Chapter 3
Everyone in the office turned to look at me.
I handed over my laptop.
Chloe stood nearby with her arms crossed.
“The leaked information was the confidential price for our acquisition. No one outside the core deal team had access to it. Eva joined the team three days ago, and now the file is sitting in her personal email account.”
She looked directly at me.
“That is very convenient.”
The Information Security employee opened my email account.
The confidential file was sitting in my inbox.
Mia’s eyes turned red.
“Eva would never do this.”
Chloe gave a quiet laugh.
“How can you guarantee that? If the evidence is real, she will not only be fired. The company may take legal action against her.”
People around us began whispering.
“No wonder she moved up so quickly.”
“I knew it could not be simple luck.”
The people who had once looked at me with envy now looked at me with contempt.
This was exactly what Ethan wanted.
He wanted everyone to tear me down before he stepped in and pulled me back up.
I was about to speak when the conference room door opened.
Ethan walked in.
“Stop the investigation.”
Chloe frowned.
“Ethan, this involves confidential company information.”
“I said stop.”
He stood beside me and looked around the office.
“I am personally vouching for Eva. Until we know what happened, no one is removing her.”
The looks around us changed again.
There was still suspicion, but now it was mixed with envy and jealousy.
Ethan took me into his office.
After the door closed, he softened his voice.
“Did that scare you?”
My eyes turned red, but I said nothing.
He wrapped his arms around me.
“No one can force you out of Brooks while I am here.”
He raised his hand and wiped away a tear that did not exist.
“You do not need to be afraid anymore. You only need to trust me.”
I leaned against his chest and let my shoulders shake.
He probably thought I was trying not to cry because I was moved.
All I sensed was his sickening sense of triumph.
When I returned to my desk, another anonymous email appeared.
The attachment was a system access log.
The confidential file had not been sent from an outside account.
Someone had used an administrator account registered to Ethan’s office to enter my mailbox directly.
The login had taken place forty-seven minutes earlier.
I backed up the log and opened my evaluation report.
Under Ethan’s name, I added two conclusions.
**Professional Ethics: Failed.**
**Character Assessment: Failed.**
That evening, Ethan placed an invitation to the anniversary gala on my desk.
“At the gala, I will make our relationship official.”
He took my hand.
“I also want you to tell everyone how much you love me.”
I looked up at him and smiled with excitement.
“I will.”
He walked away looking pleased.
A few seconds later, I received the Crown Club’s final plan for the gala.
First, Eva would confess her love in public.
Second, they would show evidence that she had seduced her boss and stolen confidential information.
Third, Human Resources would announce her termination in front of everyone.
After reading it, I called my father’s assistant.
“Bring Hale Capital’s investment team to the gala. I will announce the evaluation result myself that night.”