Chapter 82: Is Everything Okay?
Evans smirked, pretending to be unbothered. "We’ll see," Evans said softly.
Winn’s lips pressed into a firm line as he pivoted. The moment he stepped out of the building, the weight of the confrontation lifted slightly, replaced by a tension that simmered under the surface. He exhaled heavily.
As he slipped into the car, his fingers hovered over his phone before typing a quick, precise message to Joey: Get the IT team on the leak. I want to know how Everest knew about the property. Now.
Reese started the car smoothly, glancing briefly at his boss in the rearview mirror. Winn leaned back, momentarily closing his eyes, letting the silence wash over him, already calculating his next move.
*****
It was almost midnight when a sharp knock rattled Ivy’s door. She had just been dozing, curled beneath the comforter, when her heart leapt into her throat. She padded barefoot across the floor, nerves already prickling as she peeked through the peephole. Winn stood there, hands shoved deep in his pockets, his posture taut even in casual shorts and a fitted t-shirt that clung to the muscles of his chest.
"Hi!" Ivy whispered as she opened the door. "Is everything okay?"
Winn breezed past her into the apartment. He kept his hands in his pockets, as if restraining himself.
"I had the tech team working on tracking all communications out of House of Kane," he said finally. His gaze cut to hers. "An email was sent to Everest’s Firm."
Ivy’s stomach sank. She had already guessed where this was heading. Her pulse quickened.
"They found the leak," Winn said simply.
"And you think it’s me."
"Did you do it?" Winn asked finally.
"No," she said. She stepped closer. "But when I got to work this morning, I tried logging into the office network, and my account had already been logged into... a few days ago. And I wasn’t even in the office." Her brows furrowed. "Winn, maybe check the security cameras."
"Already did. It was logged into remotely." He delivered the fact coldly. His eyes searched hers, hunting for cracks, for guilt.
Ivy’s chest tightened. He didn’t believe her. She took a breath, anger sparking through her fear. "Winn, I didn’t do this."
He studied her, jaw tight, lips pressed into a grim line. "I have history with Evans," he said. "It seems like he likes to use those close to me against me. Why should I believe you’re not in league with him?"
"Because...what would I gain from it?" Ivy demanded. Her arms folded over her chest, her body tense.
Winn’s jaw clenched, his broad shoulders rising and falling with his quickened breaths. "Money," he said finally. "You need it, clearly."
Ivy blinked. Heat rushed up her neck, her fists trembling at her sides. "And what exactly do you mean by that?" she snapped, stepping closer to him, fire sparking in her eyes. Her heart screamed how dare you? This was the man she had given her body to, the man she had confessed her love to — and here he was reducing her to a desperate gold-digger.
"You are being defensive," Winn shot back, taking a half-step closer, looming. "Do you have something to hide?"
Ivy’s lips parted, her chest heaving as she stared at him in disbelief. "And you are being insulting. I may not be rich, Winn, but I have something you clearly don’t know a thing about—integrity. You talk about betrayal, but maybe you should take a look at yourself. You can’t even trust the woman you claim to want in your life. Its quite glaring that you have trust issues."
He dragged a hand down his face, then dropped it with a growl. "I have... I have trust issues? I would trust people if they gave me a reason to trust them! You think I got where I am today by trusting people. Don’t get it twisted. I am not marrying you because I trust you!" His fists clenched at his sides.
Ivy’s spine straightened. She wasn’t going to let him bulldoze her emotions. She lifted her chin. "I need you to leave, Winn. I need you to leave before I say something I will regret."
"Look me in the eye," he growled. His eyes burned into hers, demanding, pleading, unraveling. "Look me in the eye and tell me you didn’t sell me out to Evans."
Ivy’s throat tightened. Her lips trembled with rage. She jabbed a finger toward the door. "Get out! You are free to question me however you want at work, Mr. Kane, but this—" she gestured around the room, "this is still my house. And I want you to leave. Now!"
For a long moment, silence thickened between them, broken only by the sound of their uneven breathing. Winn’s eyes flicked over her face, searching for —remorse, a lie, an opening—but all he found was steel and heartbreak. His chest constricted painfully. He inhaled deeply and then he exhaled.
He turned and walked to the door. Ivy collapsed onto the sofa, burying her face in her trembling hands.
Outside, Winn stood, his back pressed against the door he had just walked through. His jaw ached from clenching so hard, his chest burned with the ache of unsaid words. He could feel it deep in his bones, he had messed up. Badly. There he went again, destroying good things with his own self-sabotage. And God help him, he didn’t know how to fix it.
*****
The next morning, Ivy arrived at the office hours before sunrise, the building eerily quiet. Her fingers trembled slightly as she sped through hours of security footage, her nails clicking against the mouse. Frame after frame showed nothing—her desk sat untouched, her chair unmoved, her workspace neat.
Her stomach churned. Winn had been right—it was done remotely. She leaned back in her chair, blinking fast, but the tears still burned, spilling anyway. The question knotted in her chest: Why me? If they wanted to destroy the mall project, why use her as the scapegoat, the disposable one?
(Sorry, this came late. I am feeling a bit ill. Could barely keep my eyes open.)