h's

en and the flash drive sticking out of the USB port. I felt wav

thing as she froze at the desk. I could see the strain radiating

taring at me from the screen like a gho

rver room fully. "Whe

even. "Why d

is a trap," I added, taking slo

shadowed by the fluor

it is on there. It's made

parted. There was nothing but distrust in those dark eye

ve for someone wit

s the enemy even after we

oice as I motioned towards the laptop. "Take it off. N

the fatigue written in the small creases around her eyes in th

Blackwell File

meone has been attempting to fabricate a sto

as a tone of doubt in her voice, as though sh

sounded harsher

ho

s I combed my hair. "If I kne

I could see the internal confl

The remark struck li

d, extending my arms. "C

V and back again. Her hand moved

he motion, I moved in fro

Reynolds device, they'll trace it. Whoever sent it. They'll know you took th

roze in midair

lackmail that quite turn into demands. Someone wants me destroyed, and the board will have the right to cancel my one-yea

thing other than accusations in her voice a

stinging me in the throat. "Why give you more ammunition

, but she didn't answer. A br

spotless, and she had great posture. Her eyes, however, had changed. A w

it to you?

ened. "It doe

-prepared to frighten you. They were aware of which

," and eventually took her hand

g a wave of reli

that there is still tim

in every line of her face

hat, e

void. "Us. The home. Eliza. The company. We must quit playing opp

nding from the chair with fluid ease. "I'm

match the force of those words. With

cide what kind of man y

e that might have frozen blood. I was left alone with the humming s

aid across my desk like a crime scene's evidence. I hardly

nt to look real while damaging everything it came into contact with. It would have automatically uploaded fake files to our servers, tracked IP add

ed partners attempted to release falsified corruption records

stared at the ceiling. My fat

But respect? That's earn

the business. Dad gave me everything in his will when he passed away, but there were u

cate an appropriate person. Put an end to it in a year. Maintain the public's

had anticipated. I never thought it would ma

me as though I

wearing pearls and a sharp navy blazer. With her school uniform neatly ironed, Eliza sat

ed with a smile that coul

, but I couldn't tak

we

er skirt and stood

nd pick out a book fo

girl ran

by crossing her arms. "I didn't

w you

forget what that

contact. "Do you think the

She mentioned there was another woman

ly. The words sank into th

rised that I was s

hated her. Claimed that she was a diversion from work and a gold digger who would d

appened

ore than a whisper. "But I had nothing to do with that. But I had nothing to do with that.

s unreadable. "And th

alleged 'evidence' on that drive is similar. Ela

for a considerab

r my appointment," and took her keys f

are you

ut

t an answe

t offeri

or the evening. While sipping a tumbler of aged whisky and observing the distant twinkling city lights

s she always did, Instead, she got ou

this?"

range man in a coffee shop handed these to me and di

as of me going into a building in Shanghai on a work trip two years ago. Another showed me shaking han

e pile in a rage. "Digital tricks. These could b

e nothing to

someone f

roughout. "However, someone did. Someone

u?" I mana

on stayed co

re that they are not merely aimi

do you

But just before the doo

one accessed your father's private archive yeste

at her,

framed from the outside, Josh.