Chapter 233
At 3:17 AM, Evelyn Sinclair faintly heard the sound of a turning lock in her sleep.
Her lashes fluttered, but she didn’t open her eyes.
This was the seventh time.
From bolting upright in alarm at first to now not even bothering to roll over.
At dawn, she pushed open her bedroom door to find the living room spotless.
Evelyn stared at the steaming cup of black tea on the coffee table, her fingertips turning cold.
She quickly dialed Alexander Kingsley’s number.
“What is it?” His low voice on the other end was like a blade dipped in ice.
“Did you come back last night?”
The scratch of a pen on paper came through the receiver.
“Not coming back this week.” Alexander paused. “Be careful.”
The call lapsed into eerie silence.
Evelyn counted to ten heartbeats before softly calling, “Hello?”
“Speak.”
“N-never mind…”
Her ears burned as she hung up.
Why did she sound like a schoolgirl called out by her teacher?
On the 23rd floor of the financial tower, Evelyn stepped into the office with morning dew still clinging to her shoes.
The meeting notice in the department chat remained pinned at the top.
She reached into her bag for the USB drive—
Empty.
Desk, drawers, file racks… She searched every possible spot.
The last usage record showed yesterday afternoon.
Right when Xavier Stapleton had barged in and snatched her phone mid-call…
Evelyn pressed her lips together and posted a photo of the USB in the department chat.
[Has anyone seen my USB drive?]
Replies poured in, all variations of “Haven’t seen it.”
A private message suddenly popped up in the lower right corner.
[Evelyn, I know who took it]
The cursor blinked before another message followed:
[Roman Young. He’s a repeat offender.]
Evelyn glanced toward the corner.
A young man in black-framed glasses sat in the shadows, stiffening visibly under her gaze.
The department chat exploded.
Xavier: [Whoever stole it, step forward!]
Wendy West chimed in with sarcasm: [Did we turn into a den of thieves?]
“Enough.”
Evelyn’s quiet voice instantly silenced the entire office.
“It’s just an empty USB.”
She tapped the desk. “Meeting in thirty. Don’t waste time.”
At lunch, Wendy dragged her to the employee cafeteria.
“You’re too soft, Evelyn!” Wendy stabbed her salad with a fork. “Roman is just a—”
“Proof?”
Evelyn cut her off, noticing the figure in the corner shrink further.
“He’s about to get fired during probation!” Wendy raised her voice. “Last week he lost client files!”
The glass reflected Roman’s white-knuckled grip.
His food remained untouched.