Chapter 26: Lost trust

Words : 1037 Updated : Sep 12th, 2025

Chapter 26: Lost trust Anne pushed back her chair and stood up, prepared to answer—but Becca chimed in. "The project progress report. She worked so hard on it until late last night, but... I think she forgot to save it properly. And now, she can’t find it." Becca played her role perfectly, masking her deceit under a layer of false sympathy. Tania let out a dramatic sigh, shaking her head in mock disappointment. "What a shame," she drawled. "Such carelessness is not expected from you, Anne. As a secretary, you should have been careful—but instead, you simply forgot to save a file?" She scoffed. "This is unacceptable." Turning to Denis, she tugged at his arm and pouted. "Denis, you can’t keep her as your secretary. Fire her immediately." Denis remained silent. He didn’t look at Tania, nor did he acknowledge Becca’s words. His cold, piercing gaze was fixed solely on Anne. Anne also looked at him. She was sure she had saved that file. Not only that, but she had also backed it up on Google Drive—it was her habit to store important documents online as a precaution. That’s why she wasn’t nervous. But now, she realized someone had touched her laptop while she was away. Someone had intentionally erased her file. Her mind raced back to the fleeting moment from last night—when she had seen Becca sneaking away just before she left the office. A flicker of doubt crept into her mind. She suspected that Becca had done something with the file. "I saved it," Anne said firmly. "But it’s gone now." Tania let out a mocking laugh. "Gone?" she scoffed. "How could a file just vanish if you had saved it? Be honest, Anne—you probably dozed off while working and thought you saved it, but in reality, you didn’t." Anne didn’t flinch. She met Tania’s glare head-on. Her mind raced, wondering if Tania had her hand in this. "Anne... did you really forget to save it?" Becca asked with fake concern. The room was silent. All eyes were on Anne. But inside, she was no longer worried. She had already figured out what had happened. And now, it was time to find the culprit. Anne’s gaze flickered toward Becca. Last night, she had seen Becca sneaking out of the office. At the time, she had dismissed it, convincing herself that she had imagined it. But now, facing the accusation, she was sure Becca was behind it. Becca had messed with her laptop while she was in the restroom. Becca feigned sympathy and suggested, "If you did forget to save it, just admit it and apologize to the boss. I’m sure he won’t fire you." But Anne barely registered her words. Her focus shifted entirely to Denis. "I’m telling the truth," she said unwaveringly. "I didn’t doze off. You know I wouldn’t make such a mistake. I saved the file. But someone deliberately deleted it from my laptop." "Ridiculous," Tania snapped. "Who would bother to mess with your laptop?" She turned, addressing the surrounding staff. "Tell me—do any of you know her password?" Murmurs filled the room as everyone shook their heads. But one person didn’t move. Becca’s face turned pale. Anne didn’t miss it—the slight stiffening of her posture, the flicker of fear in her eyes. She had trusted Becca. She was the only one who had access to her laptop because they had worked together on several projects. And now, she knew the truth. Keeping her expression neutral, Anne spoke calmly, "Then let’s check the surveillance footage." Becca’s head whipped toward Tania, panic flaring in her eyes. Tania’s confidence wavered, but she recovered quickly. "Denis, you can’t possibly believe this nonsense, can you? Why waste time checking surveillance? It’s obviously her negligence. You should fire her right away." But Denis didn’t move. He didn’t respond. Instead, his cold, calculating eyes remained fixed on Anne, assessing her carefully. Tania’s unease grew with each passing second. Denis’s silence was making her restless. If he checked the surveillance footage and caught Becca deleting the file, everything would unravel. And if Becca broke under pressure, she might expose her. She couldn’t let that happen. Clasping Denis’s arm, she shook him slightly. "Are you even listening to me?" Denis’s expression darkened in an instant. With a sharp motion, he shoved her hand away, his eyes burning with fury. "You have one hour," he hissed coldly. "I want the report on my desk in one hour. Or else, you will face the consequences." Without waiting for a response, he spun around and stormed into his office. A slow, satisfied smirk curved Tania’s lip. She turned to Anne, stepping closer. "You asked for my help in getting his approval for your resignation," she reminded her smugly. "And I played my card. You should be thanking me. I hope you won’t make a fuss and just leave quietly." Anne’s glare hardened. She knew now—Tania had orchestrated this entire mess with Becca. Throwing Anne one last condescending glance, Tania sauntered into Denis’s office. "Anne..." Becca called softly. "Are you okay?" Anne slowly turned to her, her narrowed gaze piercing through the false sympathy. She had shared her laptop password only with Becca. Other than her, no one would unlock it and delete the laptop. Becca had betrayed her. She had sided with Tania. The realization settled deep in Anne’s chest, colder than she expected. She had lost the only friend she had in this office. Another crack in her already fragile trust in people formed in her heart. "It’s okay," she said flatly, as if none of this mattered. "I already wanted to resign. It was Mr. Beaumont who refused to approve my resignation. But after this incident, he’ll definitely let me go now." Anne turned, walking away. She needed space, fresh air to clear the storm in her mind. Becca stood frozen, watching Anne’s retreating form with growing frustration. This wasn’t what she wanted. She had expected Anne to break down—to be desperate, helpless, pleading for help. She had wanted to see her fall apart. Instead, Anne was indifferent. Becca’s stomach twisted uneasily at the unexpected calmness in her voice. "Why is she so arrogant?" she muttered, irritation bubbling inside her. "It’s

Chapter 26: Lost trust

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