Chapter 19: No More Secrets

Victor's eyes stayed fixed on the folder.

He swallowed.

For the first time since entering the conference room, he looked nervous.

"You look worried," Adrian said calmly.

"I'm not," Victor replied.

"Good."

"Because innocent people usually aren't."

Victor forced a smile.

"Exactly."

"Then you won't mind if we go through the evidence together."

"Evidence?"

"The badge logs."

Victor's fingers tightened around the armrest.

"The password reset."

His smile faded.

"The deleted audit trail."

A bead of sweat rolled down his temple.

"And the metadata linking your workstation to the anonymous emails sent to Ryan Brooks."

Victor looked from Adrian to the unopened folder.

"You've made a mistake."

"Have I?"

"Someone is framing me."

"Interesting," Adrian said.

"That's exactly what Emma Hayes said yesterday."

Silence.

"Only one difference."

"What's that?" Victor asked.

"She never panicked."

Victor's breathing became heavier.

Behind the observation glass, Nora whispered,

"He's cracking."

I couldn't look away.

Adrian leaned forward.

"Tell me who paid you."

"Nobody paid me."

"Wrong answer."

"I want my lawyer."

"You'll get one."

"Then this conversation is over."

Victor stood up.

As he reached the door, it opened from the outside.

Two corporate security officers stepped inside.

"Mr. Hale," one of them said.

"Please remain seated."

"You can't do this."

"Actually," Adrian replied, "we can."

"Not because you're guilty..."

"But because you're under internal investigation."

Victor slowly sat back down.

His confidence was disappearing by the second.

"There's something else," Nora whispered beside me.

"What?"

"Look at his watch."

"His watch?"

"He's checking the time every few seconds."

"Why does that matter?"

"Because he's waiting for someone."

Before I could ask another question, Mr. Collins hurried into the observation room.

"Sir."

"What is it?" Adrian asked through the intercom.

"We searched Victor's office."

"And?"

"We found a second laptop hidden behind a ceiling panel."

Victor's face turned completely pale.

"Bring it here," Adrian ordered.

Ten minutes later, the laptop sat on the conference table.

"Password protected," Mr. Collins said.

"Can IT unlock it?"

"Already did."

The screen came to life.

A folder named 'Consulting' appeared.

Inside were dozens of confidential Carter Global files.

Including the Morrison proposal.

"That's not mine!" Victor shouted.

"Really?" Adrian asked.

"Then why is your fingerprint registered as the primary login?"

Victor froze.

"And why," Adrian continued, "were payments from a competing company deposited into your offshore account over the last six months?"

The room fell silent.

Victor looked around desperately.

There was nowhere left to run.

"It wasn't supposed to go this far," he whispered.

I felt my heart stop.

Nora slowly exhaled.

"He's confessing," she whispered.

"I only wanted the money," Victor said quietly.

"They said no one would get hurt."

"Who are 'they'?" Adrian asked.

Victor lowered his head.

"Blackstone Technologies."

One of Carter Global's biggest competitors.

"They offered me more money than I'd make here in ten years."

"So you stole company secrets."

"Yes."

"And framed Emma Hayes."

Victor closed his eyes.

"She was close to you."

"Everyone knew that."

"If she took the blame... no one would look at me."

I couldn't believe what I was hearing.

My entire life had almost fallen apart because someone wanted a paycheck.

"Take him," Adrian said quietly.

Corporate security escorted Victor out without another word.

As the door closed, the room remained silent.

Finally, the chairman walked in.

He looked directly at me.

"Miss Hayes."

"Sir."

"On behalf of Carter Global..."

He extended his hand.

"...I owe you an apology."

I shook it.

"Your suspension is lifted immediately."

"Thank you."

"Your personnel record will be completely cleared."

"Thank you."

"And the board will issue a formal statement confirming your innocence."

For the first time in two days...

I could finally breathe.

Employees gathered outside as the announcement was made.

Within minutes, messages began flooding my phone.

"Welcome back!"

"We knew you didn't do it."

"Congratulations!"

Lily ran across the hallway and hugged me so tightly I nearly lost my balance.

"I told you we'd prove it!"

"You did," I laughed through happy tears.

"You really did."

Nora joined us a second later.

"I hate being right," she joked.

"No, you don't," Adrian replied.

"You're right far too often."

Everyone laughed.

For the first time in days, the weight inside my chest disappeared.

Later that evening, after the office had emptied, Adrian asked me to follow him to the executive terrace.

The city skyline glowed beneath the setting sun.

"Beautiful," I whispered.

"It is."

"You wanted to talk?"

"Yes."

For a long moment, neither of us spoke.

Then Adrian reached into the inside pocket of his jacket.

My heart immediately began racing.

He pulled out the same small navy velvet box.

The ring.

"I almost returned this," he admitted.

"I'm glad you didn't."

"So am I."

He held the box in both hands but didn't open it.

"Emma..."

"Yes?"

"The investigation proved something important."

"What?"

"I never doubted your heart."

Tears filled my eyes.

"I doubted circumstances."

"Not you."

"I know that now."

"And I know something too," he said.

"What's that?"

"Trust isn't rebuilt in one grand moment."

"It's rebuilt one honest conversation at a time."

I smiled.

"No more secrets."

"No more secrets," he repeated.

He finally opened the velvet box.

The diamond caught the golden light of the sunset.

"I'm not proposing today," Adrian said softly.

"Not yet."

"Why?" I asked, surprised.

"Because when I ask you..."

He gently took my hand.

"...I want it to be the happiest day of our lives, not the day after the hardest week we've ever survived."

A tear rolled down my cheek.

"So keep this safe for me."

He placed the ring box in my hand.

"Until tomorrow."

"Tomorrow?"

A playful smile appeared on his face.

"Trust me, Emma."

"One last surprise."