Chapter 7
Daniel went rigid, unable to process what he had just heard. That wedding ring was the first thing he had bought with his own hard-earned money. The diamond wasn’t large, but it carried deep meaning—it was engraved with our names and the date we started dating. Even after he made his fortune and suggested upgrading to a new set, I had refused to take it off. “Now I’m just staying at the company. What does that even mean?” “Am I serious? Do I really want to divorce her?” His anxiety intensified. Without thinking, Daniel reached for his car keys to go find me, but was stopped by Elena’s hand. She had clearly overheard the conversation. Her eyes were filled with tears, her face flushed with guilt. “Mr. Murphy, this is all my fault. If you hadn’t taken the blame for me last night, Ms. Moore wouldn’t have stormed off in anger and quit the project.” “She can hit me or scold me if she wants. I won’t complain. But she shouldn’t have argued with you over something so trivial and put the company at risk.” “Don’t worry. I’ll go apologize to her right away. She’s the one who knows the project best. If she’s willing to come back, we can contain this.” Daniel took a deep breath, trying to calm himself. Elena was right. The company came first. Personal matters would have to wait. “She won’t come back. You’re fine now, so let’s just go back to the company.” Elena nodded quickly. Once they were back in the car, she glanced at him, her voice laced with concern. “Mr. Murphy, product design plans are supposed to be confidential. Only the person in charge would have access. If they’re online now, could it be that Ms. Moore…” Daniel looked at her with a cold, unreadable expression. His eyes held a trace of icy suspicion. “Are you implying that Kayla leaked it?” Elena flinched under his gaze, then quickly lowered her head, speaking in a soft, plaintive voice. “I don’t want to suspect Ms. Moore, but she’s the one who’s been most involved in the project and knows the company’s products better than anyone else.” “Mr. Murphy, could there be a misunderstanding? The company belongs to you, yes, but it also belongs to Ms. Moore. How could she possibly do something like this? Is it because you had me replace her and gave me shares? Maybe that made Ms. Moore angry?” As she spoke, she reached for the car door, her expression full of regret and distress. “Let me out. I’ll go explain everything to Ms. Moore right away. If she’s willing to step in, I’m even willing to resign. I can’t let you down after everything you’ve done for me.” Her words seemed to defend me, but in reality, they firmly branded me as the traitor. If this had happened in the past, Daniel might have softened, might have tried to comfort her. But now, with the company teetering on the edge of collapse, all he felt was a growing impatience with such petty manipulation. We had been together for seven years, from dating to marriage. He knew my character better than anyone. He knew I would never resort to such despicable tactics. At the company garage, he pulled the car into a stop and immediately issued orders to the assistant waiting nearby. “I’ll deal with the media. Secretary Brooks is injured—take her upstairs to rest. Do not let her come down without my permission.” Elena’s face turned pale. Tears of grievance welled in her eyes. “Mr. Murphy, are you suspecting me?” Daniel looked at her for a long time without speaking, his expression unreadable. “I don’t want to doubt you, Elena. Don’t give me a reason to.” With that, he clenched his fists and stepped into the elevator, missing the fleeting flicker of cruelty that flashed through Elena’s eyes. She was confident—after all, the person she had planted had already infiltrated the media team. How could she possibly let such a golden opportunity slipped through her fingers, now that I had voluntarily stepped aside? I had been such a fool. Instead of staying on as Mrs. Murphy, I had chosen to resign and leave. No wonder she seized this moment to rise in power. With that thought, Elena let out a soft sigh and the sting of being doubted by Daniel faded slightly. Outside, the media had been waiting for a long time. As soon as Daniel stepped out, they swarmed toward him, microphones in hand. “Mr. Murphy, is it true that your company’s latest product has serious issues, as reported online?” “How do you respond to claims that a consumer was injured in an explosion caused by your product? Does this suggest a safety defect?” “Do you think this is a case of malicious competition, or did your company cut corners on safety to push the product to market?” In their frenzy to get the latest scoop, the reporters pressed close, a few microphones even bumping against his face. Daniel had not faced this kind of public pressure in a long time. He answered with a grim expression. “All of our products go through rigorous testing and are fully certified before they reach the market. We can confirm there are no quality issues or safety hazards. The results of our internal investigation will be released soon on the company’s official website. We urge consumers to stay calm and wait for the facts.” “Are you suggesting someone deliberately framed your company?” “Mr. Murphy, reports indicate that your design plans have been leaked online. Could there be a case of industrial espionage within your company?” Among the voices, the reporters planted by Elena began steering the narrative toward me. “It’s said that this project was led by your ex-manager, Kayla Moore, who resigned earlier today. Was that an attempt to avoid responsibility?” “Some employees claim that you and Manager Moore were involved in an improper relationship. Mr. Murphy, do you think this could be related to the situation?” “Mr. Murphy, did you assign this major project to her because of your ambiguous personal relationship with Manager Moore?”