Chapter 13

By the end, Jake had completely lost his temper. He hurled accusations at Thea, blaming her difficult nature on her past experiences. He acted as if everything was her fault, as if portraying himself as the victim would clear his conscience. Thea stared at him, her eyes wide, feeling as if he had just reopened an old wound.

Without thinking, she slapped him hard. Tears welled in her eyes—not from pain, but from deep disappointment. "I've never hated you as much as I do right now," she said. "You've turned our entire seven years into a joke." She had confided her darkest secrets, her nightmares and vulnerabilities, and now he was using them against her.

Stunned, Jake stood there as Thea turned and walked away, her heart pounding. She quickly composed herself before returning to the private room, but she could feel the tension in the air. Everyone was looking at her with strange, judgmental expressions. "What's going on? Did something happen?" she asked, confused.

One person sneered, "Look who's trying to act all high and mighty, the new deputy manager. You called us here to show off, and now it's all come crashing down."

"Isn't this the kind of thing people go to jail for? Man, I never thought she'd do something like this," another person said.

"Talk about love turning into hate," added another. "We're all screwed because of her."

Just then, Madelyn approached, looking concerned. She grabbed Thea's hand. "Miss Rowland, maybe you should consider turning yourself in. Don't worry, we'll support you. I'll even tell the police it wasn't intentional." Thea jerked her hand away. "What are you even talking about? Let go!"

Thea hadn't used much force, but Madelyn let out a dramatic yelp and fell to the ground, her eyes brimming with fake tears.

In an instant, Jake barged into the room, pushing Thea aside as he rushed to help Madelyn up. Then, his voice full of rage, he turned on Thea. "You leaked company secrets, causing tens of millions of dollars in losses. The company is already investigating, and you're the prime suspect. You're the one who messed up. Why are you taking it out on Madelyn?" Still sniffling, Madelyn wiped her tears and said softly, "It's fine. As long as Miss Rowland calms down, everything will be okay."

Thea ignored Madelyn's ridiculous charade. She opened the group chat files on her phone, her heart sinking as she read the text. Madelyn wasn't lying. There had been a serious data leak, and Thea was the prime suspect. The leaked information had come from her computer.

For a moment, Thea felt dizzy, trying to make sense of it all. How could this have happened? she wondered. It didn't add up. She wanted to protest, to declare her innocence, but the words wouldn't come. She glanced around the room, seeing only angry and disgusted faces. Her face paled.

Turning to Jake, she asked quietly, "After all the years I've spent working at this company, do you really think I'd do something like this?"

Jake's eyes flickered with hesitation for a brief moment, but his gaze hardened. "Thea, do you even know what they're saying?" he sneered. "You didn't take money; you made a deal. They agreed to drop out of the Northworen Innovation Park bid, and guess who ended up winning it? Your family's company." Something clicked in Thea's mind, and suddenly, everything started to make sense.

Jake's anger intensified. "You pissed me off, then panicked when you realized you'd lose your safety net and affect your business. You leaked those files just to get back at me. I trusted you with our core files for years, and this is how you repay me?"

Holding back her tears, Thea stood there, her fingers digging into her palms. She let out a bitter laugh. "Jake, don't forget that Madelyn also had access to those files."

Standing behind Jake, Madelyn briefly averted her eyes before resuming her teary, innocent act.

Panicking, Jake rushed to comfort Madelyn, swearing he never doubted her. Then he turned back to Thea, his expression filled with disgust. "Even now, you're trying to drag others down with you. I didn't want to press charges, but it's clear you need to spend some time in a cell to understand what you've done." He pulled out his phone to call the police.

Thea just watched, her heart aching. Even knowing that Jake no longer loved her, she never thought he would betray her so easily after everything they'd been through—not just as lovers, but also as business partners. His lack of trust when it mattered most was devastating.

Just then, a voice came from behind them. Darwin entered the room with a few security guards and stopped Jake from making the call.

"Mr. Nicolas Hendrix is aware of what's happening today and understands the seriousness of the situation," Darwin said in a measured tone. "However, creating a public scandal won't benefit anyone. Corporate will decide whether or not the police need to be involved."

Clearly frustrated, Jake snapped, "Thea works under me. If she's messed up, it's my decision to turn her in. Does Uncle Nicolas really need to get involved in this?"

Darwin gave a small, sharp smile, his voice casual but cutting. "Do you believe you have the authority to make decisions on behalf of Mr. Nicolas Hendrix?" Jake's face flushed with anger and embarrassment. Reluctantly, he lowered his phone.

Turning toward Thea, who stood frozen in shock, Darwin extended his hand. "Miss Rowland, Mr. Nicolas Hendrix would like to speak with you." Thea nodded and followed Darwin out of the room.

Behind her, the others didn't even try to hide their satisfaction.

"She's finished," someone muttered. "I'd rather face jail than Nicolas's wrath."

"She's gonna wish she were dead," another added.

"If I were her, I'd have let Jake call the cops," a woman said. "They're still a couple, aren't they? Jake is just mad right now. She's not thinking clearly."

Thea's lips trembled slightly. She was scared, but she didn't glance back at Jake even once. No matter what Nicolas did to her, she'd rather face it head-on than ever beg Jake for help again.

In the dimly lit, private bar room, Nicolas sat expressionless. His handsome face was unreadable as he casually rolled a set of dice between his fingers, stopping only when he saw Thea enter.

Seated next to him was a man singing along to the background music. His face was strikingly handsome, his features sharp, and his eyes captivating.

Thea's nerves were on edge, but she tried to keep her composure. "Mr. Hendrix, I had nothing to do with the data leak. I'll do whatever it takes to prove my innocence."

The man beside Nicolas laughed, his voice dripping with amusement. "No way, Nicolas. You got played by a woman, huh? You should know how valuable the information she sold me was!"