Chapter 4

I stepped around Nash. "Move."

He caught my arm. "Janet already told me you only came over a few times to drop off documents. You really want to keep chasing a woman who doesn't want you?"

I jerked my arm free.

Nash took a step back, then suddenly drove a fist into my face.

My head snapped to the side, and my ears rang.

He leaned closer, his voice low. "Take the hint. Stop going after things that aren't yours."

I swung back and caught him across the jaw.

The locker room door opened just as Nash crashed into the lockers. Janet rushed over and grabbed my wrist. "Bryce, what are you doing?"

Nash rubbed his jaw and looked at her. "Don't blame him. I told him you weren't interested, and I guess he didn't take it well."

Janet's grip tightened around my wrist. "Apologize to him."

"He hit me first."

"Enough."

She shoved me back.

I hit the lockers hard, pain shooting through my lower back. Janet reached toward me on instinct, then stopped when our coworkers started coming in.

Someone noticed the swelling along Nash's jaw and immediately called admin.

"Bryce has been out of control lately. First the project, then the shoving, and now he's throwing punches."

"Is all of this really because of Ms. Wiley?"

"He's even been seen at her place before. I always thought that was strange."

Nash shook his head and cut in before anyone could say more. "Enough. Bryce probably just got the wrong idea about me and Janet."

The head of administration looked at Janet. "Ms. Wiley, do you want us to call the police?"

"We'll handle it internally."

Janet's voice turned cold. "Suspend Bryce from all duties until we finish the investigation."

I straightened despite the pain. "And what about him punching me first?"

Janet's eyes moved to the bruise forming on my cheek, and for a second, her expression changed.

Nash cut in before she could say anything. "I never hit you. You got proof?"

The security camera in the locker room had been out since the week before.

Janet knew that. I was the one who brought her the repair request to sign.

I looked straight at her. "Who do you believe?"

"Nash wouldn't hit you first."

That was it.

A few simple words from her, and nothing I said after that would matter.

That afternoon, an anonymous post appeared online accusing me of harassing a senior executive at the company and using a personal connection to steal projects from coworkers.

It even included photos of me entering and leaving Janet's apartment.

The article spread fast, and before long, several of our clients had seen it.

Starcrest immediately demanded that the company remove me as its point of contact.

Janet called me into the conference room. A written statement sat on the table between us.

"Sign it. Admit this started because of a personal issue between us, and the company will let you keep your job."

I read the whole thing.

According to the statement, I had harassed my boss, bullied coworkers, and taken credit for work that wasn't mine.

I looked up. "What happens if I don't sign?"

"Then you're fired."

"The photos are real." I held her gaze. "And you know exactly why I was at your apartment."

Janet lowered her voice. "That's why I'm trying to contain this before it gets worse. If this blows up any further, people are going to say you used your relationship with me to get ahead."

"Then tell them we were together."

She shook her head. "If I say that now, it'll only make the rumors look true."

"Janet, you said we'd go public soon."

"Now isn't the time to make this harder."

The hallway outside the conference room was packed with coworkers waiting to hear what happened.

Nash pushed open the door and set a printed email on the table. "Starcrest got a complaint saying Bryce stole my proposal. Janet, the company needs to give them an answer."

Several screenshots of the proposal's revision history were attached. The timestamps had been cropped out, leaving only Nash's name visible.

Janet barely looked at them before turning back to me. "Bryce, just sign it."

I stared at her. "You watched me build that proposal."

For the past three months, I had spent countless nights at Janet's apartment working on that proposal. She would bring me something warm to drink, sit beside me, and listen while I walked her through every part of it.

She knew better than anyone that the work was mine.

"The company comes first."

Janet pushed the pen toward me.

"Take the fall for now. Once this dies down, I'll make it up to you."

I didn't touch it.

One by one, people from administration, legal, and the project team filed into the conference room.

Finally, someone asked in front of everyone, "Bryce, what exactly is going on between you and Ms. Wiley? Have you been using your personal relationship with her to pressure her?"

I looked straight at Janet. "Ms. Wiley, were we ever together?"

Her fingers tightened slightly.

Nash stood beside her and said quietly, "Everyone's waiting."

Janet looked away from me.

"No."

One word erased two years of nights together, goodnight texts, birthdays, and anniversaries.

A few people around the conference room snickered.

I picked up the statement.

Janet's expression softened. "Just sign it and go home for now. I'll take care of the rest."

I tore the statement in half. Then I tore it again, letting the pieces fall across the table.

"If we were never together, then from now on, we keep this strictly professional."

I set my resignation letter and copyright registration documents in front of her.

"I own the original copyright to the Starcrest proposal. I registered it three months before the company officially launched the project."

Janet's expression changed.

At that exact moment, someone from legal took a call in the hallway. After listening for a few seconds, he looked sharply at Janet.

"Ms. Wiley, Starcrest just terminated the partnership."

Before anyone could react, two officials walked into the conference room.

"We've received a formal complaint from Mr. Bryce Carey alleging copyright infringement and defamation related to statements made in the workplace. Your company is required to cooperate with the investigation and preserve all relevant records."