Chapter 67
Yves jerked his hand back from Gaia's shoulder. In his panic, his fingertips caught on her collar, popping open the first button of her work shirt.
His pupils contracted. His gaze swept from Lucinda's face to the voice recorder in Kenna's hand. His mouth twitched. "Ms. Wipere, shouldn't you knock before barging into my office?"
Lucinda didn't look at him. Her gaze was on Gaia.
Gaia still stood by the desk. The thread she'd been holding taut this entire time snapped the moment she saw Lucinda.
She wrenched free from Yves's grip and, under his stunned stare, bolted toward Lucinda.
She shrank behind Lucinda, both hands clutching Lucinda's sleeve so tightly her knuckles trembled.
Yves's gaze tracked Gaia. He stared at the figure hiding behind someone else, his expression darkening degree by degree.
"You—" He pointed at Gaia, his voice rising. "You dare betray me?"
He lunged forward, hand raised, swinging toward Gaia's face. "You ungrateful bitch! Haven't I been good to you? And this is how you repay me?"
Gaia squeezed her eyes shut. One second. Two. Three.
The slap never landed.
She opened her eyes. Lucinda's right hand had lifted from her side, fingers clamped around Yves's wrist.
Yves's arm hung frozen mid-air. He looked down at the hand gripping his wrist. The flab on his face twitched. He yanked twice. Didn't budge.
Lucinda twisted her wrist and shoved forward.
Yves stumbled backward several steps, slamming into the edge of the desk. He grabbed the surface to steady himself.
He looked down at his wrist. A red mark was already forming.
He lifted his head to look at Lucinda. The contempt in his eyes slowly receded. "Quite the grip you've got there."
He rotated his wrist, his voice carrying a strange hint of amusement. "I underestimated you, Ms. Wipere."
He straightened up, adjusted his rumpled collar, and suddenly smiled. "But let's be real here, Ms. Wipere. You may be company leadership, but you have no right to interfere in what happens between me and my girlfriend, do you?"
He emphasized the word "girlfriend" heavily, his gaze flicking toward Gaia before returning. His smile made your stomach churn. "How the two of us get along in private is our business. You're an outsider. Why are you sticking your nose in?"
Lucinda raised an eyebrow and let out a cold laugh. "Don't you have a wife? Where'd this girlfriend come from?"
Yves's gaze settled on Gaia behind Lucinda. Without shame, he said, "Of course it's this bitch who seduced me! She wanted a position at the company, so she insisted on being my girlfriend."
Gaia's face flushed crimson. She hurried to explain to Lucinda. "I didn't… That's not—it was him…"
Yves scoffed, not even glancing her way.
Lucinda looked at him for two seconds. Then she turned her head and said one sentence to Gaia. "Show him."
Gaia froze. Then she understood.
She released Lucinda's sleeve. Her fingers were still trembling, but her movements were steadier now.
She lowered her head and removed something the size of a grain of rice from the second button of her work shirt. A tiny recording device.
Yves's smile froze.
Gaia walked to the desk and connected the device to the computer.
The moment the screen lit up, Yves's face appeared in the footage.
His hand on Gaia's shoulder. The sickly sweet things he'd said. The way he'd backed her against the desk, step by step. Every frame was undeniable.
Yves's face went an ugly shade of gray.
"You dared to play me." His gaze drilled into Gaia's face, violence churning in his eyes. "Just wait. This isn't over. You think she can protect you forever? The day she's not around, I'll make you pay."
Gaia's shoulders jerked violently. She instinctively took half a step back.
Lucinda stepped forward, shielding her. "Yves, you abused your position to coerce and assault multiple female employees. The evidence is clear. You've committed crimes. And now, threatening a victim in front of me? That's an additional charge."
Yves opened his mouth. Lucinda didn't give him a chance to speak.
She turned her head and gave Kenna an order. "Have security escort him to the police station."
Kenna acknowledged and spoke quietly into the walkie-talkie.
Less than a minute later, two uniformed security guards appeared at the office door.
When Yves saw them, his face changed completely. He tried to back away, but the guards had already seized him by both arms.
"Let go of me! What right do you have to arrest me—"
His voice exploded through the hallway. He thrashed wildly, using every limb.
The guards ignored his struggle and marched him toward the elevator.
Just then, hurried footsteps echoed from the far end of the hallway.
Joseph practically ran over, his tie askew, a sheen of sweat beading on his forehead.
He shoved aside whoever was in his way and rushed up to Lucinda. "Ms. Wipere!"
Seeing Yves being dragged away by security, his gaze filled with panic. "Does it have to be like this? Do you have to go against me?"
Lucinda looked at him, her tone icy. "Mr. Miller, I'm simply following proper procedure. I'm not going against anyone. Whether someone's guilty or not—let the police investigate."
Joseph's lips trembled. The muscles in his face twitched faintly.
He leaned forward half a step, lowering his voice further. "Ms. Wipere, can we settle this privately? Name your terms. Anything's negotiable."
Lucinda looked at his face leaning closer, smelled the mix of cigarette smoke and cologne clinging to his collar.
She took half a step back, putting distance between them. Her gaze swept over his face like he was something insignificant.
"Call the police."
Joseph's face went completely ashen.
He stood rooted in place, watching helplessly as the guards hauled Yves into the elevator.
The moment the elevator doors closed, Yves's curses were cut off by the metal panels. The hallway fell abruptly silent.
Joseph suddenly thought of something. He spun around, strode to the corner of the hallway, pulled out his phone, and with trembling fingers dialed a number.
The call connected. His voice was low and rushed. "It's me. I need you to do me a favor. My brother-in-law just got taken to your station—"
The person on the other end said something. Joseph's voice cut off abruptly.
He stood there gripping his phone. The fine layer of sweat on his forehead finally gathered into a single drop and slid slowly down his temple.
The person on the other end told him: the person he was looking for had been suspended that afternoon.
Joseph slowly lowered his phone, staring at the ended call on the screen. The shirt on his back was drenched in cold sweat.
He'd been in this business for years. He'd never encountered a situation like this.
It was Lucinda…
She'd gotten his contact at the police station removed—before he even made the call.
Who the hell was she?
In that moment, Joseph realized he might have crossed the wrong person.