Chapter 4

As soon as I walked in, a pale-faced Kimberly immediately pulled me into a corner.

"Something has gone terribly wrong! The case files for Electro Group were somehow leaked. They are one of our firm's key major clients, and the big boss was so furious he nearly smashed up his own office.

"Be careful. Neil might be looking for you precisely because of this."

I nodded and headed straight to the HR department.

When Neil saw me, he shook his head with a troubled expression. "Ramon, the company's senior management suspects that you were the one who leaked Electro Group's case files, because the people who received them that day were Chelsea, Owen, and you."

I felt as if my heart had been struck by a hammer.

"It wasn't me. If you don't believe me, you can pull up the surveillance footage from the conference room. I was only responsible for handing out the basic documents that day.

"I was sitting at the very corner of the conference table—I couldn't even hear what they were talking about in the meeting, so how could I have leaked anything?"

As I spoke, I looked at Neil and said, "You know I am already on my way out, so why would I sabotage myself like this right before I leave?"

Neil sighed and said, "Ramon, I know the kind of person you are. But this time, it's a report made under a real name."

"Who?" I couldn't stay seated any longer and shot up in agitation.

"It's your best friend, Owen," Neil replied, pity in his eyes.

I nearly crushed my own fists. I couldn't speak. All I felt was a suffocating tightness in my chest.

"But I didn't do it. Chelsea was there too at the time. She can testify for me."

The words had barely left my lips when Neil shook his head firmly. "Ramon, the second person who reported you was your girlfriend, Chelsea."

I couldn't hear anything he said after that. All that filled my mind was that one sentence.

"The second person who reported you was Chelsea."

I stumbled back to my seat in a daze. The stares around me fell like cold blades, heavy and sharp, hacking into me.

"Ramon always seemed so simple and honest. I never pegged him for a parasite. If he didn't do it, why would both Owen and Chelsea report him?"

"He probably knew he could never catch up to those two in a million years, so he took a desperate gamble and sold the documents for a good price."

I offered no defense. Instead, I pushed open the door to Chelsea's office. She sat there with her back to the light, her expression unreadable.

A familiar voice fell upon my ears. "Ramon, just take the blame for now. I'll explain everything to you later."

I walked over to her. Then, holding back tears, I looked her straight in the eye.

"So, it really was you who reported me? I clearly didn't do it, so why would you report me?"

Chelsea stood up, walked around the desk, and took hold of my arm. Her eyes held a flicker of reluctance, yet what she said cut like a blade meant to kill.

"I know it wasn't you. But if you don't confess, the blame will fall on Owen."

Those words struck me like a thunderbolt to the head. I stood frozen in place, unable to even react.

"You're just an assistant. So, even if you take the blame, at worst you start over from scratch or switch careers. But Owen can't do that. He's proud and ambitious. If he gets saddled with a reputation for leaking case files, his entire career will be ruined."

The more she spoke, the harder my tears fell. They fell until Chelsea's face blurred into a smudge before my eyes, leaving only her mouth, opening and closing.

"Ramon, you have me to back you up, while Owen has no one else besides you. As his best friend, I'm sure you'll be willing to help him, right?"

She wiped away my tears with one hand while cupping my face with the other, pressing me for an answer.

The warmth of her palm seeped through my skin, yet it chilled me straight to the bone.

I stared at the two reflections of myself in her eyes and asked emphatically, "And what if I refuse?"

Chelsea's eyes reddened as she shook her head. "It's no use. Owen had someone fabricate a video of you leaking the case files."

The sword that had been hanging over my head came crashing down. She knew everything, and yet she chose to condone it and even went along with it.

I closed my eyes, then nodded gently.

At that moment, Owen—who had heard everything—rushed in from the doorway and wrapped his arm tightly around my shoulders.

"Ramon, please forgive me. I had my reasons."

I shoved him away with all my strength. My gaze shifted from him back to Chelsea.

"Don't touch me. You two make me sick now."

The moment I stepped out of the firm, a moving truck pulled away from The Wingham. It carried everything that had marked my existence in Richton over the years.

And now, they were going to disappear along with me.