Frank’s hand lashed out, slapping Isaac hard. "How dare you touch Noelle's files? You want to die?"

Isaac stared, stunned. "I—I didn't! I—" He’d deleted the surveillance footage, hadn't he? How could this be happening?

Xenia, having seen the video, knew something was wrong. Noelle had the footage all along. A trap? Grabbing Isaac’s arm, her eyes brimming with feigned sorrow, she whispered, "How could you? I trusted you!"

His body weakened from the scent of her perfume. He glanced around wildly. "Yes, I did it. But I couldn’t stand her arrogance! It’s nothing to do with anyone else!"

He couldn't betray Xenia. Noelle's constant bullying had driven her to this.

Relief flooded Xenia. She couldn't be implicated. Turning to Noelle, she mumbled, "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have doubted you."

Noelle sneered. "An apology is due."

Xenia flinched, fear flashing in her eyes. Isaac, feeling self-righteous, chimed in, "Ms. Quigley had reason to suspect you. You had no evidence!"

Silence. Then Bobby roared, "You stole Ms. Liddell's code and you dare speak?!"

Frank's face was like granite. "James, fire him. Call the police."

Panic seized Isaac at the words "fired" and "police." Xenia’s tearful gaze, full of longing, met his. He remained silent. Security escorted him out.

Noelle smiled coldly. "Xenia’s quite charming, isn’t she? Getting men to talk for her."

Xenia gritted her teeth. Isaac hadn't exposed her. She had to admire the bitch's tactics. "Noelle, Isaac and I are just colleagues. He misled me; I thought he wrote the code."

"Noelle," she pressed, "Why didn't you show the footage earlier? This wouldn't have happened."

Noelle casually played with her phone. "I wanted to see who was framing me." She'd anticipated this, laid a trap.

Xenia’s heart pounded. What if Isaac hadn't confessed? She would be ruined. Frank no longer trusted her.

"It's obvious," Noelle continued, "Isaac couldn't fix the firewall, feared responsibility, so he took a risk."

Xenia felt a cold dread. Noelle was too calm. What else did she know?

Frank's voice was hard. "This goes deeper. I don't believe a team leader acts alone."

Xenia’s heart sank. If they investigated further… everything would be exposed.