Frustration gnawed at Frank. He'd orchestrated everything for Noelle, but Xenia had hijacked the spotlight. It was a misunderstanding, yet the sting lingered. Every attempt at reconciliation with Noelle ended with Xenia's inopportune arrival, exacerbating the situation.

Xenia, eyes red-rimmed, pleaded, "Noelle, I'm so sorry! I thought you were hiding your identity for a better internship." Noelle's lips curled. "Your quick thinking is impressive," she conceded, a cold edge to her voice. "No wonder I lost to you in my past life."

Isaac, witnessing Xenia's tears, sprang to her defense. "Mr. Liddell, this isn't Ms. Quigley's fault. Ms. Liddell could have revealed herself anytime." He looked heroic, he thought; maybe Xenia would even fall for him.

Frank's gaze iced over. "You're the one who hit Noelle yesterday, right?"

Isaac paled. "She attacked me first!"

"Because of your foul language. Get out."

Panic seized Isaac. He looked to Xenia for salvation. Gritting her teeth, she intervened, "Frank, he fixed the firewall! We can't fire him."

Frank's eyebrows shot up. "Wasn't that Noelle?"

Bobby chimed in, "Ms. Liddell said her code was stolen."

Knowing Noelle's involvement from the start, he knew her capabilities. Isaac, the IT lead, hadn't solved the firewall issue; how could he suddenly fix it?

"I didn't steal it! I wrote it myself," Isaac insisted.

"Noelle says otherwise, but there's no proof," Xenia added smoothly.

Frank eyed Noelle skeptically. "Noelle, are you sure?"

Derision flickered in Noelle's eyes. "Yes!"

James snapped, "Bobby, check the surveillance."

Bobby returned, grim-faced. "The lobby footage is broken. Nothing from the last few days."

Xenia’s smugness was barely concealed. She feigned distress. "What do we do now?"

Isaac grinned. "Without evidence, who can prove I stole anything? Just because you’re the heiress doesn't give you license to slander me."

Xenia, adopting a worried tone, turned to Frank. "Frank, Noelle's trying hard, but she shouldn't steal someone else's work."

Frank, troubled and irritated, tugged at his tie. "James, find other evidence."

"There is evidence!" Noelle declared, pulling out her phone. Last night's surveillance footage played, showing Isaac copying her data, even tampering with her code. Everything was crystal clear.