Emily, Marlon, and David walked out of the restaurant, and Marlon, being the gentleman he is, said, "Hey Emily, how about I give you a ride home?"
Emily glanced at her watch and replied, "No need, Marlon. You should take Dr. Garcia back. I gotta head back to the office."
Seeing she was set on it, Marlon didn't push any further.
"Just be careful, okay?" Marlon said, a bit worried.
"Don't worry, I got this!" Emily replied with a smile.
Marlon had actually picked a restaurant close to the Rivera Group for Emily's convenience, and it was in a pretty quiet spot.
Back at the office, Emily dove right into testing out the new algorithm David had suggested. She spent hours debugging and tweaking the code. After days of relentless effort, she finally got the initial functionality up and running. The success filled her with excitement and pride.
But she knew this was just the start. There was still a ton of work ahead. She felt she was on the brink of a major breakthrough and was determined to see it through.
Emily checked her phone and saw it was already past 4 a.m. Exhausted, she couldn't fight off sleep any longer and dozed off at her desk. She woke up groggy, reaching for her phone, not noticing a gray coat had slipped off her shoulder.
"Hello, Ms. Thompson, you are suspected of committing an act of intentional harm. Please come to the police station immediately to cooperate with our investigation," said a voice on the other end.
Emily was stunned, still half-asleep and clueless about what was happening. She tried to stay calm, "I don't understand. I've never intentionally harmed anyone."
But the officer didn't give her a chance to explain, just repeated the request for her to come to the station.
Emily hung up, feeling confused and uneasy. She racked her brain, trying to think of anything she might have done wrong, and then it hit her—Shirley!
This sudden mess left her in a tough spot. If she didn't go to the station, her reputation and career could take a hit. But if she went and couldn't prove her innocence, things could get even worse, especially since she had lost her cool that day.
With a headache brewing, Emily decided to consult a lawyer she knew to figure out her next move.
After hearing her story, the lawyer advised her to go to the station, stay calm, and not admit to anything. He also suggested trying to reconcile with Shirley. The thought of Shirley's smug face made Emily shake her head.
But there wasn't a better option. Sighing, Emily followed the lawyer's advice and headed to the police station.
At the station, she was questioned and explained her recent actions and whereabouts in detail. The police weren't convinced right away and said they needed to investigate further.
Since Shirley had no evidence of serious injury and Emily had no premeditated intent, it wasn't considered intentional harm. At most, it was a fight, but Shirley wasn't willing to reconcile, making things complicated.
In the days that followed, Emily's life turned upside down. She had to deal with the police investigation and face all sorts of doubts and rumors at work and in society.
Most importantly, at this critical point in the project, if the new algorithm couldn't support its operation, the whole thing would crash and burn. Emily felt more alone and helpless than ever. She wasn't sure if she could pull through or what her future held.
But she knew she couldn't give up. She had to keep pushing. If she wanted Shirley to back off, she had to make the first move. So, Emily handed over the evidence she had meticulously gathered about Shirley leading Gordon to the utility room and locking him in, to the police.
Even though she submitted the evidence, the police said they needed more investigation, leaving her feeling both hopeful and anxious. Back at the office, Emily tried to stay calm. She knew panicking now would only make things worse.
"Come in!" Patrick called out to Emily in a low voice.
"What's up?" Emily asked, already knowing the answer.
"What did you do to Shirley?" Patrick demanded.
"Why don't you ask her what she did to me?" Emily shot back.
Patrick didn't look at her, letting a moment of silence hang in the air.
"You were wronged last time. She's immature. Don't let her get to you," Patrick tried to reassure her.
"Immature? Yet she knows how to drug someone and lock an autistic child in a dark storage room? Do you find that funny coming from you?" Emily retorted.
"Autistic?" Patrick frowned.
"Yes, and you still don't know that Gordon is autistic!" Emily sneered. "He's the person I want to protect the most, and Shirley has repeatedly crossed my line! If it were you, what would you do?"
Patrick stayed silent. He knew Emily too well; family was her bottom line. But he also knew Shirley's vindictive nature. Once, when kids in the community fought over a doll with her, she would rather cut the doll with scissors than let other kids touch it. Getting on her bad side would likely end up hurting Emily in the end.
"I'll have her apologize to you, and the company will issue a statement to clarify the facts. Please don't pursue her any further," Patrick said softly, a rare tone for him.
Emily looked at Patrick, disappointment flashing in her eyes. She had thought that despite the distance between them, Patrick would at least understand and support her in critical moments. But his words made her feel more alone than ever.
"Mr. Rivera, this isn't something that can be fixed with a simple apology," Emily said with determination. "Shirley's actions have crossed my line and hurt the people closest to me. I need a fair judgment, not just a sorry."
She had thought that even if they weren't romantically involved, she still held a place in his heart after all these years. But now, his statement seemed to mock her, "Emily, how foolish you've been all these years."
Seeing Emily's determined gaze, Patrick knew he couldn't change her mind. He sighed and said, "Alright, I'll try to handle this as best as I can. But you have to promise me not to act impulsively."
Emily said nothing and walked out of the CEO's office with a heavy heart. She no longer had any illusions about Patrick. She knew this battle with Shirley was hers alone. She had to become stronger and braver.
Emily started gathering evidence of Shirley's misconduct since joining the company, including abusing her authority for personal gain and maliciously suppressing colleagues. She knew that while these might not take Shirley down directly, they would keep her on edge.
Her phone rang. It was Marlon.
"Emily, guess what big news I've discovered!"