I Was Pregnant, He Chased Another Woman

Chapter 3

Claire dragged her suitcase into the master bedroom and locked the door behind her.

The solid wood door completely separated the two of them.

Steven slowly walked back to the sofa and lit another cigarette. Through the swirling smoke, dark, complex emotions roiled in the depths of his eyes.

The next afternoon, in the meeting office, the cold wind had left the whole office icy cold, along with the atmosphere of the executive meeting, which was heavy and somber.

A document containing partial client information and initial contact meeting minutes from Rayford Capital had somehow ended up in the hands of Lumina Partners, Rayford Capital's competitor.

As the project lead, even though there was no direct evidence linking Claire personally to the leak, she could not shirk her responsibility for the incident.

"Claire, Rayford Capital is extremely displeased and has demanded that we provide an explanation and take remedial measures," the general manager said, his face grave. "Until this matter is fully investigated, you are required to suspend all work duties and cooperate with the investigations. All projects under your charge, including your collaboration with Rayford Capital, will be temporarily reassigned."

The suspension notice was icy and sudden.

After Claire received the company's notice of suspension pending investigation, her computer access was immediately frozen.

After thinking it over for a few seconds, she picked up her bag and phone and went straight to Steven's law firm.

Ignoring the receptionist's attempts to stop her, she shoved open the door of Steven's office in one sharp movement.

Steven stood by the window, his back to her.

"You did this?" Claire closed the door, her voice ice-cold.

Steven turned around slowly. There was little surprise on his face—only a deep, heavy calm.

"You leaked Rayford Capital's data to Lumina Partners, didn't you?" Claire leaned her hands on his desk, her gaze as sharp as a blade. "Only you had both the motive and the ability to pull this off. Steven, is this the only trick you've got?"

Steven held her gaze and exhaled a cloud of smoke. "The method doesn't matter, only the result does. Claire, I gave you the choice. You refused to drop the lawsuit."

"You'd destroy my career just for your mistress?" Claire's chest heaved with rage, but she still forced her voice to stay steady.

Steven's eyes filled with regret. "She's nothing like you, Claire. Her father's a compulsive gambler, owes a mountain of gambling debts, and he takes his family as cattle. Her mother was beaten so badly that she's barely mentally stable, and her younger sister just started high school—all their expenses depend on Freya. She's only twenty-three, and she's already carrying this broken family on her shoulders. She had no choice. She had to go to that kind of place to make money."

Steven's tone softened. "Claire, drop the lawsuit. I'll smooth things over for you at the company, let you leave with dignity, and you'll even get a decent severance package. After that, you can stay at home in peace, no more fighting out there every day as you do now. After all, a woman still belongs at home."

"Don't even think about it!" Claire let out a cold sneer.

Steven stepped closer, bracing both hands on the edge of his desk, in front of his office chair. "Claire, I managed to get that file to Lumina Partners once; I can do it a second time, a third time. In the end, you won't just lose your current job—you'll never work in the finance industry at all."

Claire looked at him as if she were looking at a hysterical stranger.

"Try me."

She pulled open the office door and walked out without a single glance back.

By the elevators, Freya spotted Claire and hurried over, her voice soft and gentle. "Claire, please don't be too hard on Steven, he's only doing this because..."

Claire shot her a cold glance and pressed the down button for the elevator.

But Freya would not back down. She lowered her voice. "You can't force his feelings. You're such a wonderful person. Why keep holding on and making all three of us miserable? Let go early, it's better for everyone."

Claire turned her head and handed over a document.

"Since you care so much about him, take this to him. Tell him this is my final condition—if he signs it, I'll leave right away and never bother either of you again."

When Freya saw the words "Divorce Agreement," her eyes lit up.

Claire curled the corner of her lips. "Ms. Paxton, aren't you in a hurry to take my place? Now the opportunity is right in front of you. Aren't you going to take it?"

Freya clutched the agreement and hurried to Steven's office.

Only about five minutes later, Freya returned, wearing an unconcealed, almost triumphant grin as she handed the signed agreement back to Claire.

"Ms. Jones, look. Steven signed it. I hope you keep your word."

The elevator slowly opened.

Claire's tone still gave no hint of emotion, her gaze fixed on Freya's work ID. "Quite efficient. Ms. Paxton, you do have Steven's complete trust as his assistant, don't you?"

The elevator descended, bringing a faint feeling of weightlessness.

Claire pulled her phone out of her pocket and tapped to stop the recording.

Claire walked into a café on the street corner and used her spare phone to remotely pull up the security camera footage from her home. The footage clearly showed that after she locked the bedroom door last night, Steven spent half an hour operating her computer in the study.

She pulled up the computer's event viewer. Sure enough, files containing client information had been accessed during that time frame.

She sent the surveillance clips, system operation log, audio recording, and the divorce agreement straight to her lawyer and filed a police report alleging suspected infringement of commercial secrets and sabotage of business operations.

After finishing all this, she bought a ticket for the earliest trip to Riverport.

As the scenery flashed by outside the train window, she opened her laptop and began drafting an explanation and proposed solution for her company and Rayford Capital.