Chapter 51 CHAPTER 51
Evelyn’s POV
She picked a small park. The kind of parks where the swings creaked in the wind and the bushes were overgrown because no one visited them anymore. It was the perfect place for her to tell me what it was that could give me another chance at the company.
She arrived a few minutes after I was seated. She was not dressed for work, so I assumed she would not be going to the office after our meeting. I pressed the record button on my phone as soon as she arrived. She had fooled me once, I won't let it happen again.
She pulled the hoodie away from her head and forced a smile. “Hi, Evelyn.”
“Hey,” I said. “How are you, Tamara?’
I didn’t care for how she was. I just wanted the record to pick up her name.
She sat down. “I feel awful,” she said, looking every bit of the word.
I heaved a deep sigh. “You feel awful?”
My tone was harsh and I saw her flinch at it.
“I’m really sorry for what happened,” she continued. She twisted her fingers nervously. “Rosaleen was going to ruin my life if I didn’t take her side.”
“So you decided to ruin mine instead?” I asked.
“She has dirt on me, Evelyn. And she has been using it to manipulate me. I.. I have to do what she wants. If not, she threatens to come out with my secret. Every single time.”
I was familiar with blackmail. I had been a victim of it a couple of times. “This is not the best way to handle blackmail, Tamara. You keep giving her more power over you every time you let her use you.”
She bowed her head and nodded lightly. “I don’t have the courage, Evelyn. The secret she has can take Jasper away from me.”
I said nothing.
“I have an offer,” she said. “I have something on Rosaleen too. Something that can make you get the truth from her.”
I listened.
“When I was at her apartment a few days ago, I realized Rosaleen isn’t everything she’s been claiming to be. She is in huge debt. Worth several thousands of dollars.”
It sounded ridiculous. “In debt? Are you sure?’
“I saw the bills by myself,” she said, reaching for her bag. “I took some photos when she fell asleep.”
I stopped her. “I don't want that, Tamara. I don’t have the strength for dirty games. I just want the truth. If you want to help, tell Alpha Michael the truth.”
“Jasper won’t forgive me,” she cried.
“And you can live with yourself?” I asked.
Her lips trembled.
“I was humiliated in front of everyone who is important at the company, Tamara. I won’t take these crumbs so I can forgive you and make you feel better about yourself!”
The air stretched thin with tension and a long silence followed.
“Alright,” she said, finally. “I’ll tell the truth.” She wiped her eyes and sniffed. “I’ll say that I lied and it was you who actually presented MateLink to me.”
I had gotten her testimony on record, but I felt a little bit of sympathy for her.
“Here’s what we’ll do,” I said. “You’ll talk to my husband alone, in private. Let him know the truth, so that he can reopen the investigation again. He may decide to mention your name or not.”
It was the only decision that made both of us a bit satisfied.
–
Tamra was a usual guest at the house given her dual relationship with Jasper and the housekeeper. So it was easy for her to see Alpha Michael in the terrace where he sat, head hung over some papers. Our relationship in the last few days was something I couldn't quite understand. He was very attentive towards me, but most importantly, he had told me that he believed me. Not Rosaleen.
“Hey,’ I said, leaning against the wall.
He raised his head and examined my full clothing. “You were out.’
I stepped forward. “I had to go out to see someone.”
He raised his brows.
“Tamara.”
He looked even more shocked.
"She's here, Michael. She has something to say to you.”
She stepped forward from the corner and his gaze moved from me to her.
“Good morning, Alpha Michael," she said, her voice almost too low to be heard. I cleared my throat reflexively.
“Tamara,” he said, curiosity all over his face. “What brings you here?”
She inhaled sharply. “I want to tell the truth," she said. “About what happened during the panel meeting.”
Michael sat straight. “Okay. Go on.”
“I lied,” she said. “Evelyn came to me with the product idea but Rosaleen convinced me to lie against her so she could steal the product.”
It seemed as though the air stopped moving after that.
“You what?” There was anger in his eyes and in his tone.
She fell on her knees. “Rosaleen has dirt on me that can break Jasper and I apart. It was something I did many years ago but she keeps using it to make me do what she wants.”
He rose up. “You are fired, Tamara.”
“Michael,” I whispered. “Please.”
He glared at me briefly. “She soiled your name! Soiled the Greywood’s name. You deserve to be in jail.”
She sobbed and tears poured from her eyes. “I’ll resign, Alpha Michael. But please, don't let Jasper leave me.”
He paced, pressing his finger against his forehead. “How about the first one? Was it stolen too?”
She nodded. “Yes.”
He calmed down a bit after a few minutes. “Get up, Tamara. You’ll still be fired but not now. I don’t want this blown out of proportion. You may leave.”
She got up, thanked him and hurried away.
He walked towards me, in three long strides and pulled me into his arms. He wrapped his arm tightly around me and I inhaled the sweet scent of his body.
“I’m so sorry for this, Evelyn. I promise you, Rosaleen will pay for this. I’ll reopen the case and all that she had stolen from you will be returned."