บททั้งหมดของ The Night I Took It Back: บทที่ 1 - บทที่ 10

"Mike, I brought us some whiskey. Let's have a few drinks tonight." Ricky Watson's falsely cheerful voice came through the door, and my stomach immediately started twisting in revulsion. I could still remember what was going to happen tonight. This was where my life went to hell. In my previous life, Ricky had waited until I was too drunk to execute his rotten scheme. Once I was out cold, he slipped copies of three forged confidential company documents into a file box under my bed. The next morning, he returned with members of the corporate audit committee. Then, he casually suggested that they check my project drafts, just for protocol reasons. They found the forged documents almost immediately. My career was over right then and there. Nothing I said mattered; no one believed I had been framed. The Chief Engineer position I had spent years working toward went up in a puff of smoke overnight, and the accusation followed me long after I left the company. Word spread

Ricky then covered the forged documents with several old folders, carefully restoring everything until the storage box looked untouched. Once he was satisfied, he dusted off his hands and let out a quiet scoff. "Get some sleep, Mike. It's your big day tomorrow." He walked back to the table and looked down at me, a faint smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth. "I'll come by tomorrow and see you off." Then, he grabbed his jacket and left, slamming the door behind him. I didn't move a muscle until I heard his footsteps disappear completely down the hallway. I waited until the coast was clear before pushing myself up the table. The drunken look on my face was nowhere to be seen. Then, I went straight to the bathroom, splashed cold water over myself, and cleaned off as much of the whiskey as I could. Once I had changed into a fresh set of clothes, I pulled on a pair of disposable gloves and returned to the bedroom. The three forged documents were still exactly where Ri

Ricky stood frozen for several seconds before suddenly pulling out his phone. "Wait. I have a picture." He tapped the screen a few times before holding it out for everyone to see. The picture had been taken two nights earlier. It showed a man with a build similar to mine standing in a dimly lit alley, wearing a jacket almost identical to one I owned. The angle hid most of his face, but the photo clearly showed him accepting several large envelopes from a blond-haired man. I stared at the screen and forced a look of disbelief onto my face. 'How is that possible? I've never even been there.' Sharon leaned closer to examine the photo, her brows slowly drawing together as she scrutinized it closely. "This is too blurry to identify anyone with certainty. His face isn't even visible in the picture." Ricky gave a humorless laugh. "You can verify the photo however you want. The picture is real." Then, he pointed at the blond-haired man. "As for this guy, the police are already

Sharon stepped aside and spoke into her phone. "Hello? We were conducting the final review for a senior management promotion, but we uncovered evidence that someone forged confidential company documents and used them to frame another employee. "We need officers sent over immediately." Ricky lost it. His knees hit the floor as he scrambled toward Daniel, clutching at his pant leg as tears streamed down his face. "Mr. Brooks, I was wrong! I wasn't thinking straight!" His voice shook uncontrollably as he cried out, "I just wanted that position too badly. I was jealous of Mike. I made a mistake! Please, just give me one more chance!" Daniel jerked his leg away and looked down at him with disgust. "One more chance?" His voice turned cold. "Did you ever think about giving Mike a chance when you were trying to destroy his career?" Ricky froze. Daniel continued, each word landing harder than the last. "I'm formally notifying you that your candidacy is terminated effective immedia

I turned toward the neighbors still gathered in the hallway and gave them a polite smile. "I'm so sorry you all had to see that. Everything's settled now. You should head home." A few of them stayed long enough to offer me some words of comfort before finally drifting away, still discussing what had happened among themselves. As the hallway emptied out, my apartment became quiet once more. I closed the door and looked down at the coffee Andrea had spilled across the floor. For the first time since I woke up in the past, I found myself well and truly free. Ricky had been arrested. Andrea had humiliated herself in front of everyone. However, it still wasn't enough for me. I knew things about Ricky that no one else knew just yet. His corruption had not been exposed, nor had the mountain of gambling debt he had accumulated. Even if he would be paying the price for what he had done today, I knew for a fact that he would remain a threat to my well-being once he walked free.