Lahat ng Kabanata ng I’m Back, Mr. CEO : Kabanata 261 - Kabanata 267

The police station smells like stale coffee and desperation.Sophie sits beside me in the waiting area, her hand gripping mine so tight my fingers have gone numb. We’ve been here for an hour, waiting for the detective assigned to her case.“Ms. Sterling? Ms. Monroe?” A woman in her forties approaches, badge clipped to her belt. “I’m Detective Rachel Chen. Come with me, please.”We follow her to a small interview room. Gray walls. Metal table. Two chairs. Everything designed to be impersonal, clinical.“Ms. Monroe, I understand you’re here to file a sexual assault report.” Detective Chen’s voice is professional but not unkind. “I need you to walk me through what happened. Take your time.”Sophie takes a shaky breath. I squeeze her hand.“His name is Ethan Moore,” she begins. “He’s my best friend’s boyfriend. Was her boyfriend.” She glances at me. “We were working late at my office last night. There was a server issue and he’s a tech expert, so I asked him to help.”“What time was this?

Detective Chen’s call comes at nine a.m. the next morning.“Ms. Sterling, I need you and Ms. Monroe to come back to the station. We have some updates on the case.”The way she says it, flat and professional, tells me everything I need to know.Sophie and I arrive an hour later. The detective doesn’t waste time with pleasantries.“We reviewed the security footage from your building,” she says, pulling up a laptop. “The cameras show Mr. Moore arriving at eight-fifteen p.m. He appears normal, coherent. You can see him greeting the security guard, signing in, heading to the elevators.”“Okay?” I don’t understand where this is going.“The problem is what we don’t see.” She fast-forwards through the footage. “The third floor, where your offices are located, the cameras malfunctioned that night. We have nothing from eight-thirty until ten p.m. when you arrived, Ms. Sterling.”“That’s convenient,” Sophie says quietly.“Very. Too convenient.” Detective Chen closes the laptop. “We also ran the

{SOPHIE POV}Lin Sterling-Chen doesn’t trust me.I can feel it in the way she watches me. The careful way she phrases her questions. The pauses that last just a beat too long.We’ve been at her Pacific Heights house for three days, and every moment feels like a test I’m failing.“More tea, Sophie?” Lin asks from across the breakfast table.“No, thank you.” I keep my voice small, wounded. The role I’ve been playing since that night.Maya’s still asleep upstairs. She’s been sleeping late, staying up until three or four in the morning, staring at her phone like she’s waiting for something. Or someone.Ethan, probably. Even though she’s blocked him on everything.“How are you feeling today?” Lin’s question sounds innocent, but her eyes are sharp.“Better. A little.” I wrap my hands around my mug. “Thank you for letting me stay here. I know it’s an imposition.”“Nonsense. Any friend of Maya’s is family.” She sips her own tea. “Though I have to say, I’m surprised you haven’t wanted to go ba

“What? Yes, before you got here. Why?”He examines the cup like it might contain poison. “How do I know you didn’t put something in this too?”“Because I’m trying to help you! I agreed to meet you when everyone else thinks I’m crazy for even considering it.” I let tears fill my eyes. “I’m risking everything to give you this chance. And you’re accusing me of trying to drug you again?”“I didn’t say it again. I said too.” He sets the cup down. “Because I don’t think you drugged me the first time, Sophie. I think someone else did. And I think you know who.”“I don’t know anything.” My voice rises. “I’m as much a victim here as you are.”“Are you? Because you’re the one who benefits most from this situation.” He steps closer. “Maya cuts me out. Turn to you for support. You get her all to yourself. Everything you’ve always wanted.”The accusation hangs in the air.“You think I did this on purpose? You think I destroyed my own life, my reputation, my peace of mind, just to have Maya to myse