Chapter 54: Exposing Damian
Just then, a more authoritative voice rang out.
"What are you doing?!"
Laura, the Design Department manager, happened to be passing by with her coffee. She saw the documents on the floor, and her face instantly went white with fury. She rushed over, her heels clicking angrily on the floor.
"Who told you to mess with confidential company files?" Laura's voice was sharp, like interrogating a criminal. "Evelyn! You dare try to steal the company's designs!"
"Steal? This was my project!" Evelyn feigned panic.
"I'm going straight to Damian!" Laura declared. "Evelyn, you can expect to be fired!"
"Whatever, I don't need these files anymore. Here!"
Evelyn casually tossed the folder onto the desk, grabbed Sophie's arm, and rushed out. "Go!"
They didn't let go of each other until they burst into the elevator. Evelyn finally released Sophie, panting heavily.
Sophie was also shaken. "Damn, you scared me. Thank God we pulled it off."
They hurried back to the studio Ethan had rented for them and locked the door.
Sophie urged Evelyn to pull out her phone, impatiently projecting the photos onto the computer screen one by one. The glow from the screen illuminated their faces in the dim room.
"My God, look at this. Look at this!" Sophie pointed at an enlarged receipt, her voice shaking. "The Presidential Suite at the Ritz Paris, a week's stay, billed under 'Overseas Market Research'."
"And this one, an Hermès Birkin bag, described as 'Gifting to Important Client.' When the hell did Sienna become an important client?"
Page after page, Damian's greedy, shameless true face was completely exposed. Next to the stolen design sketches were even his forged designer signatures.
"With this, darling, we'll make his life a nightmare!"
Sophie pumped her fist excitedly. "We'll anonymously leak these transactions to the board, and send a copy to the IRS! I bet Omni Group's books will never stand up to scrutiny. Just dealing with the internal investigation and tax audit will be enough to bury him! Let's see if he has any energy left to bother us!"
Evelyn stared at the shocking figures and documents on the screen, feeling sick to her stomach. This money belonged to the Omni Group, the profit earned by countless hardworking employees. Yet Damian had casually turned this cash into tools for wooing his mistress.
How many more dark sides did the man she once truly loved have that she didn't know about?
"But..." she hesitated. "Will this drag in the other employees? Like those in the finance department?"
She remembered the nervous, ordinary staff who greeted her at the company. They were just trying to make a living, and shouldn't be involved.
Sophie saw her hesitation and walked over, placing a hand on her shoulder.
"Hey, look at me."
Sophie's eyes were resolute. "We aren't trying to destroy the company. We're trying to destroy Damian."
"Those old foxes on the board are smarter than anyone. When they realize the CEO is emptying the company accounts, their first move will be to handle it internally and minimize the impact. They'll throw Damian under the bus to protect the company and themselves. We only target the ones who deserve it: Damian and Sienna. We won't hurt any innocent person, I promise."
Evelyn looked into Sophie's eyes, and her last shred of doubt vanished.
She couldn't be weak anymore. For herself, for her child, and for everyone Damian had harmed.
Evelyn and Sophie didn't sleep that night. They categorized the photos, organizing them into a clear, ironclad report. Every file was annotated, clearly showing the flow and use of the funds.
At four a.m., while the entire city slept, two anonymous emails were sent.
One went to the private inboxes of every member of the Omni Group board.
The other went to the local IRS hotline.
In less than two days, chaos erupted in Damian’s office.
First came severe, highly formal letters of inquiry from the board, demanding immediate answers. Then, the IRS called as well, informing him the company needed to comply with a full tax audit investigation.
Damian sat at his desk, his face grim. He quickly ran through a list of his business rivals, dismissing each one. This tactic was too direct, too personal. It wasn't the style of those old foxes.
Evelyn.
The moment the thought hit him, the whiskey glass in Damian's hand crunched. Glass shards cut into his palm, and blood mixed with the amber liquor dripped onto the carpet, but he didn't seem to feel the pain.
It was her. The woman he thought he had caged, whose claws he believed he had clipped.
How dare she!
A volcanic rage boiled up from his chest. He grabbed the phone, his voice glacial.
"It's me." He growled into the phone at his private assistant. "Listen up. Now, immediately, freeze all bank accounts and credit cards in Evelyn's name. Completely remove her from Omni's employee roster. I never want to see that name on any document again."
"Also, notify HR to blacklist her with every headhunter in New York. I want her to never find another job in this industry."
At that moment, Evelyn and Sophie were at the studio, fully focused on completing the white gown named 'Rebirth'.
Just as Evelyn was carefully sewing a row of tiny pearls onto the skirt's hem, her phone abruptly vibrated. A text notification from the bank popped up.
[Dear Customer, your account ending in 4582 has been frozen...]
Evelyn froze instantly, staring at the message.
"What's wrong, darling?" Sophie noticed her stillness and stopped working.
Evelyn handed her the phone, her lips pale.
Sophie took one look and shot to her feet. "That bastard! He moves too fast!"
Evelyn hadn't thought Damian would find her private account, which held not only the funds from Mr. K but also the savings the Director had loaned her.