Chapter 104
Chapter Title: The Showdown
Myra knew exactly what was happening, but she also understood that no matter how much she tried to explain, no one would believe her. Instead, she forced a humorless smile, her eyes steady but resolute. “I’ve got nothing to say,” she replied, her voice flat.
Without missing a beat, Mr. Xavier turned to the group behind him. “Tsk-tsk… Looks like Miss Stark has finally decided to confess. What are we waiting for? Someone call the police! Leaking company information is a serious matter, and we need to leave this to the authorities.”
His smug smile suggested that he believed his words had struck fear into Myra, but to his surprise, she simply nodded. “I think we should inform the police too. I’ll be getting a lawyer to handle the case. Well then, can I leave now?”
Her calm and nonchalant response only deepened the anger in Sean. He stood up slowly and walked toward her, his movements deliberate. Over the past few days, a growing sense of regret had been gnawing at him. He had always loved Lyla, but even with his disdain for Myra, there had always been a shred of guilt. He had lied to himself, clinging to the idea that their marriage had been an obligation, something forced upon him by circumstances. Yet now, everything was crumbling, and he realized too late how the tables had turned.
“Just admit it,” Sean’s voice was cold, his words sharp. “If it’s not too serious, I won’t make things worse for you, Myra. We are husband and wife, after all.”
The phrase “husband and wife” struck Myra like a physical blow. Her composure, which she had fought so hard to maintain, began to crack. Her eyes reddened as tears welled up, but she refused to let them fall. She looked around at the faces of everyone present, all of them watching her now with different expressions—some skeptical, others judgmental—after Sean’s revelation.
“Has there ever been a moment where you’ve done something for me just because we’re husband and wife, Sean?” Myra’s voice trembled with the weight of her emotions. “All these years, I’ve worked my ass off for this company, given it my all. What makes you think you can just throw ‘wife’ in my face now, after everything?”
Sean’s expression hardened. “All the evidence is pointing to you,” he said, the bitterness in his tone rising. “I just don’t want us to end on bad terms.”
In that moment, Sean felt a strange shift in his emotions. The hatred that had been consuming him because of the child’s death was slowly dissipating. Perhaps it was because he was finally free to be with Lyla, or maybe because he felt that he had punished Myra enough over the years. Now, with the divorce on the horizon, it no longer mattered.
“I don’t care how it ends,” Myra snapped, unable to contain the anger that had been building. “I never did any of this!”
Her words stung Sean. He fell silent, but the tension between them was palpable, his anger boiling just beneath the surface. He stared at Myra, remembering the time she had gone behind his back to be with another man. It all seemed to make sense now. She had hurt him first, and now he wanted to hurt her back.
“In that case, what’s going on in this photo?” Sean’s voice turned icy as he slammed his phone down in front of her. “What excuse will you make this time, Myra?”
Myra’s heart sank as she looked at the photo displayed on the screen. She recognized it immediately—a picture taken just this morning by Lyla’s friend, someone who worked at Hart Group. It showed her standing outside of Tony Hart’s office. Sean’s voice was sharp as he continued, “You told my mother on the phone that you were at the hospital. Then why were you seen outside Director Hart’s office? And why did you leave in the middle of the night?”
Myra’s mind raced back to the moment she had left Tony’s office, recalling the flash of light as someone had snapped the photo. She hadn’t thought much of it at the time, but now, it was clear that Lyla had gone to great lengths to set her up.
Sean, noticing Myra’s avoidance of the photo, felt a strange pang in his chest. Anger twisted in his gut, but there was something else there too—a flicker of doubt that he quickly smothered. He had initially refused to believe what Lyla had shown him, but now, seeing Myra’s reaction…
“I was so wrong about you, Myra! To think that I felt guilty toward you—only for you to do this to me!” Sean’s expression darkened further. His rage, fueled by the summer heat, became unbearable. “What will you say now?!”
His hands balled into fists as his emotions boiled over. “Don’t think I’ll forgive you! I want nothing more than to end this marriage right now! I wish we’d never met!”
The words landed like a slap to Myra’s face. She staggered slightly, her heart sinking. I’d rather we never met… The thought echoed painfully in her mind. She took a deep breath and forced herself upright. Her fists clenched at her sides as she tried to maintain her composure. “That’s why I took the Divorce Agreement as soon as I saw it on your desk,” she said, her voice steady despite the turmoil inside. “When I came into your office, there weren’t any private documents on your desk. I only took the Divorce Agreement papers.”
“The Divorce Agreement?” Sean’s disbelief was evident. He scoffed loudly, a mockery of her words. “If you’re going to lie, at least make it sound believable. The Divorce Agreement? I don’t have anything like that on my desk. In fact, I haven’t even drafted one! More importantly, what about the photo?”
Myra hesitated, her eyes meeting Sean’s stony glare. “The photo…” she began slowly, her voice faltering slightly. “There was a riot at the construction site yesterday. I was taken hostage when I arrived. Director Hart was nearby and helped me escape. I never left his office until this morning because I was unconscious the whole time.”
The room went silent, save for the sound of Mr. Xavier’s derisive laugh. “Ridiculous!” he interjected, his voice dripping with sarcasm. “You were heavily injured last night, yet Director Hart didn’t take you to the hospital? Instead, he took you to his office? Is he a doctor now?”
Myra’s face flushed. She couldn’t explain herself, not in front of everyone. She couldn’t admit the truth—that Tony had feelings for her, and that his actions weren’t entirely professional. To reveal that would only add fuel to the fire. She pursed her lips, deciding to remain silent.
Mr. Xavier, sensing her discomfort, pressed on. “Mrs. Chase! Are you having an affair with Director Hart? Is that why you’ve betrayed Chase Group? You stole our company’s confidential information and gave it to Hart Group. And now, you’re filing for divorce with Director Chase because of him?”
Myra’s nails dug into her palms, but she held her ground. “I didn’t steal the documents,” she said, her voice strong and unwavering. “Since you all already know I’m married to the Director, why would I leak information from my own company? To shoot myself in the foot?”
She stood tall, her face unreadable, though the pain she felt was far deeper than anything visible. To others, her calm demeanor only served to make her look more like a cold and calculating figure, but in reality, it was a fragile mask hiding the storm inside.