Chapter 32: Utterly Worthless
The next day, Evelyn appeared at the Omni Group's skyscraper. Damian had indeed kept his word, fulfilling the “promise” he had made.
The Design Department was on the thirty-third floor. The entire floor had clear, floor-to-ceiling windows, offering a panoramic view of half the city's prosperity. Employees, impeccably dressed, moved between minimalist workstations. The air was thick with the mixed scent of expensive perfume and coffee.
The HR manager led her to a woman wearing elaborate, fully-lined eyeliner, whose gaze seemed to measure people with a ruler.
“This is the Head of Design, Laura.”
Laura extended her hand. Her nails were painted the currently trending mirror-silver. “Evelyn, right? Damian gave us a heads-up. Welcome aboard.”
But there wasn't an ounce of warmth in her welcome. Evelyn gave her a brief handshake.
“Your station is over there.” Laura tilted her chin, pointing toward a storage room in the farthest corner. “Since you’re new, start by familiarizing yourself with the business. Reclassify and organize the design archives from the past ten years. It’s simple work.”
That was no workstation; it was a cluttered storeroom filled with old cardboard boxes, discarded models, and a thick layer of dust. A few stifled giggles could be heard nearby.
Evelyn said nothing, picked up her bag, and walked over. As she opened the door, a rush of dusty, moldy air hit her face.
She carried out stacks of yellowed blueprints and files, sorting them methodically by year, project, and designer, her movements calm and deliberate. She didn't complain, nor did she go looking for Damian.
The next afternoon, Laura’s stilettos clicked tap-tap-tap as she stopped at the storage room doorway. She tossed a thick folder onto the pile of files Evelyn had just sorted, kicking up dust.
“This project, the ‘Tears of the Stars’ series. The client was unsatisfied, so it was scrapped.”
Laura looked down at Evelyn, who was squatting on the floor. “Damian said that since you were once Professor Hays’s student, you must be talented. Three days. Give me a completely new revision plan.”
Evelyn looked up. The “Tears of the Stars” was a three-year-old project, long since terminated due to budget overruns and an unmarketable design concept. Digging it up now and demanding a plan in three days was effectively asking her to turn a pile of garbage into gold. It was an impossible task. A trap custom-made for her.
“Understood.”
Laura seemed satisfied with her passive acceptance, let out a sneer, and turned to leave.
Evelyn didn't look at the cursed project but continued organizing the old archives at hand. She had a hunch that these forgotten stacks of old paper held something far more valuable than a scrapped project.
Her fingertips glided over file after file until she touched a deep red, hard-shell folder labeled with the word “SECRET” in gold-stamped lettering. Her movement froze.
It shouldn't have been there. Archives of this level should be locked in the safe in Damian’s office.
Her heart pounded. She looked around. The storage room door was slightly ajar, and outside was the loud chatter of the office. Holding her breath, she quietly opened the folder.
Inside was a jewelry design project from five years ago. The final product had won Omni the International Design Award that year, a shining entry on the company's resume. But tucked inside the folder were several completely different design sketches. The style was fluid and elegant, vastly different from the final product's aesthetic, yet the core design elements were surprisingly identical.
In the lower right corner of the sketches was a signature she had never seen before. Further down was a cautiously worded settlement agreement and a bank transfer record for a substantial amount. The payee's name matched the unfamiliar signature.
The Omni Group had stolen someone else's work.
Evelyn’s blood rushed to her head. She immediately pulled out her phone, aimed it at the crucial sketches and agreement, her fingers trembling slightly with excitement.
“What are you doing!”
A sharp, harsh cry exploded at the doorway. Evelyn snapped her head up. Laura was standing there, her face contorted with the ecstatic triumph of catching someone red-handed.
Evelyn quickly locked her phone and shoved it into her pocket, but it was too late. Laura rushed in, snatched the confidential folder from her hand, glanced at the contents, and her face instantly turned sickly pale, only to transform into a malicious excitement.
“Oh, Evelyn! You dare steal company confidential files soon after starting work! You’re still an incorrigible thief!”
She gave Evelyn no chance to explain, grabbing her wrist and dragging her out. “Come on! You’re coming with me to see Damian!”
The eyes of the entire Design Department were fixed on them like spotlights. Laura shouted loudly the whole way, making sure everyone knew what was happening.
“Everyone look! The CEO’s wife, on her first day of work, is taking pictures of confidential files in the archive room! Who is she planning to sell our company's trade secrets to?”
Evelyn was dragged to the entrance of Damian’s office. Laura kicked the door open and shoved her inside.
Damian was meeting with several executives. Seeing this scene, his brows furrowed tightly.
“Damian!” Laura slammed the folder smack onto the conference table. “Look at your good wife! I asked her to organize archives, and she was secretly taking photos of company confidential files!”
The eyes of all the executives focused on Evelyn, full of scrutiny and suspicion. Damian’s expression was so dark it could drip water.
He picked up the folder and flipped through a few pages, then shot a knife-like gaze at Evelyn. Evelyn met his gaze, saying nothing. She knew he could certainly see this was a setup. The mere fact that the file was there spoke volumes.
Nevertheless, Damian closed the folder. “Evelyn, is this true?”
His eyes held no trace of trust, only cold interrogation and public humiliation.
“I did not,” Evelyn stated.
“Still trying to deny it!” Laura shrieked. “My eyes saw it clearly! She was taking pictures with her phone!”
Damian stood up and walked step by step toward Evelyn. The immense pressure radiating from him seemed to freeze the air around them.
“Hand over the phone,” he commanded.
A deathly silence fell over the conference room. Everyone waited to watch the spectacle unfold.
Evelyn looked up at him, at the man she had loved for eight years, watching how he, in plain sight and in collusion with others, was trampling her dignity underfoot.
She replied, “What if I refuse?”
Damian’s pupils contracted violently. He hadn’t expected her to dare defy him publicly.
His anger turned to a cold smile. “Evelyn, don’t make me strip away the last bit of your dignity right here. Do you think you’re in any position to bargain with me now?”
He paused, then whispered in her ear at a volume only the two of them could hear, “You had better think clearly about the consequences of provoking me.”
In the end, Evelyn was “escorted” into Damian’s private office. The moment the door closed, the anger on Damian’s face vanished, replaced by a sense of languid ease.
He loosened his tie, settled into his large executive chair, and slowly poured himself a glass of whiskey. Evelyn stood in the center of the room, staring at him coldly.
“Do you know why I did this?” He swirled the glass, the ice clinking crisply against the crystal. “I want you to understand one thing. Here, if I let you live, you live. If I want you dead, you die. All your little tricks are utterly worthless to me.”