Caleb Vance hurried forward with an ingratiating smile plastered across his face.
"Mr. Sullivan, you've misunderstood. I would never spread rumors about Ms. Sophia. Everyone knows her character. We just thought... it might be a joke."
Ethan Sullivan's gaze turned glacial.
The air around him grew heavy with palpable menace.
"Do you really think anyone is fooled by your act?"
"Your performance metrics are abysmal, yet you excel at stirring trouble."
His voice carried lethal finality.
"You caused disruptions at the last industry conference too."
"My company has no place for your kind."
He turned to his assistant.
"Notify HR. Terminate him immediately."
Caleb's face drained of color.
One careless remark had cost him everything.
Sophia Sullivan's lips curled in cold amusement.
She and Ethan shared an uncanny alignment when it came to judging character.
Overt fools barely warranted her attention.
But these backstabbing schemers—male or female—made her skin crawl.
Caleb and Chloe Evans were cut from the same cloth.
Always playing the innocent while manipulating others to do their dirty work.
"Ms. Sophia was with me all last night."
Ethan's voice cut through the silent office.
"We left the building together. Are you suggesting we conspired to commit theft?"
His piercing stare could flay skin.
No concrete evidence existed.
Sophia remained the prime suspect.
Yet he trusted her integrity without question.
This reeked of an elaborate frame-up.
The silence grew deafening.
Panic seized Caleb.
He should have quit while ahead.
Now unemployment forced him into Chloe's camp.
Her terms were clear—Sophia's complete ruin.
With nothing left to lose, he lashed out.
"Why defend a woman like her, Mr. Sullivan? A divorced secondhand goods—"
The sentence ended in a shriek.
Sophia's kick landed between his legs.
Simultaneously, Ian Watson's fist connected with his jaw.
Caleb crumpled, sweat soaking his shirt.
Sophia appraised Ethan's assistant with newfound respect.
Even the administrative staff here possessed surprising combat skills.
"Call the police," Ethan commanded. "Or we can settle this in court. Sullivan Group welcomes the challenge."
Security moved to drag Caleb away.
He thrashed wildly.
"Bullying me won't silence the rumors! Firing me changes nothing!"
Defeat was inevitable.
The Sullivans could erase him from A-City.
With Ethan as an enemy, Chloe became his only lifeline.
Sophia laughed softly.
"Frame the accuser? How original."
Her gaze swept the room.
"Perhaps you're unaware—while visible cameras were disabled, ceiling monitors remained active."
"Footage requires executive clearance."
"Several million in losses constitutes grand larceny."
"I wonder what sentence that warrants?"
Caleb blanched.
Hidden cameras? Impossible.
He'd planned to fence those limited-edition perfumes.
His accomplices began shifting uneasily.
Their complicity could mean prison time.
"Ms. Sophia must be joking!"
"This is clearly a misunderstanding! Someone framed us!"
"Mr. Sullivan, Caleb orchestrated everything! He resented Ms. Sophia!"
The alliance shattered instantly.
Each threw Caleb under the bus.
"Liar!" Caleb roared, pain lancing through his injuries.
When Ian produced a micro-camera, despair took hold.
With surprising strength, he broke free.
"YOU put me up to this!" He lunged at Sophia. "Now you'll let me take the fall alone?"
Sophia's eyes narrowed.
A cornered rat still had teeth.
Even in death throes, Caleb sought to drag her down.