Chapter 113. Tests
Lilly Bradley
After saying those words to Jackson, I said goodbye and entered the building. I stayed on the stairs a moment longer, wiping my tears for the third time. Why am I so tearful? I took a few deep breaths to control my emotions and not worry my father any more than he already was.
"Lilly?" I jumped at the sound of my name. When I turned, it was Michelle, Oliver’s sister. I was surprised to see her. "Are you okay?" I noticed genuine concern.
"Michelle, I thought you weren’t in the country anymore." I quickly wiped my cheeks again.
"We're leaving next weekend. Are you okay? You look quite pale."
"I'm fine, thanks." Then I noticed a couple of bags in her hands, and she followed my gaze.
"Shopping. I've fallen in love with the city. It's a shame we have to go back..."
"And Oliver?" I asked curiously.
"He must be sleeping. I'm the one making the most of our stay in the city." She paused and looked at me. "I'm sorry for everything my brother did to you..."
"Michelle..." she interrupted me.
"I'm serious. Now that I really know what's going on, and after seeing you, I think it was for the best that you two broke up. He's my brother, but he wouldn't have made you happy. So if we don’t see each other again," her eyes welled up, "I want you to know you were the only sister-in-law I truly loved." She then lunged to hug me, catching me by surprise. When she pulled away, she smiled and wiped her tears. "Sorry, I got a bit emotional."
"Don't worry, it’s okay. Thank you for your words..."
"I wish you all the best, Lilly."
"You too, Michelle. Have a safe trip back to London." We said goodbye, and she went up the stairs. After a few minutes, I climbed the stairs to the apartment. When I closed the door behind me, I saw my parents sitting on one of the living room sofas. They stopped their conversation when they saw me.
"I thought you weren't coming up," my father said. "How's Jackson?"
"Better. He went home. Jacob and Leah are staying outside to talk for a while."
"How are you?" my mother asked as she stood up to approach me.
"Fine, well, sort of..."
"Your father told me you're going through something at work." I let go of her hand to sit on the other sofa. I was feeling a bit better and ready to talk to them. My mother sat back down next to my father.
"So, what’s really going on, Lilly?"
"The embezzlement points to me," my mother paled. "But it wasn't me, Mom."
"Of course not. We didn't raise you that way. I know my daughters." She put a hand to her chest.
"I'll find the best lawyer to guide us," my father said immediately. "What has Jackson said about this? It's his company. I hope he's really investigating to clear your name." My father's words hit me hard. I just nodded. "Jackson believes you, right?" I lied.
"Of course," my mother knew I was lying.
"Lilly, please tell me he's supporting you in this, that he knows you didn't do it."
"Lilly?" my father insisted.
"If all the evidence points to me—cameras, timing, the bank account in my name—" my voice broke, "what would you think?" My mother stood up.
"If he really knows you, he'll know it wasn't you! You don't need to do that! I never raised you that way! You have principles, you're educated, you're humble, honest, too... good. If he doesn't know that, he doesn't deserve you."
"I'll call Robinson to help find a lawyer," my father said, standing up and reaching for his phone. I stopped him.
"Wait, don’t rush, please."
"You need a lawyer as soon as possible, Lilly," my mother insisted.
"Just give me a day," I looked at my father. "Talk to Robinson about the lawyer tomorrow. When I have all the information, I'll call you, and we’ll go from there."
I went to take a bath and lay down. Someone knocked on the door, but I didn't answer. I knew it was Leah; Jacob must have told her something. She whispered my name, but I pretended to be asleep. After a few more moments, the door closed. I couldn't think or talk. The words I had said to Jackson and his reaction had left me shaken. Finally, I stopped thinking about everything and tried to rest.
In the morning, I left earlier than usual, trying to avoid running into anyone from the family. I didn't want to tell Leah what was happening. I had slept for a couple of hours, but from two in the morning onwards, I had been awake, trying to think of every detail that could help me defend myself. I arrived at the office an hour early, left my bag and coat on the rack, and then sat at my computer. For a moment, I stared blankly at the screen, lost in my own thoughts.
"Bradley, you're up early!" I jumped at the sound of Mr. Paige's voice. He was surprised to see me there so early.
"Good morning, Mr. Paige. What brings you to the office so early? It's not your usual arrival time." I noticed he narrowed his eyes and then smiled.
"I have some pending work. Have you heard anything about the embezzlement? Haven't they found anything?" I omitted what I knew.
"That information is only with Mr. Johnson."
"Of course," he cleared his throat and entered the office, which made me uncomfortable since he didn't ask for permission. Although it might seem ridiculous, the way he looked at me made me feel even more uneasy. "And what do you think?"
"About what?" I asked.
