Chapter 15: A copy of the recording

"To be honest, Ethan," I said, "I don't think a fake relationship is a good idea."

"I know, but you have to do this. Trust me, you won't regret it."

I hesitated for a long moment before finally giving in. I promised myself it was only for show. "Okay, fine," I said, rolling my eyes. "Let's see how it goes. Fake dating it is."

He leaned closer and whispered in my ear, "And make sure you get the recorder, okay?"

We settled on the plan. Mine was simple: get the recorder. When Rui finally set foot in my boss's company, I would approach him and pretend our meeting was a coincidence. He was supposed to be in the building all day, which gave me plenty of time.

On the day he came to the company, I was there, ready to carry out my plan. I did not want to stand close to him, yet there I was.

Now we stood side by side in front of the reception desk. I avoided Rui's eyes, afraid that if I looked at him, my nerves would show.

"Good morning. Can I have the new file, please?" I asked the receptionist.

Honestly, part of me wanted to ask Rui for the recorder right then, but I had no idea how to begin. He was already studying me, and I knew he must be wondering what I was doing there.

"Of course, Emilia," the receptionist said. "And could you please escort Mr. Rui to the meeting room?"

That was when I finally looked at him.

"You may follow me," I said evenly.

Rui scoffed. "Is this some kind of joke?"

"This isn't a clown gathering," I replied. "I am being serious."

Then I turned and walked ahead. I knew he wouldn't be able to bear what I had just said, and I didn't care.

"So you work here now," he said from behind me, his tone dripping with sarcasm."Of all the companies in this city, you work here. What a coincidence or are you trying to expand what you are good at..."

I knew exactly where he was heading with this.

"I just want to make things clear," I said without slowing down. "I am not a cheat. I am a woman of dignity."

"Stop lying. It was clearly your voice."

I stopped and turned to face him. My expression hardened as I remembered the voice note that had caused so much trouble.

"If you're so sure that voice note wasn't edited," I said, "why won't you send it to me?"

Something flickered across Rui's face.

"Why would you want to hear it again?" he asked.

"You keep insisting that you've done nothing wrong, so prove it. Send me the original." I held his gaze. "Or are you afraid I'll discover you've been lying all along?"

He stared at me for a moment, as though weighing his options. Then, without another word, he took out his phone.

"Fine. I'll send it to you."

It took only a few seconds. My phone vibrated almost at once, and I glanced down at the screen. A voice note had arrived. My thumb hovered over it, but I could not bring myself to press play, not with him standing right there, watching my every reaction. I slipped the phone into my pocket and kept walking.

Hours later, I stood beside Steven's chair in a meeting with Rui and several other businessmen. The room was quiet except for the soft hum of the air conditioner and the occasional rustle of papers.

Steven folded his hands on the table and looked directly at Rui. "According to your reviews, many of your clients say you don't finish your projects. How can you prove to us that you will finish ours?"

Rui forced a small smile. "I wish I could delete those reviews, but unfortunately I can't. They are probably from haters."

"Is that so?" Steven raised an eyebrow. "Would you say Kins Company, one of the biggest companies in the country, is also a hater?"

Rui cleared his throat. I could see the tension tightening around his eyes.

"Honestly, the period in which I was supposed to complete that building was a complicated one," he said. "I was diagnosed with kidney failure, so I had to pause the project."

I lowered my gaze to the notebook in front of me.

It was a lie. Rui had never had a kidney problem. It was the same lie he had once told me, and hearing it again stung more than I was willing to admit.

"And you didn't contact them, or inform them beforehand?" Steven asked.

I understood his caution. He did not want to tie his company to a venture that would bring nothing back but trouble.

The questions kept coming, one after another, each sharper than the last. Rui shifted in his seat, and with every answer, his discomfort grew more obvious. He was clearly not used to being cornered, and I could see it in his eyes.

When the meeting finally ended, Rui walked away with a much smaller project than he had hoped for. It was Steven's way of testing him, a chance to prove he could be trusted.

I did not feel the satisfaction I had expected. Instead, I felt strangely hollow.

That night, alone in my room, I finally played the voice note. I listened once, then twice, my heart beating harder each time. The voice sounded like mine, and yet something about it felt wrong. The pauses were unnatural, and the tone did not carry the way I speak. Still, I could not say for certain, and that uncertainty kept me awake until dawn.

Two days later, Ethan called me. His voice was heavier than usual, and he did not bother with a greeting.

"Emilia, we need to talk," he said. "Something has happened, and I don't know how you are going to react to it."

My stomach tightened. "What is it?"

He was silent for a second. "The voice note is online. It's everywhere. It's the audio from a sex tape." He took a breath. "But Emilia, listen to me carefully. It isn't you."

I gripped the phone, and for a moment, I could not feel anything at all.