Chapter 5 Emma Questioned Over “Reference” Design Work
Ben: [What happened, Emma?]
[Hope you like the flowers. I picked them fresh this morning.]
Memories surged back… At the fashion show clearance, she’d seen Ben and Chloe flirting on the street. Liam and Ryan had been there too, witnesses to the whole scene.
The hurt from that day had driven her to drink herself senseless at the celebration banquet.
Thinking of this, she opened WhatsApp.
Refreshing her status, she saw a flood of comments underneath, all marveling at her “dedication” to working overtime so late at night.
Then she noticed Liam had liked the post.
Did he see my status and come down to find me?
She locked her phone without another word and set it aside.
Scooping up a spoonful of dessert, she tasted it slowly.
It was so sweet she didn’t even notice the small smile tugging at the corners of her mouth.
The next morning, the design department was buzzing.
As Emma stepped into the office, every pair of eyes turned to her. Whispers chased her footsteps.
“The design department was broken into last night,” Iris whispered. “The competition design drafts were found on your desk this morning. They’re supposed to be locked in the director’s office.”
Emma instantly understood someone was framing her.
She swept her gaze across the room, sharp and cold, and the noise died down.
With a lazy flick of her fingers, she lifted the stack of papers and let out a soft, humourless laugh. “So your design drafts walked over to my desk all by themselves.”
She released her grip. The blueprints scattered across the floor.
Everyone had clearly been waiting for her to show up so they could attack her to her face.
“Emma! You don’t have to stoop this low just to win the competition!”
“So that’s why you worked so late last night. You were ‘referencing’ our designs!”
“The drafts are confidential. You’ve seen them now. How is that fair?”
…
Accusations piled on, one after another.
“If I really wanted to ‘reference’ your work, I’d just take photos,” Emma said coolly. “Why keep the originals? Better yet, I’d destroy them so you’d have no proof. I’m not that stupid.”
The crowd faltered into silence.
“What’s going on?” Ethan walked into the design department, with Liam and Ryan right behind him.
Emma’s eyes flicked to Liam, then quickly away.
“Nothing serious. Just Emma helping herself to the competition drafts. People had a few complaints,” someone said sharply.
“No, I didn’t,” Emma said, her voice firm.
Under Liam’s icy gaze, her heart pounded faster, and her defence sounded shakier than she liked.
“Your work means nothing to me,” she added, eyes steady. “I don’t believe your designs have the power to stop me winning the championship.”
The design department exploded again.
“How arrogant!”
“What a braggart.”
…
Liam let out a soft chuckle.
“Check the surveillance footage,” Ethan suggested.
“Security said there’s no footage of how the drafts ended up there,” Iris replied.
“Emma,” Liam said. His calm, even voice cut through the noise.
“Come with me.”
His tone was mild, but there was still a distant chill in it.
He turned and headed for the elevator.
The second he left, the whispers broke out again.
The familiar pine scent in the elevator slowly soothed the knot in Emma’s chest.
When they entered his office, Ryan slipped out and closed the door behind him.
“Sit and have breakfast,” Liam said, handing her a set of cutlery.
She froze.
Just as she opened her mouth to speak, her stomach growled loudly, ruining her attempt at composure.
Still puzzled why he’d ordered breakfast for her, she finally accepted the knife and fork.
She cut her food, chewing slowly, swallowing each bite; beside her, Liam ate at the same unhurried pace, perfectly composed.
“Finished?” he asked.
“Yes.” She took a tissue and dabbed her lips delicately.
“Focus on your work. Off you go,” he said, already packing away the lunchbox.
Emma hurried to help, and her fingertips brushed the warmth of his hand before she pulled back.
“I’ll head out then,” she murmured.
“Okay.”
At the doorway, she paused and turned around. “Mr. Hayes.”
He tossed the lunchbox into the bin and looked up at her.
“About us… please don’t mention it to anyone,” she said, her tone edged with quiet pleading.
“About what?”
“Everything.”
“Alright.” He gave a brief answer and walked back toward his desk.
She let out a long breath of relief, but she still couldn’t make sense of his approach.
Back at her workstation, the atmosphere felt heavy.
“There are some leftover Mexican tacos. Want to try one?” Iris nudged a container toward her.
“No, I’m full.”
“Of course you are. After being wronged like that, who could eat?” Iris said, worry creasing her brow.
A short while later, Ryan appeared and called Ethan away.
The whispers around them grew louder as everyone speculated about what had happened upstairs.
“Did the boss give you a hard time?” Iris asked quietly.
“No.”
“Then what did you do up there for over ten minutes?” she pressed.
“He just asked about what happened this morning,” Emma said, then quickly changed the subject. She opened Venmo and transferred money to Liam with a note:
Breakfast.
On the top floor, Liam’s phone vibrated in the middle of a meeting.
Seeing the message pop up, he let out a faint chuckle and shook his head. “We’ll adjourn here. Continue this afternoon.”
The executives around the table exchanged surprised glances.
News of Emma being summoned to the president’s office had already spread like wildfire. Everyone assumed she’d been scolded harshly.
In the tenth-floor cafeteria at lunch, the rumours behind her escalated.
“I’d like to request leave starting the day after tomorrow,” Emma told Ethan calmly, sitting across from him.
He nodded.
“You definitely need a break,” Iris added quickly. “Once the surveillance is fixed, the truth will come out.”
“My leave has nothing to do with that,” Emma said. “I’ll sort the matter out before my vacation so I don’t drag the company down. I’m just exhausted and need to recharge.”
“I heard the president is recruiting a new secretary,” Iris whispered, spotting the HR rep passing by. “Doesn’t look like the boss is so cold anymore, huh?”
