Chapter 192
Laura's POV
The fluorescent lights in the Wilson Holdings hallway burned into my skin like spotlights. I could feel the stares of every employee who had gathered to watch this spectacle, their whispers creating a buzz that made my head pound.
Julie's voice cut through the noise like a blade. "I heard that before Grace returned to the Wilson family, she was bullied quite a bit by you, Ms. Parker. I heard you... really enjoy being the other woman, don't you?"
The words hit me like a physical blow. I opened my mouth to speak, but no sound came out. The carefully applied makeup on my face felt like it was melting, sliding off to reveal the panic underneath.
Grace. President of Wilson Holdings.
The revelation crashed over me in waves. All this time, I thought Grace was just an orphan. Some insignificant convenient wife for Richard.
But Grace Wilson. Heir to hundreds of billions.
My legs nearly gave out. I reached for the wall, my fingers fumbling against the smooth surface, trying to find something solid to hold onto.
The employees were still staring, still whispering.
Security began dispersing the crowd after receiving Andrew's orders. But the damage was done. My humiliation was complete and public.
Inside the Conference Room
I stumbled into the conference room, my mind reeling. The pieces were falling into place, and each one made me feel sicker.
Richard knew.
He knew Grace's true identity. And he never told me. None of his family members ever mentioned it either. They all chose to keep me in the dark.
Those calculating looks Richard would give me sometimes. Like I was a chess piece he was moving around the board. Like I was useful, but expendable.
He's been deceiving me.
The conference room felt like it was closing in around me. The mahogany table, the floor-to-ceiling windows—everything screamed power and old money. Everything I'd never had, everything I thought I could steal by taking Richard away from Grace.
But Grace never needed Richard's money. She'd had her own empire all along.
Sophia entered the room with Julie, her presence immediately commanding attention. I watched from my seat as Andrew stood up.
"Sophia, don't bring irrelevant people into the meeting," he said sharply.
"Julie isn't random," Sophia replied, her voice cold as ice. "She's here on Grace's direct orders."
Andrew's jaw clenched so tight I thought it might crack. "I don't care whose orders—"
"Then perhaps you should care about this," Sophia interrupted, pushing a folder across the table. "Otherwise, whether it's you or Ms. Parker, you'll both need to be prepared to face the consequences."
I shrank deeper into my chair, watching this display of power with growing dread.
Andrew's face went through several shades of red, but he sat down.
Sophia handed the same file to me as well. I froze.
It was the data I had stolen.
"This," Sophia said, her voice carrying absolute authority, "contains some very interesting data."
My breathing became shallow and rapid. The room felt like it was spinning around me. Grace had never published those formulations, never patented them. If that file contained the original data, with timestamps and metadata...
They'll know I stole everything.
My hands started shaking. I clasped them together in my lap, trying to stop the trembling, but it was no use.
"Ms. Parker," Sophia continued, her gaze sharp as a scalpel, "I'm curious about something. How exactly did you manage to become NaturaLuxe's representative in such a remarkably short time?"
I opened my mouth, but no words came out. What could I say? That my entire career was built on stolen research? That everything I'd achieved was based on Grace's work?
Andrew leaned forward, his protective instincts kicking in despite his earlier anger with Sophia. "This is clearly a personal vendetta—"
"Is it?" Sophia's eyebrow arched elegantly. "Or is it a legitimate inquiry into potential corporate espionage?"
"I worked hard," I managed to whisper. "I earned my position."
"Did you?" Sophia's smile was razor-sharp. "Because from where I'm sitting, it looks like you got some... assistance."
The silence stretched between us, taut as a wire about to snap. I could feel Sophia's eyes boring into me.
"I think," Sophia said, her voice deceptively calm, "it would be in everyone's best interest if you explained exactly what you did to earn NaturaLuxe's trust."
My composure was cracking, fracturing like ice under pressure. "I don't know what you're implying—"
"It has something to do with Grace, doesn't it?" Sophia pressed.
That was it. The final straw.
"What evidence do you have?!" I burst out, my voice cracking with desperation. "Things that were never published—who's to say they were hers and not mine?"
The words hung in the air like a confession. I'd as good as admitted it.
Julie leaned forward, her voice deadly quiet. "So you admit it. You stole Grace's work and used it for the NaturaLuxe partnership."
"I never said that," I protested, but my voice was shaking so badly I could barely get the words out.
Julie's tone carried an almost gleeful quality. "Your reaction says everything."
I looked desperately at Andrew, hoping for some support, some protection. But his face had gone from angry to calculating. He was beginning to understand the implications—stolen intellectual property, corporate espionage, potential lawsuits that could destroy not just me, but the entire partnership.
He stopped defending me.
I was on my own.
The conference room door opened, and my world ended.
Grace walked in.
She looked like she'd come from somewhere else—her clothes were different from the suits I remembered, her hair slightly windswept. But the moment she entered the room, everything changed.
"Ms. Grace!" Everyone in the room stood and bowed slightly, a gesture of respect that spoke volumes about the hierarchy at play.
I remained seated, frozen in my chair, watching as Grace moved through the room with the kind of relaxed confidence that only came from absolute power. She didn't hurry, didn't seem concerned about the tension crackling in the air.