Chapter 5

Emily’s POV

I jerked my hand away. Suddenly, I remembered what I had seen in the secretarial office the previous Friday.

Vivian sitting in my chair, going through my things. My computer—the password-protected computer—had been out of my sight during that time.

“It was you.” I stared at her, trembling. “You were at my desk last Friday. Did you tamper with my computer?”

Vivian stepped back twice as though frightened. Her eyes instantly reddened. “Ms. Carter, how… how can you accuse me? I was just looking for tea. I don’t understand your company’s systems. How could I possibly steal confidential files?”

“Enough!”

Nathan slammed his hand on the desk and rose. He advanced on me, his tall frame radiating suffocating anger.

He seized my wrist with enough force to nearly crush the bones.

“You refuse to admit what you did, and now you’re accusing someone else?” His eyes were bloodshot with fury. “Emily, you’ve disappointed me more than I can say.”

I looked at the man I had loved for five years. He had chosen Vivian’s side without a moment’s hesitation. The last fragile hope in my heart collapsed into dust.

The pain in my wrist drained the color from my face. But I didn’t struggle. I only stared at him with burning eyes.

“You think I’m falsely accusing her?” My voice was hoarse with disbelief. “Nathan, the security cameras clearly recorded her entering my office and spending almost twenty minutes at my desk! No one else touched my computer during that time!”

“So what?” Nathan flung my hand away, his gaze sharp as a knife. “Vivian studied art history overseas. She can’t even read basic code. How would she know what source code is? How would she know where to download it or how to get it past multiple firewalls and send it overseas?”

I stumbled backward, striking the edge of his desk. Cold sweat instantly soaked my back.

Of course Vivian didn’t understand it. But all she needed was someone to guide her remotely—or a USB drive loaded with an automated program. None of this required advanced skills.

“Anyone could do it if they wanted to steal it…” I murmured.

“Shut up!” Nathan cut me off, disgust filling his eyes. “You’re still making excuses. Your account. Your IP address. Your authentication token. VisionTech’s product goes on sale next week. Reed Group has lost billions in investment. Tell me who else could have planned this so carefully.”

Beside him, tears were already streaming down Vivian’s cheeks. She tugged on his sleeve, her voice shaking. “Nathan, please don’t be angry. Maybe this really is my fault. I shouldn’t have gone into her office looking for tea. If she needed money, I’ll find some way to cover the loss. Just don’t call the police. She’s still young. It would ruin her life…”

Again, she sounded as though she were pleading for me, while cementing my guilt.

Seeing Vivian so distressed only seemed to fuel Nathan’s anger. He drew her behind him. When he looked at me again, there was nothing in his eyes but ice.

“How long do you expect Vivian to take responsibility for you?” he asked coldly. “I wanted to let you keep some dignity. But you’ve left me no choice.”

He turned toward the legal director, who was trembling by the door. “Call the police. Let them handle it.”

“Mr. Reed!” Even the legal director looked stunned. “Once we involve the police, we won’t be able to keep this quiet. The stock price—”

“Call them!” Nathan practically roared. “There’s no place for a traitor at Reed Group!”

The director flinched and immediately took out his phone to dial 911.

The office fell deathly silent. I leaned against the desk and stared at Nathan’s rigid jaw. Suddenly, the face I had looked at for five years seemed terrifyingly unfamiliar.

I had stood beside him through Reed Group’s darkest days. We had spent countless nights on the brink of bankruptcy. I had believed that even if he didn’t love me, at least we shared an extraordinary trust.

But now he wouldn’t even investigate further. One tear from Vivian was enough for him to condemn me.

“Nathan.” I gave a bleak smile as the last light went out of my eyes. “In all these five years, did you ever truly trust me? Even for a second?”

Nathan frowned and looked away from my shattered gaze. “Trust is for people who are loyal,” he said coldly. “Your actions don’t deserve it.”

The police arrived quickly.

Sirens wailed below. Not long afterward, several uniformed officers entered the CEO’s office.

“Who is Emily Carter?” the officer in charge asked.

“I am.” I straightened and answered calmly.

“We’ve received a report that you’re involved in the theft of trade secrets. You’ll need to come with us for questioning.” He took out a pair of handcuffs.

The silver metal gleamed harshly beneath the ceiling lights. When the cold cuffs closed around my wrists, I distinctly heard gasps from the hallway.

Countless eyes watched through the gaps in the blinds. Colleagues who had once treated me with respect now stared at me with shock and contempt.

“Let’s go.”

An officer on either side escorted me toward the door.

I stopped beside Nathan. He turned away to face the floor-to-ceiling window, giving me only his cold back. He wouldn’t spare me so much as another glance.

Behind him, Vivian lifted her head.

As she took in my humiliation, an openly triumphant, mocking smile spread across her lips. She silently mouthed two words.

“You lost.”

I held her gaze for one second, then looked away. I didn’t scream or struggle. I simply straightened my back and walked out in my heels, one step at a time, leaving the place where I had spent five years of my youth.