Janine's shrill voice pierced the room. "Of course he does! This was your plan all along, wasn't it? To ruin my son and drag his company down with you?"
Before I could defend myself, Sally's smooth, false voice cut through. "Wait. Fighting won't help. Michael...where's the flash drive now?"
Michael swallowed hard. "I—I gave it to Miss Eliana."
The air shifted. Every head turned toward me.
Sally smirked. "Then there’s an easy way to clear this up. Search her things. If it’s not there, she’s innocent."
I glared at her. "This is your game, isn't it?"
She tilted her head innocently, but the gleam in her eyes betrayed her.
Darren’s jaw ticked. "Search everything. She better pray they don’t find it…"
The minutes dragged like hours. And then the guards returned —holding the flash drive up like a trophy.
My blood went cold.
"This is a setup!" I yelled. "I don't know how it got there, but it wasn't me—"
The words split as Darren's palm cracked across my face. My head whipped sideways, blood filling my mouth.
My ears rang. My vision blurred.
And then-sirens. Red and blue light flashed through the windows as officers stormed in. My wrists were yanked behind me, metal cuffs biting into my skin.
"Eliana Centineo," an officer barked, "you're under arrest for theft and aiding and abetting corporate espionage."
They dragged me away. Darren didn’t stop them. Janine didn’t speak. Sally just smiled.
***
That night, the stench of sweat and bleach choked me in the cell. The bars clanged open, and in walked Sally.
Her violet dress shimmered like mockery under the fluorescent lights. Darren had bought that dress for me.
"Hello, you little thief," she purred, pulling out her phone. "The launch was a success. Everyone’s praising Darren. Everyone’s talking about you, too—about how pathetic it is for a wife to steal from her husband."
"You framed me." My voice was raw, but firm.
She leaned closer, her lips brushing my ear. "Finally catching up, are we? You should be flattered—I put a lot of effort into ruining you."
My fists curled. "Why? Because I won’t roll over and let you replace me?"
Her laugh was low, triumphant. "Replace? Eliana, I already have. Darren held my hand through the launch. He kissed me in front of the cameras. And the best part? The public loves us. Soon, you’ll be nothing."
Her perfume turned my stomach.