Another betrayal.

ASHTON

I watched Kailee walk through those gates without sparing another glance at me.

I should’ve driven away, but I kept staring because I needed to make sure an employee returned home safely.

It was nothing more than a matter of responsibility. I had no reason to concern myself with anything beyond that.

Dexter welcomed her and assisted in carrying her bag. Then his hand moved to her waist, pulling her gently into the main building.

My jaw tightened. I couldn’t understand how they’d gotten that close. Or why she was spending the night at his house.

Lavinia’s call shifted my attention to the road, and I drove off.

The next morning, I saw Dexter heading towards the designers’ department, and I strolled out of my office to meet him.

The moment he saw me, he offered our usual handshake, but I was impatient with the question on my tongue.

“What’s going on between you and Kailee?”

He raised his head to look at me, feigning confusion. I could tell he was feigning it because we’d been friends since childhood.

“Kailee? I thought it was Ms. Donovan.”

“We’re talking about the same person.”

Dexter shrugged. “Why’re you asking?”

“She spent the night at your place,” I said, careful not to give the wrong impression. “And you know this company’s rules about dating a coworker.”

“Well, what do you think?”

My brows furrowed. “So, you’re dating her.”

“Maybe. Maybe not.”

I grew irritated. He was beating around the bush and I didn’t have the patience for that.

“I’m your employer. Ensuring my employees keep a good record and focus on their work is my top priority.”

Dexter stepped forward, his expression hardening slightly.

“You clearly weren’t thinking as an employer when you left Kailee to work that late yesterday for no cause.”

I scoffed. “No cause? I stated my reasons.”

“Maybe you’re deliberately trying to test her patience. But whatever reasons you have, don’t forget that you have no right to dictate Kailee’s private life anymore.”

My eyes narrowed at him. I wasn’t accustomed to having Dexter question my decisions.

Especially when it came to something that had nothing to do with him.

“I’d appreciate it if you don’t bring up the past in front of me again.”

Dexter gave a small smile. “She only has six months here. Keep the past buried and stop letting it ruin the present.”

To my left, the designers’ door opened and the sound of heels faded after a few seconds.

“Dex?”

I didn’t turn to face her, but I heard Kailee’s voice. My forehead creased as I watched Dexter pat my shoulder before walking to meet her.

“Kay.”

I stared at Dexter for a moment. He said it so casually, as though he’d earned the privilege of calling her that.

I looked away, finding the thought unnecessarily irritating.

“Were you on your way here?”

“Yes.”

“Okay,” Kailee continued. “We should probably go somewhere else. I have ten minutes before—‘’

I turned to face them immediately, my voice stern and commanding as I faced her squarely.

“The second design wasn’t approved. Come get it and work on it immediately.”

I walked into my office after that, ignoring the look she threw at me.

I knew exactly what that look meant, but I refused to give her the satisfaction of a response.

Minutes later, she walked in, and I tossed the sketchbook at her. Without saying anything, she picked it up and left.

The door opened seconds later, and I assumed she’d returned.

“What do you want now, Ms. Donovan?”

I asked without raising my head. The voice I heard wasn’t hers. It was a man’s voice. One of the security officers.

“Mr. Lancaster, there’s something you need to know.”

I grabbed one of the files on my desk and replied without looking at him.

“What is it?”

“We found some of the unreviewed designs on an illegal website. It was accessed, downloaded and sent from one of the designer’s assigned accounts.”

I pushed my chair back gently and looked at him. “The designs were leaked?”

“Yes, Sir.”

After three months of working on those specific designs, it had taken one worker to mess things up.

“Whose account was it?” I asked. “The worker who downloaded these files and sent them to an illegal site?”

“It was Ms. Kailee Donovan, Sir.”

The file in my hand dropped to the table. I sat upright, leaned forward, and whispered in disbelief.

“Kailee?”

Mark nodded.

“When did this happen?”

“According to the data we found, the files were first viewed around seven nineteen p.m., then they were downloaded around nine twenty-eight p.m.”

I wasn’t sure what to say. I didn’t even know what I was thinking anymore.

Of all the employees in the company, why her?

“Get the security footage from last night. I need everything from seven p.m.”

Mark left and returned ten minutes later. I carefully checked every footage and realized that Kailee and I had left the building at 9:08.

Which meant, her account was accessed twenty minutes after we left.

But I saw something else.

Exactly nine twenty-two, three men walked into the designers office disguised as janitors.

After zooming in on them, something caught my attention. The raven tattoo on their necks made my eyes darken.

It could only mean one thing.

B-lord had sent his men to do his dirty work once again.

My fists clenched and I pushed the laptop away. Turning to Mark, I uttered fiercely.

“Get Kailee Donovan here in the next two minutes.”

I stood up, paced around the office, and tried to remain composed. Flashbacks from five years ago replayed in my head, making it impossible to think straight.

“I’m here, Mr. Lancaster.”

I heard the voice and turned to see Kailee standing, wearing a clueless expression as though she had no idea what she’d done.

“Confidential designs have been leaked, Ms. Donovan. And all access has been traced to your assigned account.”

Her mouth parted slightly and she tilted her head backward in surprise.

“What?”

“You heard me.”

She stepped forward. “I have no idea how that happened.”

I scoffed, briefly darting my eyes away from her. My hand slid into my pocket as I struggled with my composure.

“Are you denying involvement?”

“I swear, I didn’t do this.”

I studied her face, searching for the slightest indication that she was lying.

Five years ago, I’d searched her face for the same thing. I still remembered what that moment had caused me, and I wasn’t about to make the same mistake again.

“Maybe you didn’t do this. Maybe you gave someone access to your account.”

“What?” Her eyes glistened with surprise as she gave a bitter laugh. “I see what you’re doing. You‘ve already concluded that I’m guilty.”

“The designs were first viewed at 7:19. Were you responsible for that?”

She bit her lower lip and slowly nodded.

“Yes. But I only skimmed through because I was curious.”

“Curious,” I huffed. “Is that so?”

“Mr. Lancaster, I know you’ll find it difficult to believe me, but I have no idea how they got leaked.”

I closed the distance between us, refusing to let the uncertainty in her eyes sway me.

“I’m going to ask you a question,” I murmured. “Look me in the eyes and don’t even think of lying to me.”

She held my gaze fiercely. “Okay.”

I inhaled sharply, hating to feel like I was back in the same position five years ago.

“Kailee,” I called quietly. “Have you been secretly meeting with B-lord?”