The Man Who Destroyed Me Is Now Begging to Mend Me 22

And as long as Lucas and the Evans family stood firmly behind Emily, she could destroy Sophia’s reputation without breaking a sweat.

Sophia had reached her breaking point. “Forget whether Dr. Lynn is working with me. Now, you should be congratulated for firing someone who contributed to the Yadel Group’s success.” She brushed past Emily, heading for the door.

Emily melted into Lucas’s arms, clutching his lapel. “See how she treats me, Lucas?” she cried, her voice trembling with fake hurt. “She’s taking her anger out on me because she’s been caught.

“What’s to stop her from leaking our secrets now? If she walks out that door with that woman, the damage to the company could be irreversible.”

Lucas remained silent, his expression grim with unspoken thoughts.

He found it impossible to picture Sophia as a thief. Yet, a cold voice in his mind warned that the hurt he’d caused her could easily have twisted into a need for revenge.

Emily pulled at his arm, her voice a frantic whisper. “Lucas, she’s leaving. You have to stop her now.”

Lucas squeezed his eyes shut for a moment. “Don’t let her go,” he suddenly commanded, his voice cold and firm.

Sophia was just about to step into the hallway when a security guard moved to block the doorway, halting her

escape.

Sophia turned slowly, her eyes narrowed to slits as they locked on Lucas. “What’s this about?”

He held her gaze, though a flicker of guilt crossed his face. “You’re not going anywhere until we clear you of suspicion.

His words hit her with a physical force, leaving a cold, hollow emptiness in her chest. The betrayal was so sharp that it momentarily stole her breath, leaving only a dull numbness.

“And how do you propose we do that?” she asked, the humiliation burning in her throat. “Shall you search me?” She stared at him, unable to believe he would ever subject her to such degradation.

Finally, someone spoke up in Sophia’s defense. “Mr. Westwood, Dr. Evans couldn’t have stolen the technology. She’s been the brains behind our new products for the last three years, and she’s been integral to every breakthrough we’ve had.”

“Mr. Westwood, you remember the anti-aging eye cream we developed two years ago?” another one chimed in. “We were stuck on a major technical hurdle until Dr. Evans started working late every night in the lab. She’s the reason we finally cracked it.”

Lucas snorted in disbelief. “You expect me to believe that? You’re just making up excuses to protect her.”

He knew Sophia better than that. When they first met, she didn’t wear makeup, had no idea about lipstick, and used baby lotion as moisturizer.

I

The thought of her being a cosmetics researcher was ridiculous in his eyes.

“Can you hear how fake that sounds?” Emily chimed in. “You’re clearly covering for her.”

The others all fell silent.

Sophia’s eyes burned with anger as she watched Emily try to implicate others. “If you have a problem with me, Emily, deal with me directly. Stop dragging innocent people into this.”

Emily’s eyes widened in shock. “This is unbelievable, Sophia. You’re the one betraying Lucas and the company, and now you have the nerve to point the finger at me?”

“You-” Sophia choked on her rage.

“Enough.” Lucas’s voice was a low, cold command that silenced the room. His eyes held no warmth as they locked on Sophia. “The item. Will you give it to me now, or do I need to have you searched?”

She was completely at a loss as to what he was accusing her of having.

“Lucas, after three years together, you can’t possibly believe I would do this,” she said, a bitter taste of betrayal rising in her throat.

“You’re going to take her word over everything we had? What does that make me?” she pressed.

“This has nothing to do with us,” he said, his tone flat and final. “It’s about the company’s security. I have no choice.” He gave a sharp nod to the guards. “Search her.”

Mark