Chapter 21

Skai’s POV

When your opponent charges for the attack, you’re supposed to stay low, not crash with him headfirst. You’re the only one who’ll get hurt.

Aver walked past me, and her eyes glinted with mischief. I headed straight to my office. It was still in a mess.Picked up my bag and headed to the ground floor. Everywhere was empty. I moved past the reception.

The outside greeted me with fresh air, the cold evening sky stretching above me. I flagged down a cab and headed home.

Everything in my mind was proving my innocence within three days. I didn't know if it would start counting tomorrow. It'd better be.

With everything the CEO said to me, there's no way I'm going to stop myself from proving them wrong. I should have known she was coming back at me. She doesn't like anyone getting close to Carlo. I wasn't ready for her dramas. Obsessed, bitch. He was just a pawn in my scheme. Nothing else. Nothing more.

Two days later, I was in my office staring at the ceiling, fluorescent light glimmering into the room, casting soft white streaks around the office. I can't give up now. No, I wouldn't.

Not when I'm closer to getting it. It's easier to destroy things than to make them. I wouldn’t go through that stress to get employed in the LIAS group to get framed by a bitch.

If this were a crime scene and a fingerprint were to be checked, my biometrics would be found on all items. I've arranged the messed-up office after then.

Bad news travels fast. I didn't know how it leaked out; maybe it was the security. I've been walking past the stares, past the whispers.

How did the person get access to the key? Maybe there are spare keys for the whole office in the CEO's office or Carlo’s office. It's definitely Aver.

There was no sign of forced entry. There's no clue left behind. I've tried asking, but there was no eyewitness.

Everyone has been so distant; I've never been close to any of them. Only Bianca comes to my office to check on me. Mia hasn't really been the social type; she's not even an option.

Even Carlo. He saved my ass. Maybe he's doubting or still investigating. The silence before I left the CEO's office that day gave a different meaning. Only God knows the conversation they had behind the closed doors.

I was so lost in thought that I didn't hear the soft click of the door opening. She'd have knocked twice as usual. It wasn’t until a hand waved at my face that I jolted back to reality.

“Good morning, Ma,” she greeted with a low voice as if she wasn't sure if she was supposed to talk.

“Good morning.” I sounded different.The cleaner always comes when we're on breaks during the day. She came in the morning today. It's my first time watching her clean my office.

Something flashed through my mind. Could it be the cleaner? What would a cleaner use the company's document for?My mind has been replaying people's past interactions towards me if they acted somehow. I've never been in anyone's bad books.

She swept the room, raking every corner. Then I found something plastic on the floor. A card with a tiny rope. It's so glued to the black tiles. I'm still surprised by how I saw it.

“Please hold on,” I told the cleaner, and she paused, then stood upright, looking at me with curious eyes.

I bent down and picked up the card; maybe she wasn't even noticing. I flipped the card to the front to check the owner.

Mia Campbell. My eyes widened as I rubbed my orbs.

How did her ID card get here? She has been asking if I found anything strange or different. I thought she cared that much.

Walking back to my table, I sat down speechless; the cleaner stared at my mouth as if I was going to say anything, but no.

The cleaner finished and left. I waited for her to leave; I won't take my chances leaving the door open.I left the office, locked my door, and I went to Carlo’s office. He was around. Thank goodness.

I knocked, and he said, “Come in.”

He looked up and glanced at me, “Sophia”. His voice sounded softer than usual.

“Hi”, I replied, still standing.

I moved closer to the edge of his table. “Is there possibly a place where the keys to all offices are hidden?”

“Yes, why did you ask?”

Then I hesitated; should I tell him?

Should I tell him about the ID card?

The words tumbled out before I could stop them. “ I found an ID card in my office; it belongs to Mia.”

His lips parted, but no words came out at first.

“Could you help me check if the former key to my office is absent?”

“I thought Mia is your friend.”

“Friends might be a stretch; we're co-workers.”

“Are you thinking she might be the one?”

“I'm not so sure, but she hasn't been to my office; it's a mystery that I found her ID card.” He raised an eyebrow, clearly not believing me. But he didn't push.

Has he even thought about this being related to Aver? Maybe that's the reason he has been pulling back.

“I have a key to the place; let's go.”

Then a long silence.

Unspoken words, tension weaving through the air like a tight grip

‘I've not even been to this floor before.’ I thought.

He opened up the key locker, and a bunch of keys were hung on the wall, arranged in order of the floor. My eyes rummaged through the keys, struggling to find my office number until I noticed the blank space. The missing key – Room 203.

Somewhere in this building, someone was smiling.

Watching. Thinking they’d won.

But they had underestimated me.

I looked at Carlo and our eyes met.

“Does anyone have access to this place?”

“No”, it sounded so cold, like his doubts shifted from me to the person that stole the key.

“Follow me,” he said as we went out of the room and he locked it.

I don't know if I was supposed to trust him, but there was no choice.

“Are you always this much of a detective?” He broke the silence.

“I could say the same about you,” I replied.

We entered a room with dim light and a bank of monitors all working on a long table, it looked more like a control room.

The tech guy bowed as if he wasn't supposed to talk in the room.

“I need the footage of the key closet corridor.” He didn't want to mention the floor. The guy must know every nook and cranny of the company.

I sat down with my eyes glued to the monitor as if my life depended on it. In reality check, it really did.

I glanced at Carlo, showing no emotions; he was focused.

Little orange markers lit up across the timeline. He clicked one. The screen changed. Footage from two days ago flickered to life.

A grainy corridor.

A door.

And then... a shadow.

It was becoming clear, a tall, slender lady and another one coming behind.

I leaned in. “Pause. Can you zoom in on that?”

He did, and the face was quite recognisable.

It was Aver and Mia. I never knew they were acquaintances.

My lips parted a bit, and I blinked several times.

The game has just changed.