The Daughter They Never Wanted

Chapter 2

Justin sat behind his desk with a calm expression, though it was clear he was in a good mood.

"Mr. Palmer, the reports are finished," I said, stepping up to his desk.

Without even looking up, Justin gave a faint response, "Mm."

I paused for a moment and placed the reports on his desk.

Noticing the iced coffee beside his arm, I couldn't help but add, "Your stomach isn't in good shape. You should drink less of that."

During his medical checkup last month, he had just been diagnosed with moderate gastritis, and the doctor had repeatedly instructed me to take good care of him.

Hearing my words, Justin lifted his eyelids.

Instead of looking at me, he instinctively looked toward Megan to gauge her reaction.

Only then did his gaze shift to me, his tone remaining cold, perhaps even colder than before. "Got it."

Knowing he wanted to avoid suspicion, I said nothing more.

I turned to leave and exchanged glances with Megan, who offered me a sweet, victorious smile.

When I went to work the next day, I discovered that my computer had been formatted.

Everything on the hard drive had been wiped clean, repeatedly erased so thoroughly that recovery was entirely impossible.

Panic seized me immediately. The computer contained all the spreadsheets and files from the past six months. If they were lost, I couldn't bear to imagine the consequences.

Instinctively, I looked toward Justin's office, intending to ask him for help, but he wasn't there.

Seeing my state, nearby colleagues murmured in concern, "What happened? Did someone tamper with your computer?"

I contacted the security department directly.

"Someone tampered with my computer last night," I explained on the phone. "Could you check the surveillance footage to see who did it?"

After making the call, I sat at my desk and took deep breaths, my body trembling slightly.

That computer contained a project I had been working on for half a year, along with all its supporting materials.

If it was gone, I couldn't even imagine how long it would take me to recreate everything.

Throughout the entire morning, I was distracted and overwhelmed with anxiety.

By noon, I finally found time to head to the security department, but Justin intercepted me halfway there.

Seeing Justin, the grievances and panic I had held in all morning finally found an outlet.

My eyes reddened, and my voice trembled. "Justin, do you know what happened? All the files on my computer were—"

"I know," he interrupted in a low voice, cutting me off coldly.

I froze, staring at him.

"Don't make a scene about this. Pretend it never happened," he continued, glancing around the hallway. "Take your time recreating the files; you'll be given time."

I raised my head and looked at him blankly. "You know who did it?"

Justin's eyes turned slightly cold. "I know, but it's not important."

"It's very important to me!" I shouted, unable to hold back my outrage.

That was my hard work, something I had poured endless nights into. Yet Justin dismissed its destruction so casually.

It was as though the things I created with dedication had no value at all. Just as in front of my parents and in front of Justin, I was equally insignificant.

The surrounding colleagues looked over with curiosity.

Justin knitted his brows and frowned deeply. "Samantha, stop making a scene out of nothing, okay? This wasn't a big deal to begin with."