Chapter 44 The Trap Reversed
Selene’s POV
The conference room remained completely silent.
Every single person present was still staring at the screen behind me, clearly unable to recover from the shock of what had just happened.
Even now, I could still see disbelief lingering on several faces.
After all, only an hour earlier, everyone thought I was about to embarrass myself publicly.
Now, the entire situation had completely turned around.
I cleared my throat softly before lifting my gaze toward Brian Carlos.
“I apologize for the issue earlier, Mr. Carlos,” I said politely. “There was a small complication with the original drafts, but fortunately, the problem has already been resolved.”
My tone remained calm and composed, as though everything that happened moments ago had merely been a minor inconvenience.
Then I lifted the laser pointer again and gestured toward the projected designs behind me.
“This collection is called Ice and Fire,” I explained smoothly. “The white diamonds represent ice, while the red gemstones symbolize fire. The contrast between the two elements forms the heart of the collection.”
Brian studied the designs carefully again before smiling openly.
“Excellent,” he said without hesitation.
Then he lifted his thumb approvingly.
“I truly like Ms. Nightbane’s work,” he continued sincerely. “Especially the double-helix concept. That detail is brilliant.”
The moment he praised that particular design feature, my lips curved slightly.
Because the double-helix concept had been my idea from the very beginning.
I had suggested it to Catalina earlier during the preparation stage.
Unfortunately, Catalina clearly disliked me too much to accept any of my suggestions seriously.
Instead, she completely ignored my recommendations and insisted on following her own direction.
Which was exactly why I never planned on showing Brian the original design drafts in the first place.
Honestly, I had already anticipated trouble long before today’s meeting began.
Linda was too quiet recently.
Winnie had disappeared too suddenly.
Everything pointed toward a setup.
So while they believed they were preparing a trap for me—
I had quietly prepared my own surprise first.
“Mr. Carlos,” I continued calmly, “do you see any issues with the revised collection? Is there anything you would like adjusted?”
Brian shook his head immediately.
“No issues at all,” he replied enthusiastically. “Everything looks fantastic.”
The foreign representatives beside him nodded in agreement.
Their reactions alone already confirmed the meeting had become a complete success.
“Then we’ll proceed with production using these final designs,” I said professionally. “The Ice and Fire collection will move forward immediately.”
Brian smiled broadly.
“With Ms. Nightbane leading the project,” he said warmly, “I’m very much looking forward to the launch.”
The atmosphere in the room relaxed instantly afterward.
The meeting officially ended on an excellent note.
Brian and his assistant began gathering their belongings, preparing to head toward the hotel.
Several executives also stood from their seats.
Including Linda and Catalina.
I watched them quietly for several seconds.
Then—
“Wait.”
My voice wasn’t loud.
But it instantly stopped everyone.
Linda froze first.
Catalina turned around immediately afterward.
Even Lucian lifted his gaze toward me again.
I slowly picked up one of the blank sheets from the folder beside me before holding it lightly between my fingers.
“Now,” I said calmly, “I think it’s time we discuss this properly.”
The atmosphere changed immediately.
The relaxed mood from moments earlier disappeared completely.
Linda’s expression stiffened almost instantly.
Clearly, she had hoped I would simply let the matter go after salvaging the meeting successfully.
Unfortunately for her—
I had no intention of doing that.
Did she truly think I would quietly accept being framed?
Not a chance.
The real show was only beginning.
Linda forced a tight smile onto her face.
“What exactly are you talking about?” she asked carefully.
I walked toward Lucian calmly before placing the blank sheet directly in front of him.
“This design draft was replaced with blank paper,” I said evenly. “Mr. Frostbane, don’t you think that’s strange?”
Lucian lowered his gaze toward the paper silently.
Then he leaned back slightly in his chair, tapping his fingers lightly against the table as his cold eyes swept across the conference room slowly.
The pressure in the room immediately became heavier.
No one dared speak first.
Finally, Lucian spoke calmly.
“I’ll have Yale investigate the matter.”
Yale immediately straightened beside the door.
“Yes, Alpha.”
Lucian’s tone sounded calm.
Controlled.
It was obvious he preferred resolving this quietly.
After all, the collaboration project was already moving forward successfully now.
From his perspective, causing internal chaos publicly would only create unnecessary complications.
Unfortunately—
I wasn’t willing to stop there.
“No.”
The single word immediately drew everyone’s attention back toward me.
Lucian’s gaze sharpened slightly.
“What do you mean, no?”
I turned slowly toward Linda before speaking calmly.
“Design drafts don’t magically become blank paper on their own,” I said evenly. “Someone deliberately switched them.”
Linda’s face changed slightly.
I continued before she could interrupt.
“And because this project is highly confidential, only a small number of people had direct access to the designs.”
Lucian’s expression darkened subtly.
“There are only two possibilities,” I continued calmly.
Lucian’s eyes narrowed slightly.
“What exactly are you implying?”
“It’s simple,” I replied.
“Someone intentionally swapped the designs to frame me.”
The room instantly became tense again.
Linda’s breathing visibly tightened.
Lucian’s cold gaze sharpened immediately.
“If that’s true,” he said quietly, “I’ll find out who did it.”
Linda immediately stepped forward.
“Selene, stop making ridiculous accusations!” she snapped angrily. “You lost the designs yourself and now you’re trying to shift the blame onto others!”
I looked at her calmly.
“Before leaving for the airport this morning,” I explained clearly, “I personally checked the folder. The original sketches were inside.”
I paused briefly.
“After returning from the airport, I came directly into this meeting room. That means the designs were switched during the time I was away.”
The logic was simple.
Clear.
Impossible to ignore.
Linda’s eyes flickered nervously toward Lucian for a brief second.
Then she immediately forced herself to speak again.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she said quickly. “The meeting is over already. I have other work to handle.”
She turned abruptly as if planning to leave immediately.
“Stop.”
This time, my voice became colder.
Sharper.
Linda froze instantly.
Slowly, she turned back toward me.
I held her gaze steadily.
“Ms. Cyril,” I said softly, “are you trying so hard to leave because you’re guilty?”
Her face changed completely.
“Guilty?” she repeated loudly. “What nonsense are you talking about?”
I smiled faintly.
“If you don’t want others to know what you’ve done,” I said calmly, “then you shouldn’t do it in the first place.”
Linda’s face turned pale.
“Selene,” she snapped angrily, “are you accusing me of switching the drafts? That’s slander!”
“Slander?” I repeated softly.
Honestly, I never expected her to confess so easily.
Someone willing to frame another person publicly was obviously prepared to deny everything afterward.
But unfortunately for Linda—
I had already anticipated that too.
Which was exactly why I came prepared.
I looked directly into her eyes.
Then I spoke slowly.
“I have proof,” I said coldly, “that you were behind everything that happened today.”