Chapter 4

“I nearly died, Kirk.”

My flat voice was barely a whisper.

The line went silent for a bit before Kirk’s sneer came along.

“Cut it out. Stop playing the victim. This is starting to get old.

“There’s a meeting at two later. If you don’t show up, you can kiss your Christmas bonus goodbye.”

I ended the call with composure.

There were no tears or drama.

I called the movers and told them to be at the manor at two o’clock sharp.

…

I arrived at the office.

Not to bail Eden out on the proposal, I was simply there for the big train wreck.

Today marked the signing of a major international project, one that was critical to the firm’s future.

I stepped into the conference room while Eden proudly showed off her work.

It was a financial statement that she had altered without authorization.

To prove her competence, Eden deliberately lowered the cost of several items, making the profit margins appear more attractive.

However, it was illegal to do so, and it would eventually trigger a collapse in cash flow.

The investor’s representative, a sharp and experienced veteran, saw through the deception.

“Mr. Church, these numbers are off. Isn’t this fraud?”

The sly representative slammed the folder hard onto the table.

Kirk was taken aback. He had not read the report because of his blind trust in Eden.

He turned to Eden in a fluster. The latter looked at me pleadingly, her face pale.

“M-Ms. Bray authorized the changes.”

Eden pointed the finger at me while turning on the waterworks.

“She told me that new hires need to stand out. If the numbers look good, the investors will sign.

“I would never go against your orders, Ms. Bray. How could you harm the firm?”

As if clutching a lifeline, Kirk whipped his head around and yelled at me, “Sandra, why are you doing this?

“Are you playing games with the business because I have been a little distant lately?

“Are you jealous of an intern enough to destroy my blood, sweat, and tears?”

He labeled me a psycho and questioned my integrity right before the management team.

Kirk’s intention was to push the blame on me to save Eden’s bottom.

I looked at the two of them in cahoots and only felt how absurd it all was.

“Kirk, all changes to this report are tracked in the cloud. It’s easy to find out who edited the file,” I refuted calmly.

However, my composure triggered Kirk, and he completely lost it.

He grabbed the glass ashtray on the table, intending to smash it against the hard surface.

Swinging too hard, Kirk launched the ashtray toward my face instead.

I raised my arm to fend off the attack.

“Clang!”

A searing pain spread across the back of my right hand.

The ashtray shattered, its shards piercing into my skin.

Blood spilled and stained the sheets of paper on the table.

I was a designer by training, so these hands were my life.

Kirk was stunned. He stared at my bloody hands, panic filling his eyes.

However, he quickly pulled a stoic look and waved his arm in annoyance.

“It was just an accident. It’s your fault for throwing your hand out. Quit being dramatic.”

I could count on Eden to fan the flames.

“Ms. Bray, even though you’re hurt, you’re not excused from paying for the loss.”

Kirk nodded. “I’ll freeze your equity dividends to cover the deficit.

“I’ll also be suing you for corporate embezzlement. You’ll be getting a letter from my lawyer.”

I looked at the gaping wound on the back of my hand as blood dripped and pooled on the floor.

Out of nowhere, I chuckled.

With my left hand, I pulled out a blue folder from my bag.

“Kirk, this is the evidence of your tax evasion and tax fraud in the past two years. These are bank statements showing how you misappropriated public funds to buy a house for Eden.

“This injury makes us even for everything in these seven years.

“From this moment forward, it is you who owe me.”