Chapter 6
The next morning, the design department was buzzing.
When Jessica walked in, all eyes turned to her, and whispers followed her like a shadow. From the way people stared, she could already tell the commotion might have something to do with
her.
“Jess, the department was robbed last night,” Lilian whispered in her ear. “The drafts for the competition that were stored in the director’s office somehow ended up at your desk.”
Realization dawned on Jessica.
For the design competition scheduled this year-end, the designers had turned in their finalized entries to Eric for safekeeping. If a design went missing or was leaked, all the effort would be wasted, and they’d have to start over, indirectly giving their competitors more time
to refine their work.
Jessica said nothing and scanned the room. Her piercing gaze stunned the crowd into silence. No one had expected her to be so unruffled.
The chatter in the design department died.
She chuckled. Still holding her bag and digital tablet, she noticed a neat stack of papers sitting on her desk. Pinching the corner of the top sheet with visible distaste, she glanced around the room and said, “It looks like your drafts have decided to materialize on my desk.”
She dropped the paper back on the table. As expected, the stack of entries sat squarely on her desk. Everyone already knew where the drafts were, but none had stepped forward to retrieve their work. They had been waiting to confront her.
“Jessica, you shouldn’t pull something like this just to win first place!”
“It’s no wonder you stayed back late last night. You were busy copying our work!”
“These entries are supposed to be confidential. Now that you’ve seen our work, how can the competition be fair?”
Accusations against her piled on from every direction, but Jessica remained composed.
“If I wanted to plagiarize your work, I’d have snapped photos and gone through them at home. Why would I leave the drafts sitting here? I could’ve just thrown them out so you’d never find them.
“And if I were hiding something, why would I have posted about working overtime? I would have kept a low profile, wouldn’t I? As if I’d do something this dumb!”
Chapter t
Her retort left the room silent, though the senior designers still glared at her, eager to see her
fail.
Ignoring them, Jessica hurled the stack of papers toward the printer. Normally, she would have avoided conflict, especially as a new hire who hadn’t yet secured her place there. But lately, she found she couldn’t stand being treated unfairly.
“What’s going on? Why are you guys causing a scene so early in the morning?”
Eric marched in with Zachary and Joshua right behind him. The arrival of the executives immediately shut everyone up.
Jessica glanced at Eric, then met Zachary’s eyes over his shoulder. She didn’t dare hold his gaze and quickly looked away.
“It’s nothing,” someone muttered. “We’re just upset because Ms. Lockman took a peek at our entries for the year-end design competition.”
“I did not do that.” Jessica’s stance was firm.
She could feel Zachary’s cold eyes trained on her, making her voice falter slightly out of
anxiety.
“Everything should be based on evidence,” she continued. “I did leave late last night, but that doesn’t prove anything. And frankly, the work here doesn’t mean much to me; it won’t affect my chances of winning first place.”
The room erupted again. Some called her arrogant and reckless, and others accused her of bragging.
A smile crossed Zachary’s face.
“Check the cameras, and we’ll find out,” Eric said.
“T-The security guard said that the system was under maintenance last night,” Lilian stammered. “It only showed Ms. Lockman working in the office. It didn’t capture her taking
the drafts.”
She had checked as soon as the problem came up, hoping to clear her friend’s name.
With any resolution, the bickering continued. Jessica chose to stay silent, wondering why the designs had been placed on her desk in the first place.
“Jessica.”
A calm voice cut through the noise, and everyone fell quiet at once.
It was Zachary.
Chapter 6
“Come with me,” he ordered, his tone even and indifferent.
He turned and walked toward the elevator. As soon as his back was turned, a flurry of whispers rippled through the crowd. People were sure that she was about to get chewed out.
Having done nothing wrong, Jessica wasn’t afraid of his verdict. She squared her shoulders and followed him.
The scent of sandalwood around Zachary filled the elevator, calming her agitation.
As they entered Zachary’s office, Joshua stepped out and closed the door behind him.
“Sit and have breakfast,” Zachary said, pointing to a simple spread on the table.
“Huh?” Jessica was stunned. She didn’t know what he was getting at.
Just as she was about to say something, her stomach gurgled at the worst possible moment.
Zachary took a seat, opened a packet of disposable eating utensils, and then handed them to
her.
Still in a daze, she was struggling to comprehend the drastic turn of events. But unable to resist the temptation of food, she absently took the utensils and sat across from him.
That day, she wore loose casual pants and a short-sleeved mock-neck top, her hair swept into a messy bun. The effortless, yet sexy look kept Zachary’s eyes on her.
She nibbled at her food, and he matched her pace, unhurried.
“Are you full?” he asked.
“Yeah,” she said, dabbing her lips with a napkin. She hadn’t had a proper breakfast in weeks while preparing for the Independence Day event.
“Good. Get back to work then,” he said as he started clearing the table.
Jessica reached out to help, only for her hand to brush his palm. She quickly pulled back and clasped her hands behind her.
“I’ll get going.”
Zachary hummed in acknowledgement. He didn’t even look up.
She had no idea why he summoned her to his office. She had expected him to question her about the drafts, yet he said nothing.
When she reached the door, she paused and turned around. “Mr. Jones.”
“Yes?” he asked, tossing the takeout boxes into the bin.
Chapter 6
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As he dusted his hands and met her gaze, she said, “Let’s keep our matters private.”
“Which one?”
“All of it.”
“Alright,” he replied as he headed back to his desk.
Jessica breathed a sigh of relief, though she was still unable to see through Zachary.
Tension hung thick in the air when she was back at her desk.
“Want some leftover buns?” Lilian asked, nudging a box toward her.
“No thanks. I’m full.”
“Right. I bet you’re too pissed to even be hungry,” Lilian mused.
Later, Joshua showed up and called Eric upstairs. The chatter in the office grew louder, with people openly speculating about the situation.
“Did the boss chew you up?” Lilian whispered.
“No.”
“Then what did you do up there for ten whole minutes?”
“He just asked a few questions about this morning,” Jessica replied, diffidence pricking at her. She quickly cut the topic short and threw herself into work.
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