Without a word, Alpha Sebastian lifted me into his arms effortlessly, as if I were weightless, and gently settled me into his chair.
***
I barely had time to catch my breath before something caught my attention-Amara’s phone lay on the table, screen still glowing, still connected to a call.
My eyes narrowed sharply.
The contact name on the display said it all.
So this was what had been happening behind my back.
A cold, bitter smile curled at the corners of my lips as I turned to face Zoe.
“Deputy Manager Zoe,” I said softly, but my tone was razor-sharp, “how dare you? You should have at least made sure I was dead before you started weaving your lies.”
“Miss Celina, I don’t know what you mean,” Zoe replied, his face carefully blank, but I could see the flicker of panic beneath.
He knew there were no witnesses in that room, no proof beyond my word against his. Without missing a beat, he shifted his gaze to Amara.
“General Manager Amara, can’t you see? Her timing is too perfect-she’s not here to expose me, but to humiliate you in front of the CEO. Her schemes run deep.”
I was honestly stunned by how shamelessly he twisted the truth.
But what hit me even harder was Amara’s reaction-the cold hatred filling her eyes as they locked onto me.
“Celina, you’re falsely accusing Deputy Manager Zoe and putting on this entire performance. You dragged everyone here in the middle of the night just to show off how you can manipulate men?” she spat venomously.
I stared back at her, disbelief swirling in my mind as I raced through possibilities.
[Amara couldn’t be working with Zoe. Her position was too important to risk on something so messy. That meant… Zoe must have already turned her against me.]
“General Manager Amara, I don’t know what he’s told you, but if you’d just give me five minutes to explain what really happened-“
“SHUT UP!” Amara snapped, losing control.
Her sudden outburst made me flinch. She looked at me as if I were her fiercest enemy.
“The one who needs to shut up is you,” Alpha Sebastian finally cut in, his voice low and dangerous.
He fixed Amara with a cold, piercing stare and declared, “You are beyond help.”
I saw the devastation wash over Amara’s face. Tears streamed down her cheeks as Alpha Sebastian’s words shattered her heart.
At last, I understood the truth of the situation: Amara’s concerns had never been about company business. She was blinded by jealousy, unable to see the manipulation Zoe had woven.
On any other day, I might have felt pity for her, might have tried to explain that there was nothing romantic between Alpha Sebastian and me.
But this wasn’t a day for delicate feelings. There were far more important battles to fight.
Turning my full attention back to Zoe, I narrowed my eyes.
“Deputy Manager Zoe, do you really think that because we were alone, it’s just my word against yours? Do you honestly believe that’s enough to hide the kind of person you truly are?”
His momentary freeze told me I had struck a nerve.
“Miss Celina,” he stammered, anger rising in his voice, “we have no quarrel between us. Why are you trying to cause trouble? Just because you want to impress Alpha Sebastian and win his favor doesn’t mean you can throw false accusations against innocent people!”
I met his gaze calmly, letting the silence linger before turning to Alpha Sebastian.
“Alpha Sebastian, I brought a recording pen with me this morning for my investigation. It can record continuously for 48 hours.”
A flicker of panic crossed Zoe’s face as I continued.
“I hid it in my shirt. It’s still at the old house by the sea where they held me captive, tucked under the coffee table. If you send someone to retrieve it, we’ll have proof of everything-what Deputy Zoe said, what Factory Director Thomas Dunn said, what everyone else involved said. The truth will come out on its own.”
Several people in the room visibly paled, including Zoe.
“We already know where it is,” Alpha Sebastian said with a slight, knowing smile. “It’s Thomas Dunn’s family home. He confessed everything.”
Alpha Sebastian summoned Beta Sawyer in front of everyone, instructing him to find the recording pen and bring Thomas Dunn back to the factory.
The guilty faces in the conference room looked as though they might faint.
***
As Alpha Sebastian ended the call, the atmosphere in the room shifted dramatically.
Those uninvolved began to believe I had truly been kidnapped and imprisoned. Meanwhile, those who had taken part in-or known about-my abduction looked as if they were teetering on the edge of a cliff.
