Hector sneered. "You certainly have the means to cover her compensation, Mr. Sumner."Damon looked at him and said slowly, "I'd cover her compensation—if she's actually responsible for this.""Who else could it be? The email was sent from her computer. That's a fact, isn't it?" Hector asked.If he weren't afraid of future retaliation from Damon, he'd almost accuse him of deliberately shielding Nyla."It was indeed sent from her computer, but there's no evidence of her communication with Contelligence," Damon replied."That email is evidence enough. What more do you need? Mr. Sumner, are you hesitating to pay?" Hector pressed.If the board were to be the fall guy, he would be the first to refuse!"Mr. Warner, today's meeting is to determine the exact compensation amount, not to discuss whether I'm willing to pay," Damon stated.Hector snorted and fell silent.After an hour of discussion, the agreed-upon compensation amount was 200,000,000 dollars.As the meeting ended, Hector
Rebecca felt a slight relief seeing the panic on Nathaniel's face. Turning her head away, she said coldly, "I already told you that what happened that night should be considered as if it never occurred. If you're having second thoughts, we can still be friends.""No!" Nathaniel took her hand and said gently, "I don't want to be just friends. I want to be your boyfriend."As she looked into his deep, affectionate eyes, Rebecca felt no emotional stir but decided to play along with a shy demeanor. "Okay."Moved by her act, Nathaniel instinctively cupped her chin and leaned in to kiss her.Rebecca, startled, quickly pushed him away. "No… There are too many people in the restaurant. Someone might see us."Noticing her pale face, Nathaniel frowned. "Do I look that unpresentable?""It's not that… It's just that my breakup with Damon hasn't been made public yet. If someone who knows us sees us, it might reflect poorly on you," Rebecca explained."I don't care," Nathaniel insisted."Eve
Gabriel smirked. "Don't worry. If you do as I say, your mother will be safe."Melody glared at him, her eyes filled with deep-seated hatred. "Gabriel, you're so untrustworthy! I was blind to have ever fallen for someone like you!"As she thought about how he had coerced her into borrowing 30,000 dollars from Nyla and wondered what other schemes he might have, Melody felt a wave of despair.Was there truly no way to expose his true nature?Gabriel looked down at her, showing no sympathy for the tear stains on her face. Instead, he found her tears annoying.He pinched her chin and said coldly, "Tomorrow morning, go to Prospectus Technology and report her. The 30,000 dollars she transferred to you tonight is your hush money."Melody's eyes widened in shock, and she shook her head. "No! I won't help you frame Nyla!"She finally understood the real purpose behind Gabriel's demand for the 30,000 dollars from Nyla. Trembling, she realized how dangerous this man was—he truly intended to
Seeing Nyla so agitated, Spencer spoke up. "Nyla, do you have anything else to say?"Nyla didn't respond to him. Instead, she looked directly at Melody and asked, "You're sure the 30,000 dollars I gave you was hush money, right?"For a brief moment, Melody's expression faltered, but she quickly nodded. "I'm sure.""Okay." Nyla calmly pulled out her phone. "I recorded our call last night."As soon as she said that, Melody's face turned pale.Gabriel, sitting nearby, tensed up, his expression darkening. His eyes narrowed, and his hands clenched on the table instinctively.He hadn't expected this—Nyla had been cautious enough to record the conversation even in that situation.Nyla placed her phone on the table and played the recording. The voices from the call echoed through the dead-silent conference room. The more it played, the paler Melody became.When the recording ended, Nyla put away her phone and looked coldly at Melody. "If you don't want to admit it, I can show the times
Melody stood frozen for a moment, stunned by Nyla's questions.After a long pause, she finally spoke. "Does it really matter? As long as you know I did it, isn't that enough?""Of course it matters. When the police come, they'll ask for these details too. If your answers don't match Contelligence's, it will be clear someone else is behind this," Nyla replied.If Contelligence had been interested in Prospectus Technology's research data from the start, they wouldn't have made it public. They'd know it would lead to a lawsuit. The fact that they released it meant they never intended to keep it. Their goal was simply to target Prospectus Technology.More importantly, Nyla had checked the security footage after growing suspicious of Melody. Melody had been delivering meals to her from the cafeteria every day, and the surveillance had never cut out. There had been no opportunity for her to drug Nyla's food or drink.Melody bit her lip and took a deep breath. "Then I'll answer those q
Seeing Nyla's sadness, Damon wanted to pull her into his arms. However, as soon as he touched her, she stepped back.A flicker of disappointment crossed his eyes as he noticed how she deliberately kept her distance."You should head home for now. I've asked Spencer to investigate, and I'll let you know when we have results," he said."Alright," Nyla answered.She walked out of Prospectus Technology and saw Gabriel standing by her car, clearly waiting for her. She quickly approached, her attitude as cold as ever. "Do you need something?""Nyla, have you figured it out?" Gabriel asked.Nyla looked up at him. "Figured out what?""Nothing," he replied.His gentle facade only made Nyla feel more disgusted. He clearly despised her, yet continued to put on this act. She almost pitied him for how hard he tried."If there's nothing else, I'm leaving," she said.Gabriel nodded. "Alright."As Nyla's car disappeared from sight, Gabriel finally looked away, got into his vehicle, and head
Nyla lowered her gaze to the soup bubbling in the pot and fell silent.The kitchen was quiet, save for the sound of Damon chopping vegetables and the faint hum of the range hood.When Damon finished slicing the potatoes, Nyla glanced at him. "You can go sit in the living room. I'll handle the rest."Their relationship wasn't the kind where they should be cooking together. Nyla was already starting to regret not turning him away at the door.Damon stared at her for a few seconds before nodding. "Alright."Once he left the kitchen, Nyla breathed a sigh of relief. She poured the soup into a bowl, quickly washed the pot, and began stir-frying the potatoes.About ten minutes later, she brought the dishes out, surprised to find Damon asleep on the sofa. She instinctively softened her footsteps.After setting the table, Nyla hesitated to wake him. In the end, she decided to give him another 30 minutes. If he was still asleep by then, she'd wake him.Fortunately, Damon woke on his own
Nyla hummed in response. She was about to take out the trash, so she decided to walk Damon downstairs as well.Damon, wanting to spend more time with her, refrained from offering to take the trash for her.Nyla's apartment wasn't on a high floor, so despite Damon's intentions, there wasn't much time to linger.Once they reached the ground floor, Nyla threw the trash into the bin and turned to Damon. "Mr. Sumner, I won't see you off any further."Without waiting for a reply, she turned and walked away.Damon watched her retreating figure with a complex expression. He sensed that Nyla had truly let go of their past.He wasn't sure how long it would take for her to forgive him, but he believed that day would eventually come.…Back at her door, just as Nyla was about to unlock it, a sudden noise from the stairwell startled her.She turned to see Gabriel emerging from the hallway, his gaze fixed on her, eyes dark and unreadable.A wave of unease swept over Nyla as she instinctive