No longer a pushover (Noelle and Cedric)

As soon as the expired sanitary pads were brought up, all eyes turned toward the box. Noelle immediately grabbed a pack to check, and sure enough, it was

expired.

Laura was the first to question, "Which organization was so careless to purchase expired or near-expired sanitary pads? Do you realize how serious this could be if the media finds out?"

Silence filled the room. Laura continued, "Who purchased this brand of sanitary pads?"

Noelle held onto the package and spoke up. "Our foundation bought this brand, but there is no way they expired."

She had given clear instructions. The donated supplies didn't have to be the most expensive, but they had to be of the best value.

Samantha immediately sneered, "Then it was you who bought the expired pads. What's the point in denying it? You must have embezzled the funds, ran out of money, and had to buy cheap goods."

Noelle turned to Laura. "We can't be the only ones who purchased this brand. How can you prove these came from us if everything is mixed together?"

She wasn't about to take the blame for no reason. Laura nodded in agreement. "You're right. We need to investigate properly. Don't worry, Noelle. I won't falsely accuse anyone."

Samantha wanted to continue mocking her, but Laura stopped her.

Noelle turned around but noticed that Xenia was gone. She asked Samantha, "Where's Xenia?"

"She got water spilled on her and went to the restroom to fix her dress. What, are you looking for a scapegoat now?" Samantha sneered.

Ignoring Samantha's taunts, Noelle immediately messaged the head of her foundation: "Who was responsible for purchasing the sanitary pads? Where were they bought from?"

She had a bad feeling about this. She had suspected Xenia would manipulate the records and take a cut from the funds. But what if Xenia was actually this stupid and greedy?

Before long, a staff member brought over another box. "Ms. Laura, we checked the supplies and found that this entire box contains expired sanitary pads."

The room gasped in shock.

Noelle walked over and saw the label on the box. It was from her charity foundation. For a moment, she was filled with anger. She had been right all along.

Laura approached with a serious expression. "Noelle, donating relief supplies, is no trivial matter. What if someone used these and suffered health issues if we hadn't checked the expiration dates?"

Noelle took a deep breath. "I'm sorry. I just learned about this as well. I will get to the bottom of it."

Laura sighed. "This isn't something that can just be investigated and resolved."

Others chimed in.

"Exactly. This was supposed to be a

joint charity effort where only

trustworthy organizations

participated. You originally weren't even eligible. Ms. Lauranoveldrama

recommended you, which is the only reason you got in."

"But you clearly didn't appreciate the opportunity. Buying expired goods? How humiliating would that be if word gets out?"

Laura quickly stepped in. "Alright, that's enough. Let's not say too much."

Noelle remained silent. She had no way to refute the evidence in front of her.

Emma finally spoke up. "Noelle, go back and investigate who was in charge of this. Sometimes, subordinates act against orders. It happens more often than you think."

Emma's words eased some of the tension. Noelle nodded. "I will find out the truth."

Samantha scoffed. "I bet someone stole from the charity funds. Where would she even get the money to buy these supplies now that her foundation's assets are frozen?"

Noelle shot her a look. "Samantha, be careful with your words. There are legal consequences for making baseless accusations."

"What's wrong? It doesn't feel nice being on the receiving end, right?" Samantha wasn't about to waste this chance to mock Noelle.

Laura pulled her sister aside before

turning to Noelle. "According to the rules, since the supplies you

provided have issues, you are no

longer eligible to participate in this joint charity event."