The next morning, instead of going to Stone Corp as usual, Evelyn headed to her office at Empowered. She had received a call from Susan the previous night, informing her that the board was holding a meeting that morning to discuss disciplinary measures. Evelyn was to find the person behind the article and their source, or face the consequences.

"I came to Ludus for a promotion, not to face the consequences of an action I had nothing to do with," she thought, looking out the window of her cab. She wouldn't let anyone—not even Sandra or Michael—mess with her integrity and damage her reputation.

Upon entering the building, she stopped at reception and asked the receptionist to summon all team heads to the conference hall. Instead of going to her office, she went straight to the hall to wait.

Ten minutes later, the unit heads arrived, one by one, and sat around the conference table. Evelyn couldn't believe her first address to her subordinates would be about this issue; it angered her.

Looking around the table, she said, "I'm sure I don't need to tell you why I called this meeting. I'll go straight to the point: Who released the article on Mr. Derek Stone? And on whose orders?" Her gaze moved from one person to another.

The deputy editor cleared his throat. All eyes turned to him. "The information came through our tip line from an anonymous source days ago. We investigated, checked old pictures of Derek Stone and his last online picture before he stopped making public appearances, and confirmed the news before publishing."

"So, it was released on your orders?" Evelyn asked. He nodded hesitantly, avoiding her gaze.

"Why wasn't I informed before publication?" Evelyn asked, frustrated. She had suspected an anonymous tip if someone was trying to frame her, but knowing for sure only increased her frustration.

"You know our weekend column is all about gossip. How were we supposed to know this would cause such a commotion? We can't inform you about everything we publish. Besides, you haven't officially resumed yet," he pointed out.

"The point is, you all knew I was working on an exclusive with Derek Stone, yet you published this. Do you have any idea how much trouble this has caused me?" Evelyn asked through gritted teeth.

"I admit I didn't think of that. I'm sorry. I didn't realize it would blow up like this. I just wanted to get the story out there," he said. Evelyn sighed. "Who heads IT? Can we trace the anonymous caller?" He shook his head.

"We can't. Company policy protects the privacy of anonymous callers. Besides, the tip wasn't false," he said. Evelyn massaged her temples. "I guess that's the end of this meeting. You can all leave." She walked out before anyone could rise.

Tears of frustration burned her eyes as she returned to her office, her heart pounding. What was she going to do? How would she find the person behind the anonymous tip? She couldn't believe there was no way to prove her innocence. In her office, Evelyn broke down in tears. She felt confused, frustrated, angry, and wronged.

While Evelyn grappled with the situation, Derek sat in his office, frowning. He wondered why Evelyn wasn't there yet. They had a misunderstanding, but their arrangement wasn't officially over. Was she angry with him? He thought about everything since his mother's call at the resort.

He'd been thinking about it since the previous night and admitted he hadn't handled things well, leaving room for doubt despite her insistence of innocence. He'd been sure she was responsible for the article, but after last night and her reminder about the NDA, he doubted himself.

Could someone have overheard their conversation? What was he missing? He replayed everything from waking up at the resort to last night at the Quinn residence.

He narrowed his eyes, remembering Michael's confidence that Evelyn had released the news, even though Michael didn't know if Derek had confided in Evelyn or not. Michael had also mentioned Evelyn releasing confidential information.

Could Michael be responsible? Derek didn't want to believe it. Why would he do that? What would he gain?

Derek pondered, remembering Michael's initial curiosity about Evelyn and her presence in his office. He also recalled Michael's upset when Derek granted Evelyn the interview. He thought about Michael hiding Evelyn's identity, then inviting him to her family's anniversary party. Michael must have known Evelyn would be there. Had it all been a plan? It seemed suspicious.

Could Michael have released the news to get rid of Evelyn? But how did he find out about Derek's adoption? He couldn't have overheard the conversation. Then a thought struck him. No way. Michael couldn't have bugged his office. He began searching, praying he wouldn't find anything. His hope crumbled when he found a bug under his desk—planted by Michael.