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Rachel stared at me and didn’t say anything.
“You were right, and when I get back, you and I are going to talk about things.”
Rachel searched my face. “We’ll see.”
I took both of her hands in mine and brought them up to my lips for a kiss. When I lingered, my hot breath dancing across her skin, Rachel’s breath hitched in her throat. She stared at me through hooded eyes. Then she withdrew her hands and let them fall to her sides. Reluctantly, I took a few steps back and gave her a meaningful look.
“Don’t give up on me, Rachel. I’m going to make this right.”
Before she could respond, I spun on my heels, took my bag, and wheeled it behind me. When I got on the elevator, Rachel was still standing in her doorway, in her knee-length dress, with her hands clenched. She unclenched her hands when she looked at me and released a deep breath. A moment later, the door shut behind her, and the elevator took me downstairs.
Jonathan was waiting for me in his usual spot, and he took my bag as soon as I stepped out. In silence, I got into the back andstared out the window, my mind racing with possibilities. At the airport, I waited until Jonathan drove away, turning into a speck on the horizon, before I gestured to a cab.
As soon as I got into the cab, I took my phone out and launched the application. On the screen, I saw the door to my office creak open, and Carla’s face appeared. With a frown, I leaned closer, and my heart pounded against my chest.
Planning a fake business trip hadn’t been hard.
Not letting anyone know what I was really doing had difficult.
Especially when I wanted to come clean to Rachel and beg for her forgiveness.
Unfortunately, without proof, I knew I wasn’t going to win her back. Having spent the past few weeks watching Carla’s every move, waiting for her to give herself away, I was relieved that things were finally going to end. Not only was I finally going to figure out what she was really up to, but I was also going to win Rachel back, silencing any doubts she had once and for all.
I just needed to wait a little while longer.
I watched Carla creep forward and glance around. Briefly, I saw her reflection in the glass before she tiptoed, bare feet silent against the carpet. Then she was behind my desk, rifling through the papers there. Once she was done, she opened and closed several drawers, a small furrow between her brows the entire time. She tossed her hair over her shoulders and grunted when the last drawer wouldn’t budge. With a frown, she reached into her jacket and pulled out a lock pick.
Carla smiled triumphantly and jimmied the drawer open.
Then she turned to the laptop, her fingers moving quickly across the keyboard.
Given that I’d placed several cameras in my office to confirm my suspicions, I could see her from every vantage point. While the cab moved through the busy streets of the city, colors, and shapes rushing past in either direction, I didn’t look away from Carla. A short while later, I got an alert on my phone and smiled.
As expected, Carla was trying to hack into the computer.
I was relieved that I had given the rest of the employees a day off.
Considering our history, the last thing I wanted was to have this story make the front page of the tabloids. By the time the cab pulled up outside the office building, I saw Carla access several confidential company files and make copies of them. She worked quickly and quietly, glancing towards the door every so often. After paying the cab driver, I hurried through the empty lobby and headed for the elevator.
As soon as the elevator opened on my floor, I crept forward, heart galloping steadily inside my chest. I made a beeline for the office and didn’t stop until I pushed the door open with a thud. Carla jumped up when I walked in, and her eyes widened into saucers. She took a few steps back until she was pressed against the wall, a thin sheen of sweat breaking out across her forehead.
“What are you doing here?”
“I’m the one who’s going to be asking the questions, Carla,” I told her, bridging the distance between us and frowning. “I have security cameras everywhere in my office. I had a feeling you were going to try something when I left, so I took my precautions.”
Carla pushed herself off the wall and straightened her back. “You set me up? Why would you do that?”
“Because I knew you were up to something, but I couldn’t figure out what it was.”
Carla folded her arms over her chest and gave me a stony look.
“I can either show the video to the police, or you can tell me what you’re really doing here,” I continued, pausing to twist the phone in her direction. “What’s it going to be, Carla?”
Carla swallowed. “You’re not really going to send that to the police, are you? Not after everything we’ve been through together.”
I shrugged. “Do you really want to take that risk? Your reputation will be ruined, and your entire family is going to hear about this. I don’t think you want to risk that.”
Not when she had a lot on the line.
