chapter 7

CHAPTER SEVEN

ELLIS POV

I stare at the wall clock as a car passes outside, the sound fading as it moves down the street.

A few minutes later, another car goes by,then the street goes silent again.

I pick up my phone,open the browser and type "Hawthorne Group" into the search bar.My hand stills over the screen for a second before I press enter and let the results load.

BREAKING NEWS: Hawthorne Group CEO Accused of Design Theft

The phone almost slips from my hand. I tap the first link.Two columns of sketches fill the screen. Almost identical designs,mine on the left with the Velles logo and Alex's company on the right.

I scroll back up and look at them again.These are not stolen. These are samples from our meetings.We worked on it together.

Someone took it and twisted the narration beautifully.

I checked the time,3:23 AM.No messages and no call from Alex since yesterday.

I drop back onto the bed and stare at the ceiling knowing fully well I'm definitely not getting any sleep soon.

*******************************************************

Nodding at the security, I step through and enter into the company.

I stepped in and noticed how phones were ringing over each other.Someone rushed past me, phone pressed to his ear, nodding briefly in my direction as they moved toward the printer, which poured out page after page.

Aliey, my head of media, intercepts me before I could make it into my office.

"Our hotline has been ringing nonstop." She falls into step beside me. "The press keeps calling, but the team is handling it well."

I push open my office door and she follows me in.

"We need to release a statement," she says, already tapping something on her tablet. "Clear our side of this scandal."

I sink into my chair and run a hand through my hair. "Draft something…Just confirm we're reviewing the situation with no heavy details."

She nods,her fingers flying across the screen."I will have a draft in ten minutes."

Then leaves.

I pull up the news articles on my computer and read through them one after another. Each one is worse than the last.

‘According to unnamed sources…documents show…insiders report…’

Thirty minutes pass like thirty seconds.

A movement in the doorway makes me look up.

Theo stands there with two cups of coffee in his hands.An easy grin tugging at the corner of his mouth.

My manager,my friend. The guy who has been here through my mess I would say.

He crosses the room and sets a cup on my desk."Thought you might need this."

I glance up at him and murmur a “thank you.”

"You look like crap, by the way.”He drops into the chair across from me and looks at me.

I exhale and rub my eyes "could not sleep."

"Yeah, I figured" He leans back."Ellis, talk to me. What's going on?"

I wrap my hands around the cup and let the warmth spread through my fingers.

"There is nothing to talk about."

"Really?" He raises an eyebrow. "Because from where I'm sitting,Hawthorne just got accused of theft, and the office is losing its mind."

I lift the cup and sip, wincing as the hot coffee stings my tongue.

"The designs were not stolen.They were leaked,at least you know that too"

"By who?"

I don't answer. Honestly, I don't even have an answer.

Theo leans forward"Ellis, don't tell me you trust him."

"Theo…"

"No,Seriously?" He stands and starts pacing. "After everything that happened before?You still think he's innocent?What if he purposely planned this too?"

I set the cup down with a jolt, and some coffee spills over the rim.

"He didn't do this.I mean there's even nothing he would gain out of it" I shrugged cleaning the table.

Hmm…how do you know?” He let out a small huff.

I push back from the desk and walk to the window.

"Then help me find out who did," I say.

Theo comes to stand beside me.

"What if it was him?"

I turn to face him.

"Ellis…"

"Someone might be setting us both up." I said quickly "I don't know who or why, but Alex didn't leak those designs."

Theo opens his mouth to say something,then closes it back.

"Okay." He nods slowly. "If you believe that,let's figure this out then"

He heads for the door and stops with his hand on the handle.

"And Ellis, please be careful and take care."

The door closes behind him.

I stand there alone watching people happily move along the storefronts,hands full of their purchases.

My phone vibrates on the desk.I walk over and glance at the screen to see a message.

‘Check the news.’

I grab the remote and turn on the wall TV.

The news anchor sits behind her desk with a professional smile in place.

"...and we go live now to Hawthorne Group CEO Alex Hawthorne, who is about to address the breaking design scandal."

The screen cuts to Alex.He is standing outside his office building surrounded by bodyguards.

Many Reporters are almost crowding him and thousands of Cameras flashing in his face.

"Hawthorne Group upholds the highest ethical standards," he says. His voice is calm and controlled. "We are conducting a full investigation into who had access to these materials."

A reporter shouts something from the crowd and Alex's expression hardens.

"It's interesting," he continues, "how this situation somehow makes my company look guilty while others are painted as victims."

Another reporter cuts in. "Are you saying the other party is involved?"

"Someone leaked confidential material."His jaw tightens. "And we can confirm it did not come from our side."He pauses for a moment.

"We will pursue legal options against those responsible."

The remote goes slack in my hand.He thinks I did it.

He's standing on national television,with hatred in those eyes and he thinks I leaked those designs.

The door opens.

"Did you see…"

Theo stops."Hey" He crosses the room and puts a hand on my shoulder giving it a gentle squeeze.

"You okay?"

I shake my head."I didn't do it…I mean..why would I do that??” My voice cracks.

"I know you didn't."

Theo moves to stand in front of me and blocks my view of the TV.

"Everyone knows you're the only other person with access to those designs."

"The joint team had access too," I manage

"Yeah, but they signed NDAs." He shakes his head. "Ellis, he's pointing fingers without even having proof just like then."

I look past him,at the now blank TV screen.

Alex's face is burned into my mind. That cold anger.

Theo leans closer, his voice gentle.

"How much longer are you going to let him get away with this?"

I stare at him blankly.

"I know this is hard,"he continued. "I know you care about him. But Ellis, he will always choose himself over you. That's who Alex Hawthorne is."

He squeezes my shoulder once more.

"Call me if you need to talk."

The door clicks shut behind him.

I lean against the window. Watch people below rush past each other. Papers in hand. Focused on their work.

A notification tone pulls me back.

I turn to my desk to check the brightness of the computer.

DELIVERY CONFIRMATION: Your message was successfully delivered at 2:47 AM.

I frown.

That doesn't make sense. I didn't send anything that night.

My hands shake as I click the notification.A copy of the message loads.

FROM: Ellis Valmont

TO: Alex Hawthorne

CC: Hawthorne Group Board of Directors

SENT: 2:47 AM

I check through the email again and see my signature at the bottom.

I open my sent folder with trembling fingers,Empty folder. Nothing from that time and date.

But the delivery confirmation says it was sent from me.

I stare at the screen. My hands stiffen on the mouse.The email is there sent,delivered,signed with my name.

My vision blurs.

How is this possible?

I didn't write this and definitely didn't send it.

But Alex and his entire board members had received it.

I click on Alex’s name to call him.The phone rings once.Then it vibrates in my hand cutting off the outgoing call.

I pull it away from my ear to see the name staring back at me

Margaret Valmont.

My fingers stiffen around the phone and a shiver runs down my body. She hasn’t called me in over two years. Not since… the last time.