Love's Bitter Edge (Eva and Leonard)

When I went back to my workstation, everyone turned their gaze to me. I was aware that they would think that I was a pain in the neck after what happened that day.

Mr. Finnley and Anne were in his office, talking about something for a long time. Eventually, she ran out with reddened eyes. It led me to think that he was serious about giving her the boot this time, which would mean he was an utter and complete scumbag. Anne might've resorted to petty and dirty tricks because she didn't like me, but she could only do what she did after she got permission from Mr. Finnley. After all, he wanted to get me, his competitor, out of the picture.This belongs to NôvelDrama.Org - ©.

I wouldn't deny that cutting off his losses was the best way to keep himself safe. However, Anne was just a pawn in the power grab. If he didn't give me a satisfactory explanation, I wouldn't let him off that easily either.

The next morning, Mr. Finnley called me to his office. "We've found the person who slandered you, Rinatta. It's the security guard who worked his shift that day."

This was completely unexpected.

Not a lot of people in Erewhon liked to work overtime, and Anne had been hanging out with her friends at the bar then. So, it was impossible for her to have sneaked back to secretly take photos of me. The security guard was the only one who knew that Willis and I didn't leave, but he was also just a pawn.

I raised an eyebrow and didn't say anything.

Mr. Finnley sat on his chair and looked at me with a relaxed expression. "We've found the guy, and he did take the photos. We won't let him off the hook. Meanwhile, the HR department has already kickstarted the termination procedure. We'll also keep pursuing legal responsibility. Are you happy with the result?"

I looked at Mr. Finnley, feeling somewhat amused. What kind of result was this? In the end, he didn't pin the blame on Anne and let her take the fall. What made him think I would be satisfied with this result?

I took a seat on the chair across from Mr. Finnley. "I'm not happy with it."

I saw him squinting, and I shrugged dismissively. "Didn't we say we were going to involve the police in this case? We might as well do it now. I've had someone look into all the accounts that slandered and insulted me. It turns out they share the same IP address that belongs to Anne's computer. If I could find out about it, then why couldn't you?"

Needless to say, I didn't investigate jack squat. However, a person in the wrong would always feel diffident.

Right now, that person was eavesdropping on me and Mr. Finnley from the door. When she heard that I checked the IP address, Anne immediately opened the door and walked inside.

"Hacking into the company's system is against the law, Rinatta!"

"The CEO gave me approval," I just lied out of my butt.

Mr. Finnley and Anne probably recalled Jack's attitude from yesterday because both of them looked intensely frustrated.

I sighed softly, "Do you honestly

have no idea that it's very easy to trace a computer's IP address? Moreover, all the accounts you used are new accounts. You only have one or two email addresses. Do you think for a second that there aren't any records in the backend system?"

If someone in Pyrosia wanted to engage in public opinion warfare, he or she would've hired internet trolls to get the job done. However, Erewhonians rarely did stuff like this. Moreover, no one seemed to have the knowledge to create and maintain dummy accounts.

Anne visibly went into panic mode. "I-It wasn't me, Rinatta. Actually, I..."

Then, she gave Mr. Finnley a pleading look. However, he merely coughed heavily and didn't return her gaze.

"Are you aware that tarnishing someone's reputation is illegal, Anne? Furthermore, your actions have affected the company. Do you think you'll be sent to prison?" I said calmly.

On the other hand, Anne was full-on panicking. She didn't have the luxury of caring about our other colleagues, who were eavesdropping on our exchange by the door. She directly held my hand.

"I'm sorry, Rinatta. I let my emotions get the better of me, but I didn't mean to cause you harm. I-I just... Please, you have to let me go this time. Just this once, please."

Anne's eyes were brimming with frantic dismay. If she was fired over this, her life would be over.

I turned around and looked at Mr. Finnley. "I'm sorry, but I'm not the supervisor. How do you think we should handle this, Mr. Finnley?"