Mated to My Intended's Enemy-Chapter 199 Office Conspiracy

Author’s POV

As Freya entered the office, her presence caused an immediate stir. The team members stared in awe at her natural beauty and graceful demeanor. 𝘧𝓇ℯ𝑒𝓌𝑒𝑏𝓃𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭.𝒸ℴ𝓂

One excited employee stood up, eagerly asking, "Mr. Nakamura, is this gorgeous woman really our new colleague?"

"News travels fast around here," Johnny chuckled, beginning the introduction. "This is Freya, she’ll be joining our company as—"

Before he could finish, Danny abruptly cut him off: "Mr. Nakamura, is she the reason you dropped Aurora?"

Johnny paused, then nodded firmly. "Yes."

"Regarding this matter, I’ll give you an explanation later—" Johnny started, but Danny interrupted again, his eyes fixed on Freya with barely concealed hostility.

"Aurora just earned her doctorate from one of the world’s top ten universities, and she’s only 25," Danny challenged. "Since Miss Freya here was chosen over Aurora for SF AI Solutions, I assume her credentials must be even more impressive?"

Aurora had told Danny that Johnny rejected her for "personal reasons" but hadn’t elaborated. After witnessing Johnny and Freya embracing downstairs, Danny had jumped to his own conclusions about their relationship. He couldn’t imagine how Freya’s qualifications could possibly surpass Aurora’s exceptional credentials.

Before Freya could respond, Danny continued with a cutting tone, "Though Miss Freya looks quite young. One might even assume she hasn’t even completed her doctorate yet."

Johnny had planned to discuss the situation with Danny privately, as the complicated history between Freya and Aurora wasn’t appropriate for a public setting. He hadn’t anticipated Danny’s confrontational approach.

Johnny frowned. "Danny—"

"Mr. Nakamura," Danny interrupted sharply, "I’m speaking to Miss Freya." He turned his full attention to Freya, his posture challenging. "Is a simple question about your education so difficult to answer? Why does Mr. Nakamura need to speak for you? Perhaps you haven’t even started your doctorate? Or maybe your university doesn’t even rank globally, making it too embarrassing to mention?"

Freya remained calm, her bond with Selene helping her maintain composure. "You’re right that I haven’t completed a doctorate, but—"

Danny smirked triumphantly before she could finish. He knew he was right.

"But what?" he sneered. "Were you going to claim your professional knowledge isn’t inferior to ours despite your lack of credentials? What gives you that delusion? Just because you have a pretty face that men fall over themselves for, you think you actually have real substance?"

Johnny’s patience snapped. "Danny!" His voice carried the unmistakable edge of an Alpha defending a pack member, though none in the room except Freya would recognize it.

Danny pulled his ID badge from around his neck. "I quit."

"You—" Johnny stared in disbelief at his impulsive reaction.

Danny gave Johnny a hard look. "Mr. Nakamura, I always believed you valued talent and kept personal matters separate from business. Clearly, I was wrong about you."

With that, Danny turned and headed for the door.

Johnny, his own temper flaring, called after him: "Take some time to cool down. When you’re ready to return, I’ll welcome—"

"Don’t bother. I’ll never set foot in SF AI Solutions again!" Danny declared without looking back as he stormed out.

Danny was indeed skilled, and Johnny regretted losing such talent. However, he’d noticed Danny’s special feelings for Aurora during their first meeting. While Johnny normally wouldn’t concern himself with an employee’s personal life, Danny’s emotional reaction—jumping to negative conclusions about Freya without any evidence—was simply unacceptable.

Moreover, the CUAP core technology involved government collaboration and was under strict confidentiality agreements. Freya’s true identity couldn’t be revealed within the company. Given Danny’s emotional volatility regarding Aurora and his unrealistic elevation of her abilities, Johnny doubted Danny would ever truly respect Freya’s superior skills. He’d likely always believe Aurora could have done better.

It was inevitable that Freya would eventually outshine Danny professionally. If Danny interpreted this as favoritism, he could easily become vulnerable to manipulation—potentially destroying not only his own career but also causing serious damage to the company.

Seeing that Johnny had considered all these factors, Freya felt reassured.

Johnny cleared his throat and addressed the remaining team members. "While Freya doesn’t have a doctorate, I can personally guarantee her professional capabilities are more than sufficient for this position."

The other employees exchanged uncertain glances. They knew Danny had recently recommended a friend to Johnny, though they weren’t familiar with the details.

A similar situation had occurred the previous year when a high-level executive had brought in his mistress. The young woman had been sweet-faced, confident, and articulate, claiming to be a graduate student from a top domestic university with solid fundamentals. In reality, she knew nothing, not even basic industry terminology. The team had eventually questioned whether she’d attended university at all.

Now, with history seemingly repeating itself—and Johnny rejecting someone with impressive credentials in favor of Freya—they could understand Danny’s frustration. Like him, many suspected Johnny of mixing personal feelings with professional decisions.

Johnny noticed their skepticism but remained unruffled. "What projects was Danny working on recently?" he asked.

Jack, who had been collaborating with Danny, briefly outlined their current workload.

Johnny nodded and turned to Freya. "Would you mind taking over Danny’s remaining tasks?"

"Of course," Freya agreed without hesitation. She turned to address the team with genuine warmth. "I look forward to working with all of you in the days ahead."

The others smiled politely and offered courteous responses, though none dared to truly "guide" her as she had requested. They could only hope she actually possessed some skills and wouldn’t dump all the work on them.

Jack seemed particularly concerned, his expression tense, but he managed to maintain professionalism. "All the materials are here," he told Freya. "Please feel free to ask me if you have any questions."

"Thank you, I appreciate that," Freya replied with sincere gratitude.

Jack said nothing more, thinking to himself that at least her attitude seemed good.