Born Into Villain's Family: I Have a 200\% Rebate System-Chapter 138: Rumors

More and more voices piled on, their words hitting Adam like stones.

"Thief!"

"Liar!"

"Get out of here!"

Adam Waters’s hands trembled at his sides, his nails digging into his palms. His face was pale, but his eyes burned with frustration.

The humiliation and unfairness of it all made his blood boil.

"I never stole anything important!" Adam shouted, his voice shaking but firm.

"You’re all acting like I’ve been robbing the company blind! It was just coffee—stupid coffee bags!

And I replaced them later! I’ve worked harder than anyone here, and you’re all so quick to turn your backs on me."

But his words were like throwing pebbles at a raging river. No one wanted to listen.

Adam Price took another step forward, his arms crossed and a smirk plastered on his face.

"Trying to make excuses now? Even if it’s just coffee, it shows you have no integrity. A man who steals once will steal again. Do you think the company can trust someone like you?"

Adam’s fists clenched even tighter, his nails nearly breaking his own skin.

"You’re twisting everything! You’re just trying to tear me down because you want the position!"

Adam Price laughed, his voice dripping with arrogance.

"Maybe I want the position. So what? At least I don’t have to steal from the company to prove my worth."

The crowd murmured in agreement. Some even spat on the ground in front of Adam, their eyes filled with disgust.

"Adam Price is right! Thieves shouldn’t be allowed to stay here!"

"If you don’t kick him out, Mr. Hughes, we’ll all leave!"

One by one, people shouted their demands, their voices rising until they became a deafening roar. Adam felt like the ground was crumbling beneath him.

His head pounded, his ears ringing from all the shouting.

Adam Price looked around, clearly pleased with the chaos he had stirred up. His eyes glinted with cruelty.

"Face it, Adam Waters. You’re done here. No one wants you around. A thief like you has no place in this company."

"Fine! I will leave!" Adam couldn’t bear to hear more. He knew that he would be fired from all accusations until now.

Let alone becoming a CEO, he won’t be able to keep his current job at all.

Just as he turned to leave, Charles finally spoke,

"Did I ask you to leave?"

Adam shook his head, his heart pounding. "N-No, sir..."

Charles nodded, his gaze sweeping over the crowd like a hawk. "Interesting. So you all think Adam Waters is a thief, do you?"

No one dared to answer.

People shuffled their feet and looked away, their earlier boldness shrinking under Charles’s cold stare.

Adam Price, however, kept his chin high.

"It’s not just about being a thief, Mr. Charles. It’s about integrity. Adam Waters broke the company’s trust—"

"Did he?" Charles cut him off sharply. "Or are you twisting facts to suit your own agenda?"

Adam Price’s face twitched, but he forced a smile.

"I’m only trying to protect the company’s reputation. A thief is a thief, no matter how small the crime."

"Is that so?" Charles’s eyes narrowed.

"Then let me ask you something, Adam Price. Have you never taken extra office supplies home without asking?

Never helped yourself to snacks meant for meetings? Never left early when you were supposed to stay late?"

Adam Price’s face paled. "That’s different! Those are minor things—"

"And what Adam Waters did was minor, too. Taking a few coffee bags and replacing them later is hardly a crime worth ruining someone’s reputation over," Charles snapped.

Some of the workers looked down, embarrassed. Others exchanged nervous glances, suddenly realizing how cruel they’d been.

"But he admitted to it!" Adam Price argued, his voice cracking. "He admitted to stealing!"

"He admitted to a mistake. A mistake he tried to correct." Charles’s voice grew colder.

"You, on the other hand, seem to be using that mistake to turn everyone against him. And for what? A promotion?"

Adam Price’s mouth opened and closed like a fish, his confidence crumbling.

Charles continued, his gaze piercing through Adam Price.

"You’ve been spreading rumors, haven’t you? Whispering into people’s ears, twisting the truth to suit your narrative."

Adam Price stammered, "I-I was only telling the truth—"

"The truth?" Charles’s eyes flashed.

"Or your version of the truth? Trying to destroy a man’s career over something so petty and calling it justice?"

The room was dead silent. Even the air felt heavy.

Finally, one of the courageous workers shouted,

"But...but...Adam Waters told you about our weakness! Adam Price told us how you had told him that Adam Waters had told you about our weakness to you for promotion! Such a type of person lacks integrity! He can never become our boss!"

"Really? Is that what Adam Price told you all?" Charles asked with a smirk. His eyes fell on Adam Price, who was sweating profusely.

Adam Price looked like he was about to faint. His face had gone pale, and he couldn’t seem to find the right words to say.

"Uh... I-I was just repeating what I heard, Mr. Charles," Adam Price stammered. "I thought it was true. I mean... it made sense, didn’t it?"

Charles folded his arms, his eyes narrowing even more.

"You thought it made sense because it fit your plan, Adam Price. You were the one who had mercilessly told about everyone’s weakness, while Adam Waters remained silent when I asked him the question."

Charles’s words stunned the workers, and they started to gossip,

Adam Price’s face turned red. He looked like he wanted to shout, but no words came out. The workers were all staring at him now, their eyes full of anger and betrayal.

"You... you lied to us?" one of them shouted. "You used us just to make yourself look better?"

"No! I-I was just trying to help—" Adam Price stuttered, his voice shaking.

"Help yourself, you mean!" another worker snapped.

"You made us hate Adam Waters for nothing! Just so you could steal his position!" ƒгeeweɓn૦vel.com

"I trusted you!" someone else yelled. "You promised me a promotion if I backed you up!"