Chapter 30: The confrontation

Words : 1316 Updated : Sep 12th, 2025

Chapter 30: The confrontation Becca’s composure cracked under Anne’s fierce glare. She hadn’t expected Anne to suspect her. Panic flared within her, but she refused to show weakness, quickly masking it with outrage. "What nonsense?" she snapped. "I left before you even finished the report. How could I have deleted the file if I wasn’t here?" "You didn’t leave. Don’t lie," Anne retaliated vehemently. "I saw you sneaking out of the office just before I left. You stayed hidden in the shadows, waiting. And the moment you found the right opportunity, you slipped back in, went to my desk... and deleted the file." A muscle in Becca’s jaw tensed. She adjusted her round glasses, pushing them higher onto the bridge of her nose, nervous. Anne didn’t miss it. She pressed forward. "You’re the only one who knows the password to my laptop," she pointed out coldly. "No one else could have unlocked it but you. Why, Becca? Why did you do that?" Becca was still not ready to accept it. "I don’t know what you’re talking about. You’re making baseless accusations." She raised her chin. "Do you even have proof?" "You think I need proof to know it was you?" Anne sneered. "It’s obvious." Becca swallowed hard, shifting uncomfortably under Anne’s penetrating stare. "But still," Anne continued with a quiet confidence, "proof is necessary." She pointed toward the security cameras lining the office walls. "I went to check the footage." It was a bluff—she hadn’t seen it yet. But she knew it was Becca. And all she had to do now was push her enough to break. Becca took an unsteady step back, cold sweat forming at the nape of her neck. Anne watched her closely, studying every flicker of panic that crossed Becca’s face. The flustered look, the nervous shuffling—it was all the confirmation she needed. Anne took a step forward. "I have seen everything. But what I don’t understand is why." She paused for a moment as she struggled to process Becca’s betrayal. "We were good to each other." A hint of sadness and disbelief crossed her face. "Why did you betray me? What did I ever do to offend you so much that you targeted me like this—sabotaging me, not even caring about the company’s most important project?" Becca’s heart pounded, but her pride—her resentment—refused to let her crumble so easily. Yes, she had once acted like Anne’s friend. But deep down, she had always been jealous and resentful of her. Anne was talented, confident, and respected. She always seemed to succeed, while Becca had to fight for every bit of recognition she got. No matter how much she tried, she had never been able to surpass Anne. Then Tania, the rumored girlfriend of Denis, had approached her with an offer. The chance she had been waiting for. All Becca had to do was help get rid of Anne from the office. She had agreed without hesitation. Now that her real intention was exposed, she didn’t have to pretend to be nice to Anne. "Why?" Becca sneered. "I never liked you. I am just as talented and hardworking as you. But you get all the appreciation. You got the boss’s attention and became his secretary while I—" her voice wavered with frustration, "—I was just as eligible for that position. But you got it just like that—no interviews, no competition, nothing!" She snorted as she threw Anne a disdainful look. "Tell me, Anne—how is that fair?" Anne’s chest tightened. She had never realized Becca had been competing with her all this time. How had she been so blind? She had thought Becca was a friend. She had trusted her. And all along, Becca had been harboring jealousy. Just as she was lamenting her shortsightedness, she heard Becca say, "But you crossed the line when you seduced the boss." Anne’s head snapped up, her blood running cold. Becca’s expression contorted with disgust. "I mean, seriously? You crawled into his bed and tried to snatch him away from Miss Tania! How shameless can you be?" The words echoed through the office. Heads turned, curious glances directing toward them. But Anne barely noticed it. The accusation rattled her to her core. "Seducing the boss?" Anne couldn’t believe she heard that. She had been Denis’s girlfriend for the past three years, and he was the one who had proposed to her. She had harbored feelings for him, yes. But he had been the one to approach her. She had never approached him even though she had harbored feelings for him. It was Denis who had taken the first step. It was Denis who had chosen her. And yet—this was the story Becca had spun? She wasn’t just trying to ruin her career. She was trying to destroy her reputation. Anne took a few moments to process her words. It all made sense now. Tania had fed Becca lies—twisting the truth, planting false narratives, turning her against Anne. As soon as the realization hit her, a surge of fury exploded within her. "Do you even hear yourself?" Anne snapped. Becca flinched slightly at the sharpness in her tone. "You believed everything Tania told you without question. If she really cared about Mr. Beaumont, then where was she all these years? Why did she break up with him three years ago? Do you even know?" Becca’s mouth parted slightly, unable to form an answer. Her expression shifted from arrogance to uncertainty. Anne didn’t wait for one. "She chose her career over him. "She left him. Abandoned him. And now, after all this time, she suddenly wants him back?" Even though Anne knew that Denis’s heart still belonged to Tania, she refused to let anyone slander her. She refused to let Tania’s lies go unchecked. "Have you ever seen her in the past three years?" Anne continued with the same sharp tone, her anger fueling every syllable. "And yet, she is suddenly back. Following him. Claiming him. Acting as if nothing happened. Do you even know if he wants her back? What if, during these three years, he has already started liking someone else?" For the first time, Becca wavered. Her shoulders slumped slightly as doubt crept into her mind. Had she been wrong about Tania? Anne’s words made her question everything. But even as uncertainty gnawed at her, she refused to accept it. No—Tania had to be right. Steeling herself, Becca lifted her chin. "That’s not true," she hissed, forcing confidence back into her voice. "The boss has never been seen with another woman before. Miss Tania is the only one who is always around him—the only one allowed into his office without permission. If she is not his girlfriend, then who is? Don’t try to twist the truth, Anne. In reality, you’re just jealous of her." "Jealous?" Anne was about to fire back when a deep, commanding voice sliced through the tension like a blade. "What is the commotion here?" A heavy silence fell over the room. Every eye turned toward the source. Denis. He stood there, his expression cold, his presence suffocating. Anne froze before her heart twisted painfully in her chest. Her mind flashed back to what Haris had told her earlier—that Denis had refused to take action against Becca. A bitter resentment burned inside her. Her hands clenched at her sides, and she turned her head away, feeling the weight of injustice pressing down on her. Denis saw it. The quiet disrespect only added fuel to the fire of his already simmering rage. "Anne," he bit out, "come to my office. Now." Without waiting for a response, he turned sharply and strode back to his office. Casting one last, warning glare at Becca, Anne stormed off after him. Becca felt a chill run down her spine. "Is she going to report me?" A cold dread settled in her heart. What if Denis fired her?

Chapter 30: The confrontation

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