CHapter 129
Did Ms. Noe 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.”
Noe 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 n, Ms. Noe?”
Noe scribbled and sketched, quickly passing her new galleryyout 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 Noe handed him.
The original exhibition design had cost the gallery a pretty penny,missioned from a
professional team. Yet Noe’s changes elevated the whole aesthetic to a new level!
“Ms. Noe, 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 andplements 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 n Ms. Noe had prepared?
1
Travis could hardly contain his excitement!
Noe casually tucked a lock of hair behind her ear and spoke coolly, “Half the staff have vanished,
suppliers have suddenly be uncooperative. As the manager, care to exin?”
Travis’s smile faltered.
When Noe 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. Noe had uncovered the problem!
Under Noe’s probing gaze, Travis wiped his brow and said defensively, “Ms. Noe, 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?”
10:05
“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 thisst–minute fiasco, the Gruber’s new gallery will overshadow us! To leave is
one thing, but her timing suggests malice! She even imed we wronged her, though her sry
was nearly higher than mine.”
As Travis vented his indignation, Noe nced at her phone nonchntly.
Messages from the Schnabel family and Palmer filled her screen, which Noe replied to with a
series of emojis.
If she didn’t respond, the Schnabels mighte looking for her after work. The thought alone was
amusing to Noe, but unnecessary. Emojis would suffice.
Amid the officemotion, a woman in heels strode in with an air of superiority, looking down
at Noe.
“Ms. Noe, you haven’t signed my resignation letter, and I’ve yet to receive mypensation from
thepany.”
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. Noe is here,
let’s settle this.” This material belongs to N?velDrama.Org.
She ced an itemized bill on Noe’s desk.
Travis’s face turned crimson with rage.
How shameless of Petra!
Noe chuckled lightly at the list. “Do you even understand thew?”
“Ms. Noe, what do you mean by that? I’m entitled topensation ording toborws.”
“Resigning of your own ord and you need my signature? Besides, considering your history of
kickbacks, we definitely need to settle ounts.”
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 Noe 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.
“Ms. Noe, what do you mean by that? The gallery never reimbursed me for the materials.”
Noe nodded, booted up herputer and essed 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
ounted for. Last month’s Medieval special exhibit had costs of eighteen thousand, and you
imed 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?”
Noe 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, Noe 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 listid out before her, which detailed almost all of the major
materials needed for the exhibition, along with their market prices!
Using the ess Beckett had granted her, Noe swiftly navigated thepany’s internalwork.
With a nce, she found all the information she needed, printed it out, and ced it in
front of Petra.
Travis, witnessing the scene, waspletely bbergasted as hepared 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 y the stock market? This was outright theft!
Petra panicked; she hadn’t expected Noe to uncover so much information so quickly, especially
about the inted material costs!
All she could do now was insist that everything Noe was saying was fabricated and had nothing
to do with her.
Noe 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 mmer will teach you how to properly switch jobs.”
The mmer?
Petra’s eyes bulged, her previous arrogance gone, nearly copsing right there on the spot!
“No, Ms. Noe, I can’t go to jail. The Gruber family, it was the Gruber family who told me to do
10.05
this. They knew about the gallery opening tomorrow and deliberately had the suppliers cut us
off.”
Noe gave her a nce, her voice light, “So, embezzling from the gallery was also the Gruber
family’s idea?”
Petra was speechless! “No, please, no police, Ms. Noe, I’ll bring those workers back, we’ll work
our fingers to the bone for thepany, never cking off again!”
Noe 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’tprehend how her n to cause a scene had led to her own
arrest.
Travis looked at Noe with utter respect.
Ms. Noe was incredible, spotting the issue with Petra right away!
“Ms. Noe, how did you know Petra had inted her quote by so much?”