Zoe’s facial muscles twitched with fear, though he kept up his act. “Fine! Let’s find this recording pen and have our confrontation. I have nothing to hide!”
I let out a soft, mocking laugh. The blood loss had left me light-headed, lending my voice an unintended gentleness. “Please, keep talking. Maybe swear to the Moon Goddess or shed some crocodile tears. It’ll only make the upcoming revelation more dramatic.”
When no one moved, I added, “Someone record this on video, so Deputy Manager Zoe can’t deny it later.”
People exchanged uncertain glances, none daring to be the first.
“I’ll record it,” Alpha Sebastian declared, pulling out his phone. Those confident in their innocence followed suit, pulling out their own devices.
Surrounded by so many cameras, Zoe’s facade finally cracked. Genuine panic flashed across his face.
The trap was closing tight around him, and there was nowhere left to run.
Celina
A sharp gasp escaped my lips, trembling yet triumphant. “Oh!” I exclaimed, my voice wavering but victorious.
“My recording pen is connected to cloud storage. It uploads everything automatically every ten minutes. Do you have a computer nearby?” I asked, my heart pounding with anticipation.
Without hesitation, Alpha Sebastian signaled one of the staff members, who immediately nodded and hurried out of the room.
Zoe’s face drained of color, pale as a ghost. I watched his mental defenses crumble, piece by piece, right before my eyes.
Within moments, a laptop was brought in.
My hands shook slightly as I reached for the keyboard, feeling the weight of every gaze fixed on me. The atmosphere was so thick with tension it felt like it could snap at any second.
I logged into my cloud account, my heart hammering in my chest while the heavy silence pressed down on us all.
“Got it,” I announced, lifting my eyes to meet Zoe’s terrified stare. A victorious smile played on my lips as my finger hovered over the trackpad. “Shall we listen?”
“DON’T PLAY IT!” Zoe lunged forward with surprising speed, snatching the laptop from my grasp and clutching it tightly against his chest. His once-imposing demeanor had vanished, replaced by desperate pleading. “Miss Celina, we can discuss this calmly.”
I let out a cold, cutting laugh that echoed through the room. “You tried to force yourself on me and planned to imprison me. If I hadn’t risked my life by jumping from the second floor into the ocean, do you think I’d even be sitting here right now?”
“You’re misunderstanding my intentions,” he stammered weakly.
“Cut the lies,” I spat. “If you’re truly innocent, open the laptop and let everyone hear what’s on it!”
Sweat dripped down his face as he held the laptop like a shield.
“Miss Celina, please,” he begged, voice shaking. “I have a family-elderly parents, young children. Please don’t do this. I’ll kneel if I must.”
“Mercy?” My voice sliced through the room like a razor.
“Did you show me any mercy when you tried to put your filthy hands on me? I’m my parents’ only daughter. Do you have any idea what it would’ve done to them-knowing their child was almost violated by a disgusting old man like you?”
I motioned to the guard to take the laptop. My glare was fierce and unyielding-I wasn’t finished until this bastard paid for what he’d done.
Cornered, Zoe clung to the computer as if it could save him.
“I was trying to help you!” he shouted. “Okay, I may have said a few things, but it was just a joke! A stupid joke! Can’t you forgive a moment of bad judgment?”
“Forgive you?” I laughed slowly, the sound sharp and bitter.
“Sure. All you have to do is grab a knife, cut off your balls, and let me watch. Then maybe we’ll call it even.”
His face paled, hands trembling uncontrollably.
“Celina, come on! Don’t go too far. Nothing even happened! I just… happened to be there. I said a few things in the heat of the moment. That’s not a crime, is it?”
“Oh, so now talking?” I stepped closer, my voice low and deadly. “Is that what you call sliding your hand up my leg?”
“I was checking for injuries!” he choked out.
“Oh really?” I smirked. “Because last I checked, your hands aren’t certified in first aid. Or is ‘pervert’ your side gig?”
He opened his mouth, but no words came.
I leaned in, lowering my voice to a whisper sharp enough to cut glass.
“You should be grateful I’m letting you walk out of here with your teeth still intact. But if you ever touch another woman again, I’ll make sure you leave in a body bag.”
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