"From the embezzlement, it's thirty million dollars. That's five luxury apartments sold by someone. They must already know who it was; there should be a revolution in the company, and yet everything seems very calm." Those words echoed inside me.
"Maybe Mr. Johnson doesn't want to make a spectacle of this."
"Oh, you're right," he cleared his throat. "I need to make a call," then he left, leaving me intrigued by everything he had said. Moments later, my other colleagues started arriving, passing by and waving their hands in greeting, which I returned with a half-smile. My heart was racing, thinking that Jackson must already be in his office. Richard appeared at the office entrance a little while later.
"Good morning, Miss Bradley," he greeted, and I returned the greeting. The knot in the pit of my stomach grew to the point where I felt like vomiting, but I controlled myself immediately. "Mr. Johnson is expecting you in the office." I nodded quickly. I followed him, and my stomach continued to bother me. When we reached the elevator, I grabbed Richard's arm, and he turned to me, puzzled.
"I'm going to the bathroom," I told him. He nodded, and I noticed he furrowed his brow.
"Do you feel unwell? You look pale..."
"I'm fine." I withdrew my hand from him and headed straight to the women's bathroom. I entered and desperately searched for a stall. I went into one and barely made it in time to empty my stomach. I felt more retches coming, but I couldn't bring anything else up because I had nothing left. I closed my eyes for a moment, controlled my breathing to calm down. I heard my name in the distance; it was Richard, asking if I was okay. Feeling a bit better, I got up, flushed the toilet, and washed my mouth and neck with some water. I took a paper towel and dampened it. I looked at myself in the mirror and saw the dark circles that my makeup couldn't fully cover.
"Miss Bradley?" Richard called insistently.
"I'm coming, just a moment." I looked at my reflection again. "You are strong, you are strong, Lilly." Then I walked out, and Richard looked worried.
"Are you really okay? You still look very pale."
"I'm fine, just stressed." We entered the elevator and reached Jackson's floor. I placed a hand on my stomach as I felt like I might vomit again, but I forced myself to recover. Richard said something to the secretary, who seemed stressed. The doors to Jackson's office opened, and when he saw me, his expression softened.
"Come in," he ordered. I did, and Richard stayed with the secretary. Jackson gave orders not to be interrupted, and then I heard the door close behind me. "Take a seat."
"Do you have the evidence you mentioned?" He walked around his desk and then looked at me intently.
"Here it is, but I'm still figuring out how you've been implicated in this." There were folders on the desk. I approached and saw photos of me from security cameras. I started going through them. He was giving me a detailed account of everything he had been given, and then he handed me a cream-colored folder containing bank documents, my identification, and contract signatures. I covered my mouth with my hand as I read. The account had been opened the day before yesterday, but it was impossible. Jackson's phone rang. I looked up and noticed his expression beginning to change.
"Oh my God..." I whispered.
"What? When?" He fell silent for a moment to listen, "Alright, thank you." Then he hung up, walked to the doors, and opened them. "Richard!" he shouted. I shrank back, turning sideways in the chair to look. Richard arrived with an elegant blonde woman who had a furrowed brow—I recognized her. He let them in and closed the door. "This matter has leaked to the media. I want to know who the son of a bitch was that put this out there! If we need to sue, we will!" Jackson shouted angrily at Richard and his public relations agent. I just sat in front of his desk, looking at all the evidence pointing to me. How could I not doubt it? Everything was perfectly synchronized, even I was stunned. How was this possible? I looked again at the information about the account balance in my supposed bank account where the thirty million dollars were. My fingers tightened around the paper in my hands. For a moment, I heard nothing around me, only my breathing. Did I have a mental lapse that I wasn't aware of? My heartbeat thundered in my ears. I swallowed with difficulty, my eyes fixed on the document. Then something caught my attention: the time the account was opened. That detail made my mind search for the precise moment of my location at that time. Then my skin completely prickled: I was with Jackson on our way to lunch.
"I didn't do it," I whispered to myself, my fingers tightening around the papers. "Someone has set this up to blame me." I looked up at Jackson, who had come to my side. "Someone is involving me in this. Look at the account opening date," I handed him the document. He furrowed his brow. "At that time, we were on our way to lunch together. Who could have opened a bank account if I was with you? If you have photos from the elevator in the new building, I explained the reason to you. Besides, doesn't the bank have cameras? If the money is in that account and it's in my name, we can manage to get it back..." I stopped my words. Jackson's expression changed, and then he closed his eyes.
"How far we go for ambition..." he whispered those words to himself, and I didn't understand them. "Now it's my turn..." he murmured, crumpling the paper in his hands until it was destroyed. Then I realized he had discovered who it was.