CHAPTER FORTY-TWO
623 Words
Chapter Forty-Two
The following week at Nivida carried an undercurrent of unease. Meetings went on, contracts were reviewed, and strategies discussed, but Briella’s mind kept circling back to Grace. She had seen the flicker in her eyes. She had felt the venom beneath the smiles.
Clara, ever perceptive, had begun quietly watching. She noticed little things—Grace’s eagerness to insert herself when Briella and Marcellus were in the same space, her subtle attempts to delay or redirect communications, and the way her eyes lingered on Briella with unspoken hostility.
That Tuesday morning, Clara stepped into Briella’s office, her tablet pressed against her chest.
“Ms. Tristan,” she began cautiously. “Something odd happened yesterday. I emailed a document directly to Mr. Cedric’s private folder, as instructed. But he didn’t receive it. When I checked, the file had been rerouted… through Grace’s system first.”
Briella’s eyes sharpened. “And you’re certain it wasn’t just protocol?”
“No, ma’am. I double-checked. It’s not standard. Grace would have had to manually adjust the path.”
Briella sat back in her chair, her fingers steepled under her chin. For a long moment, she said nothing. Then, softly but firmly: “Good work, Clara. Do not confront her. And don’t let her suspect that you’ve noticed. We’ll give her enough rope to hang herself.”
Clara nodded, though her unease lingered.
That afternoon, Briella had a contract review meeting with Marcellus. Grace was present, hovering by his side with her usual air of indispensability. Clara stood behind Briella, her expression calm and professional, though her eyes occasionally darted toward Grace.
“Clause 14 clearly stipulates equal liability in case of withdrawal,” Briella was saying, pointing sharply at the document projected on the screen. “There is no loophole Harrison & Co. can exploit. If they attempt to break this, it’s a legal breach.”
Marcellus gave her a small, approving nod. “Exactly my assessment.” His gaze lingered on her a moment longer than necessary, something Grace didn’t fail to notice.
“Mr. Cedric,” Grace cut in smoothly, “perhaps it would be wise if I drafted the follow-up correspondence. My tone tends to… de-escalate situations.”
Briella’s eyes flicked toward her, unimpressed. “That won’t be necessary. Clara has already prepared a draft. I’ll review it personally before it goes out.”
The atmosphere sharpened. Clara lowered her gaze quickly, though she could feel Grace’s glare boring into her. Marcellus, oblivious to the silent duel, continued flipping through his notes.
After the meeting, Briella lingered with Marcellus, discussing adjustments to the project timeline. Grace excused herself reluctantly, shooting a final frosty glance at Clara.
Later, when Briella finally returned to her office, Clara was waiting. “You saw it, didn’t you?” she asked quietly.
“I saw,” Briella replied, placing her papers on the desk. “Grace is bold. Too bold. That makes her dangerous—but also careless.”
Clara shifted uneasily. “Do you want me to start keeping written logs? Of everything I notice?”
Briella’s lips curved into a rare, approving smile. “Yes. Every email. Every rerouted file. Every look. We’ll build a pattern. When the time comes, we’ll expose her. But on our terms.”
Outside the office, Grace stood just beyond the corner, pretending to study her phone. She hadn’t heard the full exchange, but she caught enough—the way Clara’s voice carried, the word logs.
Her grip tightened around the device until her knuckles whitened. A slow, dangerous smile touched her lips.
“Logs won’t save you, Clara,” she whispered under her breath. “You’ll regret standing in my way.”
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✨ End of Chapter Forty-Two ✨
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