With that, Tina turned on her heel and stormed off, fury radiating off her back.
Celia frowned, then turned to Yulia, lowering her voice defensively. “I’m not like that, Yulia. You know it, right? Don’t listen to her. I kept my private project safe in case I needed it later. I didn’t even know we’d finalize working on the one that you have.”
Yulia scoffed coldly. “Don’t fool me.” She leaned closer to the camera, eyes sharp. “Who keeps their own project hidden but spreads someone else’s like it’s a public resource?” Her lips curled. “Aren’t you kind-hearted? Why shouldn’t I post an open invitation for everyone to join your private project instead? I’ll let everyone see how generous you actually are.”
Panic flashed across Celia’s face.
Her fingers flew across the screen. She immediately removed Yulia’s access to her private project.
“I—I don’t have it anymore,” she said quickly, forcing a nervous smile. “I already trashed it.”
Yulia let out a short, bitter laugh. “How convenient.”
She turned away from the screen and stormed off.
Just then, new faces popped onto the video call.
“Celia, I heard you have a big project. Please add me too.”
“Yeah, me too!”
Several people gathered around the laptop, voices overlapping, crowding closer.
A tense expression crept onto Celia’s face. She turned slightly away from the camera, her thoughts spiraling.
‘There are already too many people on that project. If I keep adding more, I won’t get any benefit out of it in the end.’
Her fingers rose to her lips as she bit down on them, worry clouding her face.
‘It’s not that I don’t want to help,’ she told herself desperately. ‘I just need to secure some benefits for myself too. Only then—when other projects come along—will I have more leverage. More chances to help more people.’
Behind her, the voices grew impatient.
“Celia, what are you doing?” someone snapped. “Give me access already.”
“What’s taking so long?” another voice barked. “It’s a huge project—you can add more people.”
The noise grew louder, sharper, pressing in from all sides.
Celia turned back to the screen, forcing a smile that barely held. “Everyone—please, let me talk.”
The voices quieted slightly, all eyes on her.
“I… I don’t have space for more people,” she said stiffly. “The project already has too many members.”
The reaction was instant.
“How is that possible?” someone shouted. “Didn’t you just add Riley, Greg, and Layla five minutes ago?”
“She’s lying,” another voice snapped. “That project is massive. If she added the others already, what’s the problem with adding us too?”
“Don’t be greedy, Celia!”
“Yeah, give me access—right now!”
Suddenly, one man stepped forward. “Wait. This is her office laptop, right?”
Before Celia could react, he leaned in and started scrolling through the files on the laptop.
