Chapter Five – The Truth Between Them
835 Words
The following morning, Amelia didn't report to work.
Daniel noticed the empty desk the moment he stepped out of the elevator.
For some reason, the office felt quieter.
Colder.
He walked into his office and tried to focus on the mountain of documents waiting for him, but every few minutes, his eyes drifted toward the empty chair outside the glass wall.
"Evelyn," he called through the intercom.
His assistant appeared almost instantly.
"Has Miss Hart called?"
"No, sir."
Daniel nodded, though disappointment settled heavily in his chest.
"Thank you."
---
Across the city, Amelia sat on the balcony of her tiny apartment, wrapped in a blanket despite the warm afternoon.
Her phone had been ringing all morning.
She ignored every call.
Especially the ones from Carter Holdings.
She replayed the previous day's events over and over in her mind.
Someone had planted that flash drive.
Someone wanted her gone.
The question was why.
Her phone buzzed again.
This time it was a text.
Daniel Carter: "Meet me at Riverside Café. Six o'clock. Please."
She stared at the final word.
Please.
It didn't sound like the confident CEO she knew.
Against her better judgment, she agreed.
---
The café overlooked the river, where the setting sun painted the water in shades of gold and amber.
Daniel was already there when Amelia arrived.
He stood as she approached.
"You came."
"You said please."
A small smile crossed his face.
"I don't use that word often."
"I noticed."
They sat in silence until the waiter left with their order.
Daniel looked directly at her.
"I don't believe you leaked those files."
Amelia folded her arms.
"But you suspended me."
"I had no choice."
"You always have a choice."
His shoulders slumped.
"You're right."
She wasn't expecting him to admit it.
"I've spent my entire career making decisions with my head," Daniel said quietly.
"Yesterday was the first time my heart disagreed."
Amelia looked away.
"I don't know if that makes me feel better."
"It shouldn't."
He sighed.
"I owe you an apology."
"For what?"
"For letting you face that room alone."
His voice was sincere.
"I should have protected you."
She studied him carefully.
Behind the expensive suit and calm expression was a man carrying more regret than pride.
"You've apologized twice."
"I'll keep apologizing until you believe me."
Despite everything, she smiled.
"You really don't know how to lose an argument."
"No."
"And you hate being wrong."
"I do."
She laughed softly.
"So I've noticed."
For the first time in days, the tension between them eased.
Daniel reached into his briefcase and placed a folder on the table.
"I started my own investigation."
She frowned.
"What do you mean?"
"I didn't trust the evidence."
Inside the folder were security reports, access logs, and surveillance photographs.
"The flash drive appeared in your desk at 9:17 p.m."
"I wasn't even in the building."
"I know."
She looked up.
"The security cameras covering your office were disabled for exactly six minutes."
"That's not a coincidence."
"No."
Daniel's eyes narrowed.
"Someone planned this."
Before Amelia could respond, a familiar voice interrupted them.
"Well... this is unexpected."
Vanessa.
She stood beside their table wearing oversized sunglasses and a smile that looked almost rehearsed.
"I thought suspended employees weren't supposed to have dinner with the CEO."
Daniel stood immediately.
"This isn't your concern."
Vanessa removed her sunglasses.
"It became my concern the moment your reputation became attached to hers."
Amelia rose from her seat.
"I don't want to cause trouble."
"You already have," Vanessa replied coldly.
Daniel's expression hardened.
"Enough."
People around the café had begun watching.
Vanessa lowered her voice.
"You think she's innocent."
"I do."
"Then prove it."
Daniel stepped closer.
"I intend to."
Vanessa held his gaze for several seconds before walking away.
As she disappeared into the evening crowd, Amelia spoke quietly.
"She hates me."
Daniel watched Vanessa leave.
"No."
Amelia frowned.
"No?"
"She isn't afraid of you."
He turned toward Amelia.
"She's afraid of losing."
---
Later that night, Daniel reviewed security footage alone in his office.
Hour after hour.
Frame by frame.
Then something caught his attention.
At exactly 9:14 p.m., a shadow appeared near Amelia's office.
The person's face was hidden beneath a hood.
But one detail stood out.
A silver bracelet glinted under the hallway lights.
Daniel froze the video.
He had seen that bracelet before.
Vanessa wore it every day.
His pulse quickened.
If he was right, the woman he had trusted for years wasn't just jealous.
She was dangerous.
Daniel leaned back in his chair, staring at the frozen image.
"This isn't over," he whispered.
Across town, Vanessa stood by the window of her penthouse, a glass of wine untouched in her hand.
Her phone rang.
"The first part of the plan worked," a man's voice said.
"But Daniel is investigating."
Vanessa's smile faded.
"Then we move to the second part."
"And Amelia?"
Vanessa looked out at the city lights.
"By the time I'm finished..."
"...she'll wish she'd never walked into that bookstore."
- Writer
