Chapter Seven

Vivian stared at her laptop screen until the words blurred into one unreadable smear.

“TERMINATION CONFIRMATION EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY.”

Her breath caught.

“No… no, no, this has to be a mistake.”

Her fingers trembled as she refreshed the page again, hoping it would magically disappear. It didn’t. The company email system had already logged her out of internal access. Her ID badge access had been revoked too.

Just like that, she was erased. From Alpha Zee.

She sat frozen for a full minute, unable to move. The office around her continued like nothing had happened- phones ringing, keyboards clicking, colleagues laughing softly at distant jokes.

But her world had tilted.

She stood abruptly, nearly knocking over her chair.

“Maybe it’s a system error,” she whispered to herself. “Maybe HR is updating records…”

But even as she said it, she knew.

This wasn’t a system error.

This was intentional.

She walked through the hallway with stiff steps, her heart pounding louder with each step. Every coworker she passed felt like they were staring at her, even if they weren’t.

By the time she reached HR, her palms were sweating.

The receptionist looked up. “Good morning.”

“I need to see HR immediately,” Vivian cut in.

The receptionist blinked. “Do you have an appointment?”

“It’s urgent.”

Something in Vivian’s voice made the woman hesitate. She picked up the phone and made a quick call.

Within minutes, Vivian was standing in front of her HR manager.

A middle-aged woman with sharp eyes and an even sharper tone.

“Vivian,” she said slowly, folding her arms. “This is unexpected.”

Vivian didn’t waste time. “I got a termination email. I want to know why.”

Silence.

The HR manager frowned. “That’s impossible.”

Vivian froze. “What?”

“We didn’t issue any termination for you.”

Those words hit harder than any slap.

Vivian blinked. “That’s not possible. I got it this morning. My access is gone. Everything.”

The HR manager turned her monitor slightly.

“There is no termination order on your file. No approval. No HR signature. Nothing.”

Vivian’s mouth went dry.

“So… I’m still employed?”

“Yes,” the woman said carefully. “As far as this department is concerned, nothing has changed.”

A cold dread crawled up Vivian’s spine.

If HR didn’t issue it…

Then who did?

***

Vivian left the office in a daze, her mind spiraling.

Someone had access to internal systems. Someone powerful enough to override HR protocols, or bypass them entirely.

And only a few people had that level of access.

Her thoughts immediately went to him.

Lucas.

But she shook her head quickly.

“No… he wouldn’t do that,” she muttered. “He’s cruel, yes, but not like this.”

Still, doubt had been planted.

And doubt, once planted, grew fast.

On her way out, Vivian ran into Jane, Lucas’s personal assistant.

Jane stopped when she saw her face.

“You heard, didn’t you?” Vivian asked quietly.

Jane hesitated.

That hesitation said everything.

“Jane,” Vivian pressed, stepping closer. “Tell me the truth. Did the CEO order my termination?”

Jane looked around nervously. “I… I shouldn’t be involved in this.”

“That’s not an answer.”

Jane lowered her voice. “I didn’t see any official order from him.”

“Then who...”

Jane swallowed. “But… there was pressure this morning. From above HR level.”

Vivian’s heart dropped.

“Above HR?”

Jane nodded slightly, then quickly added, “That’s all I can say.”

And just like that, Jane walked away.

Leaving Vivian with more questions than answers.

By the time Vivian stepped outside the building, her emotions finally cracked.

She sat on a bench outside the company gate, hands covering her face.

For the first time since the cruise, she didn’t feel anger.

She felt hunted.

“Why me?” she whispered shakily. “What did I do to deserve this?”

Her hands instinctively went to her stomach.

Her baby shifted slightly inside her- a faint reminder that she wasn’t alone.

But instead of comfort, it made everything worse.

Because now, she wasn’t just protecting herself.

She was protecting a life.

And someone in that company had just tried to erase her existence.

Her phone buzzed suddenly.

A message notification.

Unknown number.

She hesitated before opening it.

“Leave quietly, and things will be easier for you.”

No name.

No signature.

Just a warning.

Vivian’s blood ran cold.

***

Inside his office, Lucas Kingsley was staring at financial reports he hadn’t processed in hours.

His mind wasn’t there.

It was on her.

Vivian.

Something about the morning felt off.

Jane had mentioned something about HR earlier, but he had brushed it aside without listening properly.

Now it was nagging at him.

His phone rang.

Jane.

He answered immediately. “What is it?”

“Sir… there’s a problem.”

His expression hardened. “Speak.”

“It’s about Vivian.”

Lucas sat up straighter. “What about her?”

Jane hesitated. “She received a termination notice.”

Silence.

Lucas’s eyes narrowed dangerously.

“I didn’t authorize any termination,” he said coldly.

“I know,” Jane replied quickly. “HR says they didn’t either.”

A pause.

Then Lucas stood up slowly.

“Send me everything,” he said.

“Yes sir.”

The call ended.

Lucas stared at the screen for a long moment.

Then one thought surfaced.

Someone was acting in his name.

Without permission.

Within an hour, Lucas had pulled HR logs, system access records, and internal email traces. What he found made his expression darken.

The termination email had been sent using an internal admin override account.

An account that required executive-level clearance.

But the login trail was incomplete. As if someone had deliberately masked it.

His jaw tightened.

“This is deliberate,” he muttered.

Someone wasn’t just trying to remove Vivian. They were trying to frame him.

Or worse, create chaos between them.

Lucas leaned back in his chair.

Only a handful of people had that level of access.

His mind immediately narrowed.

Sandra.

***

That night, Vivian returned home exhausted.

She didn’t eat. Didn’t speak. Just sat on her bed staring at nothing.

The termination email still haunted her. The message. The silence from HR.

Everything pointed to one thing- someone wanted her gone.

Her phone rang again. Unknown number.

She answered reluctantly.

Silence at first. Then a voice.

Low. Controlled.

“Still at the company?”

Vivian froze. “Who is this?”

A faint chuckle.

“You should listen when you’re being warned.”

Her grip tightened on the phone. “What do you want from me?”

A pause.

Then, “You don’t belong in that world.”

The line went dead.

Vivian sat there shaking.

Her hands slowly lowered to her stomach again.

“I can’t do this alone.” she whispered.

For the first time, she meant it.

***

The next morning, Lucas stormed into HR headquarters. His presence alone silenced the entire floor.

“I want every access log,” he said coldly. “Now.”

The HR manager stood quickly. “Sir, we’re already investigating...”

“I don’t care what you’re doing,” Lucas cut in sharply. “Someone used my company’s system to issue a false termination under my authority.”

Silence.

He placed a printed document on the table. The termination order.

The HR manager picked it up and her expression changed instantly.

“This signature… it looks like yours,” she said cautiously.

Lucas’s eyes darkened.

“It’s forged.”

A heavy silence filled the room.

Then Lucas added quietly, dangerously, “And I want to know who had the audacity to use my name against her.”

***

(Meanwhile)

In a hidden office camera feed.

A hand deletes files. A familiar female silhouette turns slightly.

Sandra’s face is briefly visible before the screen turns black.