the staff have vanished, suppliers have suddenly become uncooperative. As the manager, care to explain?”

Travis’s smile faltered.

When Noella had walked into the gallery earlier, she hadn’t seemed to look around, and Travis had even removed the staff attendance records for the past two days, fearing she’d notice the issue.

Still, Ms. Noella had uncovered the problem!

Under Noella’s probing gaze, Travis wiped his brow and said defensively, “Ms. Noella, the Gruber family’s new gallery poached our staff!”

If it weren’t for the staff defection, with artists in limbo and suppliers pulling out, the exhibition wouldn’t be facing such dire straits.

“They left us?”

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“Yes, one of our senior managers took her entire team with her.”

Such mass defections weren’t unheard of, but it was a blow, considering the defectors were in charge of the exhibit in question!

Travis seethed at the thought. “Petra crossed a line. She knew how much we invested in this exhibition and how many media professionals we invited. The upfront costs were substantial. If we can’t deliver due to this last–minute fiasco, the Gruber’s new gallery will overshadow us! To leave is one thing, but her timing suggests malice! She even claimed we wronged her, though her salary was nearly higher than mine.”

As Travis vented his indignation, Noella glanced at her phone nonchalantly.

Messages from the Schnabel family and Palmer filled her screen, which Noella replied to with a series of emojis.

If she didn’t respond, the Schnabels might come looking for her after work. The thought alone was amusing to Noella, but unnecessary. Emojis would suffice.

Amid the office commotion, a woman in heels strode in with an air of superiority, looking down

at Noella.

“Ms. Noella, you haven’t signed my resignation letter, and I’ve yet to receive my compensation from the company.”

Travis nearly exploded with anger upon seeing her. “Petra, how dare you show your face here? Why would the gallery owe you anything?”

Petra smirked with disdain at Travis. “I fronted the cost for materials for each exhibit, and the gallery has docked my pay. Plus, they owe me bonuses for all my overtime. Now that Ms. Noella is here, let’s settle this.”

She placed an itemized bill on Noella’s desk.

Travis’s face turned crimson with rage.

How shameless of Petra!

Noella chuckled lightly at the list. “Do you even understand the law?”

“Ms. Noella, what do you mean by that? I’m entitled to compensation according to labor laws.”

“Resigning of your own accord and you need my signature? Besides, considering your history of kickbacks, we definitely need to settle accounts.”

Petra’s smug expression vanished as she faced the 19–year–old girl.

What could she know? Just a spoiled girl, clueless and coddled by her family. Petra had even hinted at a raise, yet Noella had ignored it!

Now, with the Gruber family’s gallery offering her a lucrative deal to manage, Petra thought she could stir up trouble and possibly gain from it.

Chapter 129

“Ms. Noella, what do you mean by that? The gallery never reimbursed me for the materials.”

Noella nodded, booted up her computer and accessed the backend system. Her slender fingers danced across the keyboard, quickly pulling up a long list of data.

“Here are all the exhibits you’ve worked on in your ten years at the gallery, with every material cost accounted for. Last month’s Medieval special exhibit had costs of eighteen thousand, and you claimed thirty thousand. That extra twelve thousand, was that supposed to be a gift to the gallery? Over ten years, you’ve siphoned off 3.5 million in this way. And you’re still concerned about quarterly bonuses?”

Noella leaned back in her chair, her expression cool and detached as she regarded Petra standing before her.

“What are you even talking about? How can you prove these figures are legit? Do you have any idea what these materials are going for in the market?”

With a flick of her wrist, Noella tossed a price list onto the table between them.

“So, enlighten me. What’s the going rate for these materials in the market? Aluminum frames for fifty grand a pop? Never heard of it.”

Petra’s eyes scanned the price list laid out before her, which detailed almost all of the major materials needed for the exhibition, along with their market prices!

Using the access Beckett had granted her, Noella swiftly navigated the company’s internal network. With a glance, she found all the information she needed, printed it out, and placed it in

front of Petra.

Travis, witnessing the scene, was completely flabbergasted as he compared Petra’s submitted quote to the market price list.

“How could you have the nerve to mark it up this much? Skimming off the top every exhibition, pocketing tens of thousands!”

Was she here to work, or to play the stock market? This was outright theft!

Petra panicked; she hadn’t expected Noella to uncover so much information so quickly, especially about the inflated material costs!

All she could do now was insist that everything Noella was saying was fabricated and had nothing to do with her.

Noella saw right through Petra’s denial. “Whether what I say is true or not isn’t the point. I don’t need you or your underlings. If your hearts aren’t in our gallery, then your presence isn’t required here either. Maybe a stint in the slammer will teach you how to properly switch jobs.”

The slammer?

Petra’s eyes bulged, her previous arrogance gone, nearly collapsing right there on the spot!

“No, Ms. Noella, I can’t go to jail. The Gruber family, it was the Gruber family who told me to do

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this. They knew about the gallery opening tomorrow and deliberately had the suppliers cut us

off.”

Noella gave her a glance, her voice light, “So, embezzling from the gallery was also the Gruber family’s idea?”

Petra was speechless! “No, please, no police, Ms. Noella, I’ll bring those workers back, we’ll work our fingers to the bone for the company, never slacking off again!”

Noella didn’t spare her another look. “I don’t need beasts of burden; I need partners.”

Petra still wore an expression of disbelief even as the police arrived to escort her away, adorned in shiny new bracelets. She couldn’t comprehend how her plan to cause a scene had led to her own arrest.

Travis looked at Noella with utter respect.

Ms. Noella was incredible, spotting the issue with Petra right away!

“Ms. Noella, how did you know Petra had inflated her quote by so much?”